[B-Greek] EPI in Acts 1:21

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Wed Dec 10 13:37:14 EST 2003


Jeff, I wouldn't quarrel one bit with your characterization of the
combination "come in, go out" or in the Hebraic order "go out, come in" (as
"evening and morning" serve to indicate a complete day?) as idiomatic. What
I think I would still question, however, is the usage of EPI with the
accusative hHMAS in the sense "among(st) us." Have you found other
instances of EPI + accusative used with these combined verbs?

At 12:59 PM -0500 12/10/03, Jeff Smelser wrote:
>Acts 1:21
>DEI OUN TWN SUNELQONTWN hHUMIN ANDRWN EN PANTI CRONWi hWi EISHLQEN KAI
>EXHLQEN EF' hHMAS hO KURIOS IHSOUS...
>
>"It is necessary therefore, of the men who went about with us in all the
>time which the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us..."
>
>I've used "among" just to get an English representation of the clause on the
>table, but would anyone care to categorize the use of EPI here, and perhaps
>cite some other passages where it is used similarly?
>
>Carl, I see that you addressed this question a few years ago (Jan 20 1998).
>http://www.ibiblio.org/bgreek/test-archives/html4/1998-01/22925.html
>
>You wrote:
>=====================
>If we had only EISELQEIN, "upon us" would be pretty good English, I think:
>"The Lord Jesus came in upon us and went out ..." might work. It must be
>EPI + acc. with a verb of motion, and EPI + accusative in classical Attic
>often has the sense of "come upon," "accost," or even, in the case of a
>bird of prey or a battleship, "swoop upon," "assail." I think this might be
>a pretty good combination for the impact of Jesus on the lives of this
>community: entering into their lives suddenly and completely re-ordering
>their entire existences as previously constituted into a new community, and
>perhaps, with EXELQEIN added into the equation, there's a suggestion to of
>Jesus' abrupt departures and returns to this group. So there's one thought.
>=====================
>
>However, it seems to me that coming and going is an idiomatic (Semitic)
>expression for the normal activities of life, rooted in the pastoral notion
>of sheep coming and going from the sheepfold (Num 27:17). I think that
>may be what you had in mind when you said, "If we had only EISELQEIN..."
>EPI with that idiom seems incongruous to me. Hence I am wondering if there
>are any other thoughts regarding EPI in Acts 1:21.
>
>Listed below are OT occurrences of the idiom categorized by the various
>means of translation in the LXX. In the Hebrew text, with one exception,
>the order is always the same, "going out" and then "coming in." The
>exception is Dt. 28:6 where the phrase seems less idiomatically structured.
>In the LXX, even though the Hebrew order is consistent, the Greek has
>reversed the order in Psalm 121:8 and Dt. 31:2. In Luke, we twice see it,
>both times with the reversed order, Ac 1:21 and 9:28. I only mention the
>change in order because I suppose it has bearing on the question of whether
>this is the idiomatic expression I take it to be.
>
>Jeff Smelser
>www.ntgreek.net
>www.centrevillechurchofchrist.org
>
>
>EXERCOMAI...EISERCOMAI
>Num 27:17
>Josh 14:11
>
>EXODOS...EISODOS
>1Sa 29:6
>2Sa 3:25
>2Ki 19:27
>Isa 37:28
>Ps 121:8  (reversed order in LXX)
>
>EKPOREUOMAI...EISPOREUOMAI  (cf. Ac. 9:28, with reversed order)
>Dt. 28:6  (reversed order in Hebrew and LXX)
>Dt. 31:2  (reversed order in LXX)
>2Chron 15:5
>Zech 8:10
>
>---
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-- 

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
WWW: http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/



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