[B-Greek] PERI in Matthew 24:36

Polycarp66 at aol.com Polycarp66 at aol.com
Tue Mar 18 08:21:36 EST 2003


In a message dated 3/18/2003 3:58:48 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
christofthenations at hotmail.com writes:

> In Matthew 24:36, Jesus said, PERI DE THS EKEINOS KAI hWRAS OUDEIS OIDEN. 
> Many popular preachers say that, in context, what Jesus means is, "I can 
> tell you approximately when I will come again, but I (and everyone else 
> except the Father) cannot identify the precise day or hour."
> 
> By contrast, C. S. Lewis takes the phrase to be a qualification of ultimate 
> 
> uncertainty in the lengthy answer He had just given to the apostles' 
> question about the time of His coming and the end of the age (Matthew 
> 24:3). 
> (He had been speaking "about" [PERI] that day and hour all along.)
> 
> Doesn't the presence of PERI in the phrase favor Lewis' explanation? Or can 
> 
> such a phrase lead out with that prepostion when simple identification is 
> all that the speaker has in mind?
> 

I would understand the PERI DE in this passage as being a species of the 
usage found in letters where the author is responding to a question posed by 
someone.  Note what is stated in BGAD s.v. PERI

d. write (to) someone TINI (Plut., Pomp. 29, 3; pap.; 1 Macc 12:22; 2 Macc 
2:16; Da 6:26; Jos., Ant. 12, 16)Ro 15:15; 2 Cor 2:4, 9 t.r.; 7:12; Phlm 21; 
2 Pt 3:15; 1J 2:12ff. DI' OLIGWN a few lines, briefly 1 Pt 5:12. DIA MELANOS 
KAI KALAMOU w. pen and ink 3J 13. The content of the writing is quoted: Rv 
2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14; write someth. to someone TINI TI (Plut., Cic. 37, 
1; 1 Macc: 10:24; 11:29; 13:35) 1 Cor 14:37; 2 Cor 1:13; Gal 1:20; 3J 9. TINI 
TI PERI TINOS (1 Macc 11:31) Ac 25:26; 1 J 2:26. TINI PERI TINOS (1 Macc 
12:22; Jos., Vi. 62) 2 Cor 9:1; 1 Th 4:9; 5:1; Jd 3. PERI DE hWN EGRAYATE  
(MOI v.l.) as to the matters about which you wrote (me) 1 Cor 7:1 (Pla., Ep. 
13 p. 361A PERI DE hWN EPESTELLES MOI; Socrat., Ep. 7, 1 hUPER hWN GRAFEIS); 
G. TINI give someone directions in writing w. inf. foll. Ac 18:27; also w. 
hOPWS ibid. D.—G. DIA TINOS signifies either that the person referred to in 
the DIA-phrase participated in writing the document (Dionys. of Cor. in 
Euseb., H.E. 4, 23, 11) as perh. 1 Pt 5:12, or that this person is its bearer 
IRo 10:1; IPhld 11:2; ISm 12:1; Pol 14. The latter mng. obtains in DIA XEIROS 
TINOS Ac 15:23. 

In this passage since it is not a response to an inquiry in a previous letter 
from the correspondent, I would take it to refer to a question which was 
raised in the church and to which a response is being given.

gfsomsel


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