[B-Greek] Acts 16:34 & sentence diagramming.

Timrake at aol.com Timrake at aol.com
Mon Dec 13 11:23:16 EST 2004


In a message dated 12/13/04 9:32:45 AM, cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu writes:


> 
> PLEASE, let's not get started along those lines or even make such a
> suggestion in jest; it's NOT a matter of a reader or opinion-giver's
> theological commitment but of the demonstrable meaning of the text, insofar
> as the meaning is demonstrable. The question at hand is how the Greek text
> of Acts 16:34 is to be construed and in particular how PANOIKEI relates to
> HGALLIASATO and PEPISTEUKWS. This question was discussed back in July (July
> 1-2, 2004, subject-header, "Acts 16:34). A.T. Robertson's note is cited,
> "It is in an amphibolous position and can be taken either with "rejoiced"
> (HGALLIASATO) or "having believed" (PEPISTEUKWS, perfect active participle,
> permanent belief), coming between them. The whole household (family,
> warden, slaves) heard the word of God, believed in the Lord Jesus, made
> confession, were  baptized, and rejoiced." At any rate the immediately
> preceding context makes it perfectly clear that the jailer himself and the
> entire household were baptized.
> 

I agree. The reading that separates PANOIKEI from either the ptc. or adverb 
is far too subtle. The narrative includes "all those in his house" in the 
preaching, "all his" in the sacrament of baptism, and at the very least the "whole 
house" in the either believing or rejoicing. To conceive that suddenly the 
action of one of these last two is meant to be exclusive to the jailer strikes me 
as quite unnatural to the depiction of things in the context.

Pr. Tim rake
Praise Lutheran Church
Maryville, TN



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