[B-Greek] Antonyms?

Maurice A. O'Sullivan mauros at iol.ie
Sun Jan 4 15:03:14 EST 2004


At 22:14 03/01/2004, Ann Nyland wrote:

>But it is not as if Aristophanes and the LXX were the only instances, or
>that PTWKHOS was a rare word.

Who suggested it was? Not I, certainly.

On the meaning of PENICROS, A.G. Wright in the article I cited [  CBQ 44 
(1982) 256-263 "The Widow's Mite: Praise or Lament" ]
hasdthis to say:

 >> L.Simon* views Luke's version of the story as inaugurating the 
traditional ecclesiastical interpretation ...........He notes that Luke 
uses PENICROS for "poor" ( instead of Mark's PTWCOS ), a term which Simon 
assures us, expresses a less radical, less absolute type of poverty; Luke 
thus redramatizes the situation of the widow.  <snip>
Unfortunately the adjective PENICROS is generally seen as designating the 
same kind of poverty as PTWCH, if not an even more acute state ....
[ * L. Simon "Le sou de la veuve "  Mk. 12:41-44 ETR 44 ( 1969 ) 115-26 ]  <<<

This view of PENICROS is supported by the EDNT:  >>  Lk. 21:2, referring to 
a _poor/wretched_ widow, with particular emphasis on her neediness. << , 
with further reference to Philo _Som_ 1.98; 2.213 .

Also, >> PENICROS  poor, needy, a not very common word and hence somewhat 
stronger than PTWCOS (v. 3).
Reiling, J., & Swellengrebel, J. L. (1993], c1971). A handbook on the 
Gospel of Luke. Originally published: A translator's handbook on the Gospel 
of Luke, 1971. UBS handbook series; Helps for translators (Lk 21:2). New 
York: United Bible Societies.<<<

>I myself do not agree that Luke abandoned several hundred years' worth of
>common Greek usage of a common Greek word and decided instead to rely on a
>LXX account.

You may like to refer to the section "Language and Style " of Fitzmyer, 
Joseph A. The Gospel According to Luke. Anchor Bible 28,. New York: 
Doubleday, 1983, in which he has two pages of " Septuagintisms in Lucan 
Greek " and after which he makes these points:

 >> While the Greek of NT writers in general varies considerably from that 
of writers in the classical period, Luke's writings come closest and are 
more elegant in diction  than most of the others. It is also true, however, 
that 90 per cent of his vocabulary is found in the LXX.......<<<

 >> .......Luke's dependence on the Greek OT -specifically the so-called 
LXX- ....<<


Maurice A. O'Sullivan  [ Bray, Ireland ]
mauros at iol.ie





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