[B-Greek] LXX gen 1:1-2

Albert Pietersma albert.pietersma at sympatico.ca
Sat Dec 31 13:34:05 EST 2005


Rather interesting that on the last day of 2005 a question is asked 
about "beginning" :-)
I must confess to a certain laziness on this day and am myself looking 
for a new beginning. As Carl has already indicated there are different 
ways of understanding the Hebrew source. It may thus be that G made a 
deliberate choice. Whether deliberate or not----let me cite John Wevers 
  p.1 of his Notes on Genesis: "Gen did not understand BERESHITH as 
bound to the following clause [i.e in the beginning of God's creating 
AP], but simply as a prepositional phrase modifying BARA, and in exact 
imitation of MT has ARXH unarticulated."  Given the fact that ARXH is 
left anarthrous (albeit in imitation of the Hebrew) I would personally 
be inclined to render EN ARXH as "at first," rather than "in the 
beginning." And one then argue about the difference (if any) between 
these two renderings. The same can also be argued regarding John 1:1. 
But that is perhaps too weighty a subject on New Year's Eve.
Kale Chronia to all,
Al

On Dec 31, 2005, at 12:27 PM, Carl W. Conrad wrote:

>
> On Saturday, December 31, 2005, at 12:16PM, nick runecrow 
> <runecrow at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> "EN ARCH EPOIHSEN hO THEOS"
>>
>> I take this "EN ARCH" as generally, "'In the beginning' God made". If 
>> I want
>> to say, rather, "In beginning, God made" would this appear 
>> grammatically the
>> same, or should I look for a different construct? That is to say, "In
>> beginning," such as if I am writing of 'how to construct a guitar' 
>> and I
>> write then, "In beginning, choose a wood that will provide good 
>> intonation".
>> "In beginning, God made".
>
> That's perhaps a better question than you may have been aware. The 
> Greek text
> in the LXX here is a literal representation of the Hebrew "B'ReSHiTH 
> BaRa'
> ELoHiM ..." (there is no article in the Hebrew text). But some would 
> read the
> Hebrew to mean, "When God began to create ..." or, as you're 
> suggesting, "God,
> when beginning to create ..." Perhaps Al Pietersma, the list's 
> resident LXX
> expert will have something to say about this.
>
>>
>> "hH DE GH HN AORATOS KAI AKATASKEUASTOS"
>>
>> What is this "DE" doing that "KAI" does not do? I am not following 
>> what this
>> "DE" is doing. How would I understand this in translation if not by 
>> 'and'.
>
> This DE is the standard particle in Greek narrative used with a new 
> clause in
> continuous discourse. The LXX translator has understood the Hebrew 
> connective
> W' as its equivalent.
>
>> Thank you for you help,
>>
>> Nicholas
>
> Nick, hereafter please observe BG Protocol and sign your messages with 
> a
> full-name signature. Also read the FAQ, if you haven't, at
> http://metalab.unc.edu/bgreek/faq.txt
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—
Albert Pietersma
Professor of Septuagint and Hellenistic Greek
Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations
University of Toronto
Home: 21 Cross Street,
Weston ON Canada M9N 2B8
Email: albert.pietersma at sympatico.ca
Homepage: http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~pietersm




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