[B-Greek] Witness and Eyewitness
jmtait
jmtait at wirhoose.co.uk
Thu Mar 10 08:19:27 EST 2005
Comparing two writers from different viewpoints (Norman Perrin, and an
unsigned article in a theological dictionary) I see that both seem to
regard AUTOPTAI in Lk 1:2 and the various words related to MARTUS as
having essentially the same meaning. Discussing AUTOPTAI, Perrin
(Rediscovering the Teaching of Jesus) regards Ananias's words to Paul in
Acts 22:14 'For you will be a witness (MARTUS) for him to all men of what
you have seen and heard' - which, as Perrin points out, refers to witness
to the _risen_ Christ - as a justification of his statement: 'Luke
considers Paul an eyewitness! ' On the other hand, the author of the
article on Martyria in the NIV Theological Dictionary of New Testament
Words (whom I can't find a way to identify, which I find annoying) finds in
the use of the word MARTURIA justification that 'the apostles...are
eyewitnesses to vouch for the facts of Jesus' life, death and resurrection.'
As, therefore, writers from widely differing viewpoints seem to conflate
these two words with different conclusions (Perrin explicitely and the
dictionary by implication) I hope that, in inquiring about it, I'm not
treading on ground too theological. I would have thought that, if Luke uses
the word AUTOPTES, which is a hapax legomenon in the NT, rather than MARTUS
which is characteristic of his vocabulary in Acts, it looks as though he
has deliberately chosen it.
John M. Tait.
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