[B-Greek] Parousia

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at ioa.com
Thu Oct 6 06:13:52 EDT 2005


On Oct 6, 2005, at 1:26 AM, Kevin Craig wrote:

> Does the word PAROUSIA permit a non-physical "presence?"
> Can one speak of the "parousia" of the theory of evolution,
> for example?
> Are there instances in classical Greek of a PAROUSIA of
> ideas, qualities, or other non-physical PAROUSIAI?

These notions seem pretty far removed from anything actually attested  
for the usage of PAROUSIA in ancient Greek. Here is the entire entry  
for PAROUSIA in LSJ, which is the primary reference work you ought to  
have checked (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/resolveform);  
there is no indication here whatsoever of a non-physical presence.


PAROUSIA, hH ( [PAREIMI] )
       A. presence, of persons, DESPOTOU, etc., A.Pers. 169, etc. ;  
ANDRWN PAROUSIA = ANDRES OI PARONTES, E.Alc.606 ; POLIS MEIZWN THS  
hHMETERAS PAROUSIAS = hHMWN TWN PARONTWN, Th.6.86 ; PAROUSIAN MEN  
OISQA ... FILWN, hWS OUTIS hHMIN ESTIN, i.e. that we have no friends  
present to assist us, S.El.948 ; of things, KAKWN E.Hec.227 , Ar.Th. 
1049 ; AGAQWN Pl.Grg.497e : abs., PAROUSIAN ECEIN = PAREINAI, S.Aj. 
540 ; TA THS TUCHS ... KOINAS [ECEI] TAS PAROUSIAS D.Prooem.39 ; AUTO  
TO AGAQON [AITION] THi PAROUSIAi TOIS ALLOIS TOU AGAQA EINAI  
Arist.EE1217b5 , cf. Pl.Phd. 100d, etc.
       2. arrival, hHMWN KOINOPOUN PAROUSIAN S.El.1104, cf. E.Alc. 
209, Th.1.128 ; EIS ITALIAN D.H.1.45 ; esp. visit of a royal or  
official personage, BASILEWS, etc., PTeb.48.14 (ii B. C.),  
IPE12.32A85 (Olbia, iii B.C.), etc.; of a god, IG42(1).122.34(Epid.).
      3. occasion, v.l. in S. El.1251.
      4. PAROUSIAN TISI POIEISQAI entertain them on their official  
visits, OGI139.9 (Philae, ii B.C.).
      5. in NT, the Advent, Ev.Matt.24.27, al.
      6. Astrol., situation of a planet at a point on the zodiac,  
HTOI KATA PAROUSIAN H KATA SUMMARTURIAN Vett.Val.49.26 .
   II. substance, property, hWS ... ECOMEN PAROUSIAS Pl.Com.177 , cf.  
Men.471 ; π. χρημάτων Crates Com.16 .
      2. contribution in money, Sch. Luc.Phal.1.3 (pl.).

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad2 at mac.com
WWW: http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/




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