[B-Greek] Acts 5.18 and 4:3 -- addendum

George F Somsel gfsomsel at yahoo.com
Sun Dec 31 09:02:25 EST 2006


I might add to my previous comments that the supposition that the location where the apostles were held in 4.3 differs from that of 5.18 is sheer supposition.  
 
george
gfsomsel
_________



----- Original Message ----
From: Iver Larsen <iver_larsen at sil.org>
To: BG <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 31, 2006 3:37:09 AM
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Acts 5.18 and 4:3


Thank you, Father James,

If I understand you correctly, you are suggesting that the holding place in Acts 4:3 is a different 
place than the jail in 5:18. This sounds very plausible to me and might explain the addition of the 
descriptive adjective which makes THRHSIS DHMOSIA (v. 18) equivalent to FULAKH in v. 19 and 
DESMWTHRION in v. 21. By using 3 different words pointing to the same facility, Luke seems to 
clarify that this was in fact a regular jail rather than a temporary detention cell.

In 4:3 we have EQENTO EIS THRHSIN EIS THN AURION

I like the way that RSV renders this "put them in custody" until the next day. In this case it was 
only Peter and John, so a small place would be enough.

Acts 5:18 is much later, and when Luke says EQENTO AUTOUS EN THi THRHSEI DHMOSIAi, this would 
probably refer to a bigger jail outside the Temple precincts. After all, we now have 12 apostles, 
and this may well have been too much for the Temple holding facility. This "public jail" would 
probably have had stronger gates and locks and more guards, and Luke may be setting up such 
expectations since the prison guards feature prominently in v. 23.

Since the apostles got a reputation as jail breakers, Herod put Peter in the maximum security prison 
(FULAKH) in chains and with extra guards in chapter 12.

I know we cannot get this from the words alone, but I am curious to know if there is historical or 
archaeological evidence for different kinds, sizes and locations of detention cells and jails. Such 
knowledge helps in understanding the chosen wording and the intended references.

Best wishes and happy New Year,
Iver Larsen

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <frjsilver at optonline.net>

Dear Friends --

It seems to me that 'public' or 'common' work well enough for two reasons.

First, these are on the Occam's razor side of possible renderings without getting editorial.

Second, it's clear from the text that the Apostles were arrested by Temple guards at the behest of 
the Kohen ha Gadol and the Tsadiqqim for *religious* offenses.

Since the Temple, as well attested elsewhere in the NT, clearly had a police force, and religious 
authorities could arrest people for religious offenses, it stands to reason that there must have 
been some sort of holding facility for prisoners until they could be tried before the Synedrion.

So the phrase EN THRHSEI DHMOSIAi may be merely St Luke's shorthand way of pointing out that the 
Apostles were NOT held in a Temple jail, but in the 'common prison' AS IF they'd been arrested by 
Roman (or at least municipal) police for a civil offense -- which wasn't the case.  Hence St Luke's 
clarification.


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