[B-Greek] John 11:45

Iver Larsen iver at larsen.dk
Fri May 5 03:57:25 EDT 2006


>
> POLLOI OUN EK TWN IOUDAIWN, hOI ELQONTES PROS THN
> MARIAM KAI QEASAMENOI hA EPOIHSEN, EPISTEUSAN EIS
> AUTON
>
> Is POLLOI...hOI appositional in the sense that ALL who
> comprise POLLOI are the same as hOI ELQONTES? If I
> understand one commentator's objection, he rejects
> this on the grounds that if the POLLOI is the same as
> the hOI ELQONTES, then ALL THOSE who had come to see
> Mary believed after seeing Lazarus resurrected. I take
> him to mean that there were other Jews present (EK TWN
> IOUDAIWN), but that there is a one-to-one correlation
> between the number represented by POLLOI and hOI ELQONTES.
>
> Mitch Larramore
> Sugar Land, Texas

It is not clear to me what this commentator is trying to say, but it looks like he makes a simple thing complicated.

The clause starting with hOI functions as a relative clause (a participle with a definite article often does), so the 
main clause is "Many (of the Jewish (leaders)) believed in him(Jesus)". The group of Jewish leaders who believed are 
further described and identified as having come to Mary and having seen what Jesus had done. In fact, that is at least 
in part why they believed. This verse (sentence) does not talk about those who may have come to see Mary and still did 
not believe in Jesus.
The next verse does say that some of the Jewish leaders APHLQON to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 
These people probably did not believe in Jesus, but it is not clear to me whether they also had visited Mary. Based on 
the use of APHLQON, it is most likely that they did visit Mary and still did not believe.

Iver Larsen. 




More information about the B-Greek mailing list