[B-Greek] Humor or a frozen expression? Mk 5.7

Elizabeth Kline kline_dekooning at earthlink.net
Sun Oct 1 23:04:28 EDT 2006


----- Original Message -----
From: "George F Somsel"


> TEXT
>
> KAI KRACAS FWNHi MEGALHi LEGEI, "TI EMOI KAI SOI, IHSOU hUIE TOU  
> QEOU TOU
> hUYISTOU?  ORKIZW SE TON QEON MH ME BASANISHiS"
>
> And crying out in a loud voice he said, "What have I to do with you  
> [Lit.:
> "What to me and to you"], Jesus Son of the most high God?  I  
> implore you
> by God that you not torment me."
>
> I find this rather ironic that a demon possessing this man would thus
> beseech Christ in the VERY NAME OF GOD whom he supposedly opposes  
> (I know
> "KAI TA DAIMONIA PISTEUOUSIN KAI FRISSOUSIN" (Jas 2.19), but that's
> another passage).  Was the writer being humorous or is this simply a
> frozen usage in relation to ORKIZW?

Is ORKIZW ... TON QEON found in pagan sources? LSJ cites this as a NT  
usage. My limited memory of oath taking in Attic and Homer is that  
the name or an epitaph of the deity is often used or in some cases  
QEWN. I don't recall seeing it used with ORKIZW (as a verb).


Another question, are  TOU QEOU TOU hUYISTOU and TON QEON co- 
referential? We assume so because we read this from a monotheistic  
framework but should we assume that demons from Mark's persective  
were theologically orthodox? OK, so it is an off-the-wall question.

Elizabeth Kline







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