[B-Greek] ARXOMENOS (Acts 11:3)--"from the beginning"??

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Thu Aug 23 12:56:25 EDT 2007


On Aug 23, 2007, at 12:37 PM, Webb wrote:

> ARXOMENOS DE PETROS EXETIQETO AUTOIS KAQEXHS LEGWN (Acts 11:3)

It might help to get the citation right;
(a) it's Acts 11:4 (not 3):

Acts 11:4 Ἀρξάμενος δὲ Πέτρος  
ἐξετίθετο αὐτοῖς καθεξῆς λέγων·
ARXAMENOS DE PETROS EXETIQETO AUTOIS KAQEXHS LEGWN ...

(b) from your transcription I wasn't sure whether you mean ARCOMENOS  
(present ptc.) or ARXOMENOS (fut. ptc.); now we see that it's  
actually an aorist ptc.

> I see that Lattimore renders Acts 11:3 as
>
>
>
> But Peter explained everything in order from the beginning, saying.
>
>
>
> Is there any justification for seeing the role of ARXOMENOS in the  
> sentence
> this way?

I would understand this to say, "Peter began and proceeded to set  
forth (the account) sequentially, as follows ... "

I think the shift from the aorist participle, here apparently  
indicating priority, to the imperfect EXETIQETO and the present ptc.  
LEGWN, indicates an account that started at the beginning and was  
continued in ongoing sequential exposition.  So I wouldn't fault  
Lattimore's account; the text certainly indicates a methodical and  
sequential exposition from a point of departure. That's very much  
like what Luke says he's going to do in the proem of the gospel (Lk  
1:1-4) -- hardly very surprising ...

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Ret)




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