[B-Greek] Lucian's word for revered, alternate MSS spelling

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Sun Dec 2 06:17:27 EST 2007


On Dec 1, 2007, at 8:29 PM, Anita Clerke wrote:

> As mentioned in an earlier request, Lucian of Samosata's work "The
> Passing of Peregrinus" has the following statement on pages 12-13
> (paragraph 11), as found in The Loeb Classical Library, Lucian with
> an English Translation by AM Harmon Volume V, 1972:
>
>
> και συνεγραφεν και ως θεον αυτον
> εκεινοι ηδουντο και νομοθετη εχρωντο
>
> KAI SUNEGRAFEN  KAI  hWS QEON AUTOΝ EKEINOI HiDOUNTO KAI NOMOQETΗι
> ECRWNTO
>
> However, a footnote on page 12 reads: ηδουντο [HiDOUNTO] Cobet,
> Fritzsche: ηγουντο [HGOUNTO].MSS
>
> Could someone please tell me the meaning and significance of this
> alternate reading?

Shoud be ἡγοῦντο (hHGOUNTO): this is 3 pl. imperfect  
indicative middle of ἡγοῦμαι = ἡγέομαι (hHGOUMAI =  
hHGEOMAI), a very common word that means essentially "lead" but is  
quite commonly used in the sense "consider, judge, deem, regard "

> Does this alternate word appear in the GNT?

Yes: 28 times, in fact.

> Do either of these words appear in the writings of the Ante-Nicene
> fathers?

hHGEOMAI most certainly; AIDEOMAI appears in 1 Clement 21:6 (τοὺς  
προηγουμένους ἡμῶν αἰδεσθῶμεν TOUS  
PROHGOUMENOUS hHMWN AIDESQWMEN "let us revere our forebears." AIDEOMAI  
is also found in Philo and Josephus and is certainly as common a verb  
in later Koine as it was as early as Homer centuries earlier.

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





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