[B-Greek] use of SEBO and SEBOUSI
Carl Conrad
cwconrad2 at mac.com
Sat Dec 15 07:59:25 EST 2007
On Dec 15, 2007, at 6:07 AM, Anita Clerke wrote:
> It seems that SEBOUSI ( σέβουσι ) is a word not found in New
> Testament texts. However when searching perseus tufts' "Dictionary
> head words" under SEBO (the basic uninflected form) I can find
> several instances where inflections of it are used. Eg: Matthew 15:9,
> Mark 7:7 (sebonte [should be SEBONTAI] in both instances); Acts
> 19:27 (sebomai); Acts
> 16:14 (sebome [should be SEBOMAI]). None of the inflected forms of
> sebo appear to be used
> in relation to worshipping Jesus.
>
> Could someone please confirm that SEBOUSI, or inflected forms of
> SEBO, are not used in the New Testament in relation to Jesus?
Generally speaking, the verb seems to be used only of reverence paid
to God or gods, not to human beings; the NT texts that use the word
are all within the gospels and Acts. It would be speculative (and
really OUTSIDE the parameters of BG list discussion) to raise the
question whether Jesus is implicitly or explicitly equated with God in
these texts.
I'm not sure where you got the information that the verb doesn't
appear in the GNT. I find 10 instances:
Matt. 15:9 μάτην δὲ σέβονταί με
διδάσκοντες (MATHN DE SEBONTAI ME DIDASKONTES ... )
Mark 7:7 μάτην δὲ σέβονταί με
διδάσκοντες (MATHN DE SEBONTAI ME DIDASKONTES ... )
Acts 13:43 Ἰουδαίων καὶ τῶν σεβομένων
προσηλύτων τῷ Παύλῳ (IOUDAIWN KAI TWN SEBOMENWN
PROSHLUTWN TWi PAULWi)
Acts 13:50 Ἰουδαῖοι παρώτρυναν τὰς
σεβομένας γυναῖκας τὰς εὐσχήμονας
(IOUDAIOI PARWTRUNAN TAS SEBOMENAS GUNAIKAS TAS EUXCHMONAS)
Acts 16:14 πορφυρόπωλις πόλεως
Θυατείρων σεβομένη τὸν θεόν (PORFUROPWLIS
POLEWS QUATEIRWN SEBOMENH TON QEON)
Acts 17:4 Σιλᾷ, τῶν τε σεβομένων
Ἑλλήνων πλῆθος πολύ (SILAi, TWN TE SEBOMENWN
hELLHNWN PLHQOS POLU)
Acts 17:17 Ἰουδαίοις καὶ τοῖς
σεβομένοις καὶ ἐν τῇ ... (IOUDAIOUW KAI TOIS
SEBOMENOIS KAI EN THi ...)
Acts 18:7 ὀνόματι Τιτίου Ἰούστου
σεβομένου τὸν θεόν (ONOMTI TITIOU IOUSTOU SEBOMENOU
TON QEON)
Acts 18:13 οὗτος τοὺς ἀνθρώπους
σέβεσθαι τὸν θεόν (hOUTOS TOUS ANQRWPOUS SEBESQAI TON
QEON ... )
Acts 19:27 ὅλη ἡ Ἀσία καὶ ἡ οἰκουμένη
σέβεται (hOLH hH ASIA KAI hH OIKOUMENH SEBETAI ... )
It's noteworthy that every single instance shows the verb being used
in the middle voice. BDAG seems to indicate that this is the more
fundamental usage.
> Could someone please indicate if SEBOUSI, or inflected forms of SEBO,
> are used in relation to worshipping Jesus in early Christian writings
> outside of the New Testament?
I don't have a searchable Greek text of extra-biblical writings, but
BDAG cites the Martyrdom of Polycarp:
"Of the worship of Christ by the faithful MPol 17:2b; cp. vs. 2a."
MPol 17:2b reads: ὅτι οὔτε τὸν Χριστόν ποτε
καταλιπεῖν δυνησόμεθα, τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς
τοῦ παντὸς κόσμου τῶν σῳζομένων
σωτηρίας παθόντα, ἄμωμον ὑπὲρ
ἁμαρτωλῶν, οὔτε ἕτερόν τινα
σέβεσθαι. [ ... hOTI OUTE TON CRISTON POTE KATALIPEIN
DUNHSOMEQA, TON hUPER THS TOU PANTOS KOSMOU TWN SWiZOMEWN SWTHRIAS
PAQONTA, AMWMON hUPER hAMARTWLWN, OUTE hETERON TINA SEBESQAI.]
> It appears that Perseus tufts does not allow a search of Lucian of
> Samosata's works. Could someone please tell me if Lucian used SEBOUSI
> (or inflections of SEBO) elsewhere. And if Lucian did, was it always
> in the context of worshipping a god?
I find in Calumn. 18.1 εἰ λέγοιτο τις μὴ σέβειν
μηδὲ προσκυνεῖν τὸν Ἡφαιστίωνα, where
the aactive form SEBEIN is used with regard to Hephaestion, the
beloved of Alexander, to whom Alexander wanted divine honors paid
after Hephaestion's death. In Life of Demonax 1.62 he writes
concerning philosophers, Ἐρωτηθεὶς δέ ποτε, τίς
αὐτῷ ἀρέσκοι τῶν 2 φιλοσόφων, ἔφη,
Πάντες μὲν θαυμαστοί· ἐγὼ δὲ 3
Σωκράτη μὲν σέβω, θαυμάζω δὲ
Διογένη καὶ φιλῶ 4 Ἀρίστιππον. [ERWTHQEIS
DE POTE, TIS AUTWi ARESKOI TWN FILOSOFWN, EFH, PANTES MEN QAUMASTOI;
EGW DE SWKRATH MEN SEBW, QAUMAZW DE DIOGENH KAI FILW ARISTIPPON.
That's rather interesting, but it appears to express degrees of
respect for certain philosophers; I'd English it, more or less, as
"They (the philosopers) are all marvelous; I revere Socrates, I marvel
at Diogenes and I love Aristippus." There are a couple other instances
of SEBOUSI (a comic usage for what appears to be a slop jar being
reverenced in the "True History") and SEBIZONTAI (of reverence for
constellations in the night sky).
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
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