[B-Greek] THIASARCHS
Anita Clerke
clerke at humanperformance.cc
Thu Dec 27 02:54:04 EST 2007
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:
"...in a trice he made them all look like children; for he was
prophet, cult-leader, head of the synagogue, and everything, all by
himself."
The Greek on the facing page has cult-leader as θιασἀρχης
THIASARCHS.
According to Van Voorst R Jesus Outside the New Testament. Eerdmans:
Grand Rapids 2000, THIASARCHS does not appear in the GNT.
Can someone please indicate if the word is used by any of the early
christian writers, say before AD 390?
I searched Justin's apology in Greek at http://
patrologia.ct.aegean.gr/PG_Migne/Iustinus_PG%2006/Apologia.pdfand
didn't find it there.
Using the search engine within the Christian Classics Ethereal
Library I did find "thiasarch" in the MARTYRDOM OF POLYCARPUS.
CHAPTER XXIII., p 249. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/renan/
hadrian_pius.xxv.html?highlight=thiasarch#highlight However here it
was simply referring to Lucian's account: "About that time there
lived a certain Peregrinus, a cynic philosopher of Parium, upon the
Hellespont, who called himself Protéus, and in regard to whom people
boasted of the facility with which he could assume any character, and
undertake any adventure. Among these adventures was that of posing as
a bishop and a martyr. Having begun life by committing the most
frightful crimes, parricide even, he became a Christian, then a
priest, a scribe, a prophet, a thiasarch, and chief of the synagogue."
Jonathan Clerke
clerke at humanperformance.cc
More information about the B-Greek
mailing list