[B-Greek] hHGEMONEUONTOS IN LUKE 2:2 AND LUKE 3:1

Elizabeth Kline kline_dekooning at earthlink.net
Sun Jan 13 15:14:13 EST 2008


On Jan 13, 2008, at 5:33 AM, rhutchin at aol.com wrote:

> We have the following phrases:
>
> hHGEMONEUONTOS THS SURIAS KURHNIOU? (Luke 2:2)
>
> hHGEMONEUONTOS PONTIOU PILATOU THS IOUDAIAS? (Luke 3:1)
>
> Is it possible that Luke meant to make a distinction in the two  
> situations and this caused him to transpose intentionally the  
> ordering of the words (and that he wasn't just stylistically  
> varying his historical account in order to keep the account lively  
> and the reader from falling asleep)?
>
> By placing PONTIOU PILATOU before THS IOUDAIAS, could Luke have  
> meant to identify PONTIOU PILATOU as "THE" ruler of Judea and by  
> placing KURHNIOU after THS SURIAS, to identify KURHNIOU as "A"  
> subordinate ruler with power delegated to him by "THE" then ruler  
> of THS SURIAS?
>
>


Before you try to assign some significance to the constituent order  
in Lk 2:2 it would be worthwhile to study the variations in Lk 3:1-2.

Luke 3:1 Ἐν ἔτει δὲ πεντεκαιδεκάτῳ  
τῆς ἡγεμονίας Τιβερίου Καίσαρος,  
ἡγεμονεύοντος Ποντίου Πιλάτου τῆς  
Ἰουδαίας, καὶ τετρααρχοῦντος τῆς  
Γαλιλαίας Ἡρῴδου, Φιλίππου δὲ τοῦ  
ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ τετρααρχοῦντος τῆς  
Ἰτουραίας καὶ Τραχωνίτιδος χώρας,  
καὶ Λυσανίου τῆς Ἀβιληνῆς  
τετρααρχοῦντος,  2 ἐπὶ ἀρχιερέως  
Ἅννα καὶ Καϊάφα, ἐγένετο ῥῆμα  
θεοῦ ἐπὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν Ζαχαρίου  
υἱὸν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ.

LUKE 3:1 EN ETEI DE PENTEKAIDEKATWi THS hHGEMONIAS TIBERIOU KAISAROS,  
hHGEMONEUONTOS PONTIOU PILATOU THS IOUDAIAS, KAI TETRAARCOUNTOS THS  
GALILAIAS hHRWiDOU, FILIPPOU DE TOU ADELFOU AUTOU TETRAARCOUNTOS THS  
ITOURAIAS KAI TRACWNITIDOS CWRAS, KAI LUSANIOU THS ABILHNHS  
TETRAARCOUNTOS,  2 EPI ARCIEREWS hANNA KAI KAIAFA, EGENETO hRHMA QEOU  
EPI IWANNHN TON ZACARIOU hUION EN THi ERHMWi.

breaking out the relevant data:

THS hHGEMONIAS TIBERIOU KAISAROS

hHGEMONEUONTOS PONTIOU PILATOU THS IOUDAIAS

TETRAARCOUNTOS THS GALILAIAS hHRWiDOU

FILIPPOU DE TOU ADELFOU AUTOU TETRAARCOUNTOS THS ITOURAIAS KAI  
TRACWNITIDOS CWRAS

KAI LUSANIOU THS ABILHNHS TETRAARCOUNTOS

EPI ARCIEREWS hANNA KAI KAIAFA

Also it would be a good idea to look at some ancient historians for  
illustrations. Marshal 1979:133 (Luke: NIGTC) mentions Thucyd. 2:2,  
Polybius 1:3, Jos.Ant. 18:106.  I only had time to look at Thucyd.  
2:2 which is quite different in form and substance from Luke.

Thucyd. 2:2
1 Τέσσαρα μὲν γὰρ καὶ δέκα ἔτη  
ἐνέμειναν αἱ τριακοντούτεις  
σπονδαὶ αἳ ἐγένοντο μετ’ Εὐβοίας  
ἅλωσιν· τῷ δὲ 3 πέμπτῳ καὶ δεκάτῳ  
ἔτει, ἐπὶ Χρυσίδος ἐν Ἄργει τότε  
πεντήκοντα δυοῖν δέοντα ἔτη  
ἱερωμένης καὶ Αἰνησίου ἐφόρου 5  
ἐν Σπάρτῃ καὶ Πυθοδώρου ἔτι δύο  
μῆνας ἄρχοντος Ἀθηναίοις, μετὰ  
τὴν ἐν Ποτειδαίᾳ μάχην μηνὶ ἕκτῳ  
καὶ ἅμα 7 ἦρι ἀρχομένῳ Θηβαίων  
ἄνδρες ὀλίγῳ πλείους τριακοσίων ...

1 TESSARA MEN GAR KAI DEKA ETH ENEMEINAN hAI TRIAKONTOUTEIS SPONDAI  
hAI EGENONTO MET' EUBOIAS hALWSIN: TWi DE 3 PEMPTWi KAI DEKATWi ETEI,  
EPI CRUSIDOS EN ARGEI TOTE PENTHKONTA DUOIN DEONTA ETH hIERWMENHS KAI  
AINHSIOU EFOROU 5 EN SPARTHi KAI PUQODWROU ETI DUO MHNAS ARCONTOS  
AQHNAIOIS, META THN EN POTEIDAIAi MACHN MHNI hEKTWi KAI hAMA 7 HRI  
ARCOMENWi QHBAIWN ANDRES OLIGWi PLEIOUS TRIAKOSIWN ...

Here we see that Thucydides uses a female priest as one point of  
reference EPI CRUSIDOS EN ARGEI TOTE PENTHKONTA DUOIN DEONTA ETH  
hIERWMENHS.

"The Argives reckoned by the number of years during which the  
priestess of Hera had held office ..."  E.C. Marchant, Commentary on  
Thucydides: Book 2

I don't see anything in Luke or Thucydides that would lend support to  
your suggestion about constituent order in Luke 2:1 but perhaps I  
have overlooked something important.


Elizabeth Kline







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