[B-Greek] EPI + the genitive (related to a person/event)

George F Somsel gfsomsel at yahoo.com
Sat Mar 1 21:08:43 EST 2008


Since no one has responded, I will try to answer your question.  

You appear to have fallen prey to a common misconception that a word is used in only one manner.  This is not true in English, nor is there any reason to believe that it does in Greek or any other language.  

Mt 1.11
Ἰωσίας δὲ ἐγέννησεν τὸν Ἰεχονίαν καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς μετοικεσίας Βαβυλῶνος
IWSIAS DE EGENNHSEN TON IEXONIAN KAI TOUS ADELFOUS AUTOU EPI THS METOIKESIAS BABULWNOS

The mention of Jeconiah in the OT is quite limited and therefore provides little which is absolutely determinative regarding how ἐπὶ [EPI] is used here.  Due to the fact that  Josiah, his father, died prior to the Captivity, I would take it in a temporal sense as being "near the time of" (the Babylonian Captivity).


⑱ marker of temporal associations, in the time of, at, on, for
ⓐ w. gen., time within which an event or condition takes place (Hom.+) in the time of, under (kings or other rulers): in the time of Elisha Lk 4:27 (cp. Just., D. 46, 6 ἐ. Ἠλίου). ἐ. τῆς μετοικεσίας at the time of the exile Mt 1:11. 

Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. (3rd ed.) (367). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.




Mk 2.25-26

25 καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· οὐδέποτε ἀνέγνωτε τί ἐποίησεν Δαυὶδ ὅτε χρείαν ἔσχεν καὶ ἐπείνασεν αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ μετʼ αὐτοῦ, 26 πῶς εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπὶ Ἀβιαθὰρ ἀρχιερέως
25 KAI LEGEI AUTOIS, "OUDEPOTE ANEGNWTE TI EPOIHSEN DAUID hOTE XREIAN ESXEN KAI EPEINASEN AUTOS KAI hOI MET' AUTOU 26 PWS EISHLQEN EIS TON OIKON TOU QEOU EPI ABIAQAR ARXIEREWS

There is a problem here since Abiathar was not the High Priest when David is reported to have eaten the sacred bread at the sanctuary at Nob.  The priest at the time was said to have been Ahimelech who was reported as having been killed by Saul when what had happened was reported.  At this time Abiathar fled to David and took the Ephod with him.  It was later when the Jerusalemites were apparently unable to find any blind or lame to defend the city (See 2 Sam 5.6) that Abiathar appears to have shared the priesthood with Zadok.  Again, it would seem that  ἐπὶ [EPI] is used to indicate an approximate time for an event.

Lk 4.27
 καὶ πολλοὶ λεπροὶ ἦσαν ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ἐπὶ Ἐλισαίου τοῦ προφήτου, καὶ οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν ἐκαθαρίσθη εἰ μὴ Ναιμὰν ὁ Σύρος.
KAI POLLOI LEPROI HSAN EN TWi ISRAHL EPI ELISAIOU TOU PROFHTOU, KAI OUDEIS AUTWN EKAQARISQH EI MH NAIMAN hO SUROS.

Here  Naaman is actually reported to have been contemporaneous with Elisha.  Again, it is a temporal statement.

Lk 3.2
 ἐπὶ ἀρχιερέως Ἅννα καὶ Καϊάφα, ἐγένετο ῥῆμα θεοῦ ἐπὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν Ζαχαρίου υἱὸν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ.
EPI ARXIEREW ANNA KAI KAIFA, EGENETO hRHMA QEOU EPI IWANNHN TON ZAXARIOU hUION EN THi ERHMWi

Annas was technically High Priest from 6 AD to 15 AD but seems to have continued as the eminence gris in the priestly circle since Annas sent Jesus to Caiaphas.  Again, it seems to have a temporal reference which is somewhat loose in its designation.

Ac 11.28
ἀναστὰς δὲ εἷς ἐξ αὐτῶν ὀνόματι Ἅγαβος ἐσήμανεν διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος λιμὸν μεγάλην μέλλειν ἔσεσθαι ἐφʼ ὅλην τὴν οἰκουμένην, ἥτις ἐγένετο ἐπὶ Κλαυδίου
ANASTAS DE hEIS EC AUTWN ONOMATI AGABAS ESHMANEN DIA TOU PNEUMATOS LIMON MEGALHN MELLEIN ESESQIA EF' hOLHN THN OIKOUMENHN, hHTIS EGENETO EPI KLAUDIOU

Here we seem to have another temporal designation.  

1 Tim 6.13
παραγγέλλω [σοι] ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῳογονοῦντος τὰ πάντα καὶ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ μαρτυρήσαντος ἐπὶ Ποντίου Πιλάτου τὴν καλὴν ὁμολογίαν, 
PARAGGELLW [SOI] ENWPION TOU QEOU TOU ZWiOGONOUNTOS TA PANTA KAI XRISTOU IHSOU TOU MARTURHSANTOS EPI PONTIOU PILATOU THN KALN hOMOLOGIAN

The usage almost seems to be the same here, yet there is a difference.   The phrase τοῦ μαρτυρήσαντος [TOU MARTURHSANTOS] indicates the difference since this is in origin a legal phrase.   

⑩ marker of legal proceeding, before, w. acc. in the lang. of the law-courts ἐ. ἡγεμόνας καὶ βασιλεῖς ἄγεσθαι be brought before governors and kings Mt 10:18; cp. Lk 21:12 Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000).  (3rd ed.) (365). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.








I therefore would not take it to reference the entire period of Jesus' ministry but specifically his appearance in the dock before Pilate.  








 

george
gfsomsel

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learn truth, love truth, speak the truth, hold the truth, 
defend the truth till death.


 - Jan Hus
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----- Original Message ----
From: "rhutchin at aol.com" <rhutchin at aol.com>
To: b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Saturday, February 23, 2008 2:44:09 PM
Subject: [B-Greek] EPI + the genitive (related to a person/event)

There are several places in the NT where EPI appears before the name of a person or significant event.

Here are some I found--

Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers EPI they were carried away to Babylon. (Matthew 1:11) 

 "But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: 'how he went into the house of God EPI Abiathar the high priest,...'" (Mark 2:25-26) 

"Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea,...Annas and Caiaphas EPI the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. (Luke 3:2) (literally, "in the time of the high priests, Annas and Caiaphas," I have read)

"And many lepers were in Israel EPI Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian." (Luke 4:27) 

"And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass EPI Claudius Caesar."  (Acts 11:28) 

"I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who EPI Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;..." (1 Timothy 6:13)

I each case, the context suggests to me that the author has chosen to identify the action he is describing with a notable event/person in order to help the reader get a sense of the time in which the action occurred.  In each verse, it seems that we might understand EPI to mean "about the time of X."  Not my main question, but is that a reasonable way to understand EPI in these verses?

My specific question concerns 1 Timothy 6:13.  The translations all seem to agree that Paul is speaking of that particular moment in time when Jesus stood before Pilate and was questioned by Pilate.  However, is it possible that Paul was speaking of the entire 3+ years of Jesus' ministry and telling us that it occurred about the time of Pilate.

Roger Hutchinson

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