[B-Greek] MH EPI PORNEIA in Matthew 19:9

Jeff Smelser jeffsmelser at ntgreek.net
Tue Feb 17 18:24:35 EST 2009


Will,

Without getting into the translation issue (something that ventures 
toward the fringe of the guidelines for B-Greek discussion as I 
understand it), I'll mention something that won't answer your question, 
but is related and interesting.

In Mt. 19:9, I think of MH EPI (perhaps unimaginatively) as "not upon."  
Some years ago I spent some time looking for EPI in contexts where it 
might serve to introduce the grounds for divorce and had no luck. 
Mainly, I remember looking through the pre-nups and divorce agreements 
in volume 1 of Select Papyri in the Loeb series. (If I'm misremembering 
and it's so used therein, someone let me know!)  However, I recently 
noticed that in Plutarch's "Roman Questions," he mentions one Spurius 
Carvilius, whom Plutarch understood to be the first (in Rome??) to 
divorce his wife. Plutarch explained the reason for the divorce:
EXEBALE GUNAIKA SPORIOS KARBILIOS EP' ATEKNIAi
ἐξέβαλε γυναῖκα Σπόριος Καρβίλιος ἐπ' ἀτεκνίᾳ
That is, he divorced his wife /"upon childlessness,"/ or /"for 
infertility."/ It seems to me that Plutarch used EPI there as as did 
Matthew in Mt. 19:9.

Jeff Smelser
www.ntgreek.net



Will Dilbeck wrote:
> Harold,
>
> Thanks for your response. However, I did not say "I can't see anyway how
> 'not for fornication' could *imply *'except for fornication.'" I said, "I
> cannot see in any way how MH EPI PORNEIA could be *translated* as 'except
> for fornication'. It seems to me the translaters went above mere translation
> when they introduced an implication into the clause. I recoginize that this
> happens a lot in translation.
>
> Thanks again,
> Will
>   
>



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