Re: Luke 2:14: en uyistois qew, en anqrwpois eudokias

From: Stephen C. Carlson (scarlson@washdc.mindspring.com)
Date: Wed Nov 20 1996 - 08:23:33 EST


At 06:15 11/20/96 -0600, Carl W. Conrad wrote:
>At 5:49 AM -0600 11/20/96, Jonathan Robie wrote:
>>OK, I thought I could parse this, and then someone pointed out that UYISTOIS
>>is plural. Why plural?
>>
>>Any hints?
>
>Here's a couple stabs at it:
>
>(1) It's a neuter plural generalizing phrase, of a sort well-exemplified
>elsewhere in the NT: TA EPOURANIA, TA EPIGAIA.

BADG glosses TA hUPSISTA as the "highest heights," so the plural
does not even seem out of place in English. Why is "heights" plural
in English? I suspect the question is just as answerable as it is
for the Greek.

The well known Latin translation of DOKSA EN hUPSISTOIS QEWi is, of
course, GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO. I never really thought about until
this discussion the fact that "excelsis" is indeed ablative plural;
the singular form would be "excelso."

>(2) Semitic (Hebrew at least) has a plural (dual?) for Heaven: ha
>Shamayim,which seems to be represented at some points in the NT with the
>plural hOI OURANOI.

There's also an intriguing reference in 2Co12:2 to a "third heaven."
Any experts here in ancient cosmology?

Stephen Carlson

--
Stephen C. Carlson                   : Poetry speaks of aspirations,
scarlson@mindspring.com              : and songs chant the words.
http://www.mindspring.com/~scarlson/ :               -- Shujing 2.35


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