Re: anagnwsei

From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Fri Sep 04 1998 - 19:06:42 EDT


At 5:42 PM -0500 9/04/98, Cindy Smith wrote:
>I'm curious about the meaning of ANAGNWSEI. For example,
>
>1 Timothy 4:13 hEWS ERXOMAI, PROSEXE TH AVAGNWSEI,
> TH PARAKLHSEI, TH DIDASKALIA.
>
>NRSV translates this, "Until I arrive, give attention to the public
>reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching."
>
>Query: Does ANAGNWSEI always mean "public reading of scripture" or
>can it mean simply "public reading" ? Certainly, many of the letters
>read in the New Testament churches did _not_ later become scripture.

I'm not going to cite all the voluminous instances cited in the original.
Rather I'm simply going to note that from quite early on ANAGIGNWSKW was
the verb for "read aloud." What it is that is read in any one instance may
be stated explicitly or may have to be inferred from the context; I don't
think there's usually much question, however.

>Compare 2 Maccabees 2:25 which uses the word ANAGINWSKEIN "to read"
>apparently but what is the word for reader? Here is the full passage:
>
>EFRNTISAMEN TOIS MEN BOULOMENOIS ANAGINWKSEIN PSUXAGWGIAN TOIS DE
>FILOFRONOUSIN EIS TO DIA MNHMHS ANALABEIN EUKOPIAN TASIN DE TOIS
>ENTUGXANOUSIN WFELEIAN. NRSV: "we have aimed to please thos who wish
>to read, to make it wasy for those who are inclined to memorie, and to
>profit all readers."

In this instance the word translated "readers" is TOIS ENTUGCANOUSIN a
substantival participle in the dative plural that literally means "those
who come upon it"--yet it is clear from the context that this does mean
"those who by whatever chance encounter may happen to read these words."

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics/Washington University
One Brookings Drive/St. Louis, MO, USA 63130/(314) 935-4018
Home: 7222 Colgate Ave./St. Louis, MO 63130/(314) 726-5649
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu OR cconrad@yancey.main.nc.us
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/

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