Catena in Marcum Jarius' Daughter

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Stirling Bartholomew
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Joined: August 9th, 2012, 4:19 pm

Catena in Marcum Jarius' Daughter

Post by Stirling Bartholomew »

Catena Marcum: Jarius' Daughter
<καὶ ἰδοὺ ἔρχεται εἷς τῶν ἀρχισυναγώγων, ὀνόματι Ἰάειρος, καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν, πίπτει πρὸς τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ. καὶ παρεκάλει αὐτὸν πολλὰ, λέγων, ὅτι τὸ θυγάτριόν μου ἐσχάτως ἔχει· ἵνα ἐλθὼν ἐπιθῇς αὐτῇ τὰς χεῖρας, ὅπως σωθῇ καὶ ζήσεται. καὶ ἀπῆλθε μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἠκολούθει αὐτῷ ὄχλος πολὺς, καὶ συνέθλιβον αὐτόν.>

Θαῦμα δὲ πάλιν ἕτερον διαδέχεται. ἄρχων γὰρ τῆς συναγωγῆς ἀπαντᾷ πρὸς τὸν Κύριον, οὐ προλαμβάνων εὐγνωμοσύνῃ τὴν πίστιν, ἀλλ' ἀναγκαζόμενος ὑπὸ νόσου τῆς θυγατρός. ὄνομα δὲ ἦν αὐτῷ Ἰάειρος. τὸ ὄνομα κεῖται διὰ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους τοὺς εἰδότας τὸ γεγονὸς, ἵνα γένηται τὸ ὄνομα ἀπόδειξις τοῦ θαύματος.
— Cramer, J.A. Oxford, 1840, p. 318.17-28
The highlighted text caused me to pause and use all the relevant lexicons to workout what προλαμβάνων εὐγνωμοσύνῃ was contributing. Lamb's fine translation[1] didn't resolve the issue. All the lexicons are out there so why post them? It's not as if we need to be told what the lexicons say. Lampe is somewhat more difficult to find.
Lampe προλαμβάνων
1. prefer, take by preference, 2. anticipate, 3. take initiative in, 4. prevent, forestall, 5. arrive before time, 6. pass., be preoccupied, 7. take for granted, assume, 8. precede, 9. ptcpl., of time, past
My question isn't answered in the lexicons or in Lamb's rendering. There is something ambiguous about οὐ προλαμβάνων εὐγνωμοσύνῃ τὴν πίστιν. The possible meaning is constrained by the following ἀλλ' ἀναγκαζόμενος ὑπὸ νόσου τῆς θυγατρός. Remember I have the lexicons on hand and don't need to have them pasted in a response.

[1] Lamb 2012[1]: "... was not predisposed to accept the faith with goodwill"

Postsript:
I was initially distracted by the citation in LSJ προλαμβάνω from Sophocles: 3. take in preference, τι πρό τινος S.OC1141.
C. Stirling Bartholomew
Stirling Bartholomew
Posts: 1141
Joined: August 9th, 2012, 4:19 pm

Re: Catena in Marcum Jarius' Daughter

Post by Stirling Bartholomew »

Now that the air has cleared[1], I will look at this again. It appears that προλαμβάνων has a temporal component. Jarius had not "seen the light" prior to his daughter's illness. He was compelled by that circumstance to consider the reports he had heard concerning Jesus' miracles of healing.

[1] Seattle air is now breathable for the first time in 9 days.
C. Stirling Bartholomew
Stirling Bartholomew
Posts: 1141
Joined: August 9th, 2012, 4:19 pm

Re: Catena in Marcum Jarius' Daughter

Post by Stirling Bartholomew »

The healing of Jarius' Daughter is interupted by the healing of the woman who touched the edge of Jesus' clothing.
<Καὶ γυνή τις οὖσα ἐν ῥύσει αἵματος ἔτη δώδεκα.>

Ὁ δὲ Ματθαῖος ὁμοίως κᾂν τούτῳ ἑνὸς ἐγένετο, τοῦ τὸ θαῦμα
εἰπεῖν, τὴν δὲ ἀκρίβειαν καταλέλοιπεν. ὁ γάρτοι Μάρκος προστί-
θησιν ὅτι ὁ Κύριος ἐπιστραφεὶς ἠρώτα τὸν ἁψάμενον. ἡ δὲ ὑπὸ
τοῦ φόβου κατήγγειλεν ἑαυτὴν, καὶ οὕτως εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτὴν τὸ,
“ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέ σε.”

Some Early Church Fathers[1] employ the neuter singular article before quotations. This is classical and is found occasionally in the NT[2].

[1] Just a few samples:
Origenes evangelium Joannis (in catenis)
εἶπεν τὸ «Νῦν ἡ κρίσις ἐστὶ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου».

Hippolytus Fragmenta in Proverbia
θείως δὲ εἶπεν τὸ “ἐμβιβάζω”

Chrysostom Acts
ὅταν ῥήματα τοῦ Πνεύματος γέμοντα· ὃ δή που καὶ
αἰνιττόμενος εἶπεν τὸ, Διὰ Πνεύματος ἁγίου· τουτ-
έστι, Καὶ τὰ ῥήματα, ἃ ἐλάλησα ὑμῖν, Πνεῦμά ἐστι.

Didymus Caecus De trinitate
ἀόριστος γὰρ ἡ λέξις, ὅθεν ὄνομα ἑαυτοῦ ὁ θεὸς εἶπεν τό “ὁ ὤν”.

Catena in Marcum
εἶπεν τὸ “ἐγὼ βρῶσιν ἔχω φαγεῖν, ἣν ὑμεῖς οὐκ οἴδατε.

Catena in Romanos
Ἐπειδὴ εἶπεν τὸ “πεπραμένος ὑπὸ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν·”
[2] ATR 766(g), N. Turner p. 182(g) Matt 19:18, Rom. 13:9.
C. Stirling Bartholomew
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