συνήχθησαν γὰρ ἐπʼ ἀληθείας ἐν τῇ πόλει ταύτῃ ἐπὶ τὸν ἅγιον παῖδά σου Ἰησοῦν ὃν ἔχρισας Ἡρῴδης τε καὶ Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος σὺν ἔθνεσιν καὶ λαοῖς Ἰσραήλ ποιῆσαι ὅσα ἡ χείρ σου καὶ ἡ βουλὴ προώρισεν γενέσθαι.
I've always understood ποιῆσαι to be dependent on συνήχθησαν, but someone recently proposed to take it as dependent on ἔχρισας.
Does this sound feasible?
Syntax of Acts 4:27-28
Forum rules
Please quote the Greek text you are discussing directly in your post if it is reasonably short - do not ask people to look it up. This is not a beginner's forum, competence in Greek is assumed.
Please quote the Greek text you are discussing directly in your post if it is reasonably short - do not ask people to look it up. This is not a beginner's forum, competence in Greek is assumed.
-
- Posts: 3355
- Joined: May 11th, 2011, 10:51 am
- Location: Melbourne
- Contact:
Re: Syntax of Acts 4:27-28
Has this proposal been published anywhere? Off hand, it's hard to see it as plausible with the intervening Ἡρῴδης τε καὶ Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος σὺν ἔθνεσιν καὶ λαοῖς Ἰσραήλ that would ordinarily indicate that the relative clause ends at ἔχρισας.timothy_p_mcmahon wrote:συνήχθησαν γὰρ ἐπʼ ἀληθείας ἐν τῇ πόλει ταύτῃ ἐπὶ τὸν ἅγιον παῖδά σου Ἰησοῦν ὃν ἔχρισας Ἡρῴδης τε καὶ Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος σὺν ἔθνεσιν καὶ λαοῖς Ἰσραήλ ποιῆσαι ὅσα ἡ χείρ σου καὶ ἡ βουλὴ προώρισεν γενέσθαι.
I've always understood ποιῆσαι to be dependent on συνήχθησαν, but someone recently proposed to take it as dependent on ἔχρισας.
Does this sound feasible?
Stephen C. Carlson, Ph.D.
Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne, Australia
Re: Syntax of Acts 4:27-28
It doesn't sound feasible to me, because that would make the relative pronoun the subject of ποιῆσαι, which would make little sense in the context.Stephen Carlson wrote:Has this proposal been published anywhere? Off hand, it's hard to see it as plausible with the intervening Ἡρῴδης τε καὶ Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος σὺν ἔθνεσιν καὶ λαοῖς Ἰσραήλ that would ordinarily indicate that the relative clause ends at ἔχρισας.timothy_p_mcmahon wrote:συνήχθησαν γὰρ ἐπʼ ἀληθείας ἐν τῇ πόλει ταύτῃ ἐπὶ τὸν ἅγιον παῖδά σου Ἰησοῦν ὃν ἔχρισας Ἡρῴδης τε καὶ Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος σὺν ἔθνεσιν καὶ λαοῖς Ἰσραήλ ποιῆσαι ὅσα ἡ χείρ σου καὶ ἡ βουλὴ προώρισεν γενέσθαι.
I've always understood ποιῆσαι to be dependent on συνήχθησαν, but someone recently proposed to take it as dependent on ἔχρισας.
Does this sound feasible?
-
- Posts: 1141
- Joined: August 9th, 2012, 4:19 pm
Re: Syntax of Acts 4:27-28
Acts 4:27 συνήχθησαν γὰρ ἐπ᾿ ἀληθείας ἐν τῇ πόλει ταύτῃ ἐπὶ τὸν ἅγιον παῖδά σου Ἰησοῦν ὃν ἔχρισας, Ἡρῴδης τε καὶ Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος σὺν ἔθνεσιν καὶ λαοῖς Ἰσραήλ, 28 ποιῆσαι ὅσα ἡ χείρ σου καὶ ἡ βουλή [σου] προώρισεν γενέσθαι.
Agree with Drs. Carlson and Hofstetter,
Hyperbaton is found in Luke-Acts and we don't have to travel far to see discontinuous and/or difficult syntax in Acts:
Acts 4:25 ὁ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν διὰ πνεύματος ἁγίου στόματος Δαυὶδ παιδός σου εἰπών· ἱνατί ἐφρύαξαν ἔθνη καὶ λαοὶ ἐμελέτησαν κενά;
On the other hand, breaking up a relative clause: ὃν ἔχρισας … ποιῆσαι … with Ἡρῴδης τε καὶ Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος … λαοῖς Ἰσραήλ doesn't look like something that would be done for rhetorical reasons. Furthermore, Peter's previously established storyline is undermined by this hypothetical reading, see:
Acts 2:23 τοῦτον τῇ ὡρισμένῃ βουλῇ καὶ προγνώσει τοῦ θεοῦ ἔκδοτον διὰ χειρὸς ἀνόμων προσπήξαντες ἀνείλατε,
Acts 3:18 ὁ δὲ θεός, ἃ προκατήγγειλεν διὰ στόματος πάντων τῶν προφητῶν παθεῖν τὸν χριστὸν αὐτοῦ, ἐπλήρωσεν οὕτως.
Agree with Drs. Carlson and Hofstetter,
Hyperbaton is found in Luke-Acts and we don't have to travel far to see discontinuous and/or difficult syntax in Acts:
Acts 4:25 ὁ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν διὰ πνεύματος ἁγίου στόματος Δαυὶδ παιδός σου εἰπών· ἱνατί ἐφρύαξαν ἔθνη καὶ λαοὶ ἐμελέτησαν κενά;
On the other hand, breaking up a relative clause: ὃν ἔχρισας … ποιῆσαι … with Ἡρῴδης τε καὶ Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος … λαοῖς Ἰσραήλ doesn't look like something that would be done for rhetorical reasons. Furthermore, Peter's previously established storyline is undermined by this hypothetical reading, see:
Acts 2:23 τοῦτον τῇ ὡρισμένῃ βουλῇ καὶ προγνώσει τοῦ θεοῦ ἔκδοτον διὰ χειρὸς ἀνόμων προσπήξαντες ἀνείλατε,
Acts 3:18 ὁ δὲ θεός, ἃ προκατήγγειλεν διὰ στόματος πάντων τῶν προφητῶν παθεῖν τὸν χριστὸν αὐτοῦ, ἐπλήρωσεν οὕτως.
C. Stirling Bartholomew
-
- Posts: 259
- Joined: June 3rd, 2011, 10:47 pm
Re: Syntax of Acts 4:27-28
Thanks, gentlemen.
It doesn't quite feel right to me, either, but I wanted some more experienced opinions.
It doesn't quite feel right to me, either, but I wanted some more experienced opinions.