[B-Greek] Revelation 14:4--PARQENOI GAR EISIN

Leonard Jayawardena leonardj at live.com
Sat Sep 6 23:15:13 EDT 2008


George F. Somsel: "As you can see from the usage in Joseph and Asenath, it was a practice in Christian literature to use PARQENOS to reference men." 
 
LJ: But that is precisely my point. There are NO instances of the use of PARQENOS in reference to adult males in Greek literature predating the GNT. So is it possible that the use of PARQENOS in Greek literature AFTER the GNT is a later development in the language, influenced at least partly by a literal interpretation of Rev. 14:4?  Leonard Jayawardena
Sri Lanka 
George. F. Somsel wrote:
 
There is more involved than simply allowing Re 14.4 to determine the sense of the word.  Moulton & Milligan have an entry on this.
 
 
παρθένος     [PARQENOS]
“maiden,” “virgin”: cf. P Ryl II. 12528 (a.d. 28–9) διὰ τῆς ἑατοῦ θυγατρὸς παρθένου [DIA THS hATOU QUGATROS PARQENOU], and P Lond 9834 (iv/a.d.) (= III. p. 229), where a man complains of abusive language addressed τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ συμβίῳ καὶ τῇ παρθένῳ μου θυγατρί [THi hMETERAi SUMBIWi KAI THi PARQENWi MOU QUGATRI'. In Kaibel 5653 (not later than ii/a.d.) παρθένος [PARQENOS] is a child of five years of age. For the rare fem, form ἡ παρθένη [hH PARQENH] (cf. MGr παρθένα), Hatzidakis (Einl. p. 24) cites a papyrus published in the Journal des Savants, 1873, p. 100. In farm accounts, P Fay 10230 (c. a.d. 105), payments are made for παρθέ(νων) λικνιζουσῶ(ν) [PARQE(NWN] LIKNIZOUSW(N)], “girls winnowing.” For αἱ παρθένοι αἱ ἱεραί [hAI PARQENOI hAI hIERAI], see the citation from Michel 694 s.v. εἶτεν [EITEN], and cf. W. M. Ramsay Ann. of Brit. School at Athens xviii. p. 58.
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The masc. used of men who have not known women in Rev 14:4 may be paralleled from CIG IV. 8784b—
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Σκεῦος θεουργὸν (cf. Ac 9:15) συλλαλείτω παρθένῳ
βλάβης σκέπεσθαι δεσπότην Κωνσταντῖνον:
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SKEUOS QEOURGON (cf Ac 9:15) SULLALEITW PARQENWi
BLABHS SKEPESQAI DESPOTHN KWNSTANTINON:
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cf. also Joseph and Asenath 3 ἐστὶν δὲ οὗος ὁ Ἰωσὴφ ἀνὴρ θεοσεβὴς καὶ σώφρων καὶ παρθένος [ESTEIN DE hOUOS hO IWSHF ANHR QEOSEBHS KAI SWFRWN KAI PARQENOS], ib. 6 ἄσπασον τὸν ἀδελφόν ου, διότι καὶ αὐτὸς παρθένος [ASPASON TON ADELFON OU, DIOTI KAI AUTOS PARQENOS].
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The adj. παρθεν(ε)ίος [PARQEN(E)IOS] is found in the illiterate P Ryl II. 4352 (ii/a.d.) παρήγκελκά συ [PARHGKELKA SU(l. παρήγγελκά σοι [PARHGGELKA SOI]) ἄλλα [ALLA] (for accentuation, Archiv vi. p. 379) ἅπαξ ὅτι ἆρε̣ν [hAPAC hOTI AREN] (l. ἆρον [ARON]) τὰ παρθένειά σου τέκνα [TA PARQENIA SOU TEKNA], “I have charged you more than once ‘Take away your children born of a maiden’”: cf. παρθενικός [PARQENIKOS] in P Lond 4741 (ii/a.d.) (= I. p. 82) δάφνη παρθε[νι]κή [DAFNH PARQE[[NI]]KH]. See also P Par 57ii. 21 (b.c. 156) where for παρθένην [PARQENHN] Wilcken (UPZ i. p. 445) suggests παρθενικήν [PARQENIKHN] or παρθ̣ένειον [PARQENEION] with ζώνην [ZWNHN] understood. For different forms of the word used as proper names see Preisigke Namenbuch.


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Moulton, J. H., & Milligan, G. (1930). The vocabulary of the Greek Testament. Issued also in eight parts, 1914-1929. (494). London: Hodder and Stoughton..As you can see from the usage in Joseph and Asenath, it was a practice in Christian literature to use PARQENOS to reference men.
 georgegfsomsel 

  
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