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

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Sun Sep 7 07:18:31 EDT 2008


On Sep 6, 2008, at 11:15 PM, Leonard Jayawardena wrote:

> 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?

As George has already noted, our extant evidence is not adequate to  
prove what you're arguing. It may very well be correct that usage of  
PARQENOS with reference to adult males is not to be found in Greek  
texts predating the GNT. But an argument that literal interpretation  
of Rev 14:4 or other Christian literature is responsible for such  
usage in later Hellenistic texts strikes me as an instance of the  
fallacy, "post hoc ergo propter hoc." Asceticism as a lifestyle is  
hardly unique to NT Christianity in later antiquity and is represented  
even in pre-Christian sectarian practice in Israel (the Nazirite vow,  
Essenes, etc.). On the Greek side there is the Socratic and Platonic  
exhortation to non-sexual affection that has been popularly termed  
"Platonic love." Such usage of the word PARQENOS in later Hellenistic  
Greek may very well reflect a cultural trend or cross-current rather  
than a uniquely Christian lexical development.

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)

> 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.
> .
> *****************************
> The masc. used of men who have not known women in Rev 14:4 may be  
> paralleled from CIG IV. 8784b—
> .
> Σκεῦος θεουργὸν (cf. Ac 9:15) συλλαλείτω  
> παρθένῳ
> βλάβης σκέπεσθαι δεσπότην  
> Κωνσταντῖνον:
> .
> SKEUOS QEOURGON (cf Ac 9:15) SULLALEITW PARQENWi
> BLABHS SKEPESQAI DESPOTHN KWNSTANTINON:
> .
> 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].
> .
> *****************************************
>
> 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.
>
>
> .
> 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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