λαξευτός as (constructed of) ashlar?

Semantic Range, Lexicography, and other approaches to word meaning - in general, or for particular words.
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Stephen Hughes
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Joined: February 26th, 2013, 7:12 am

λαξευτός as (constructed of) ashlar?

Post by Stephen Hughes »

Luke 23:53 wrote:Καὶ καθελὼν αὐτὸ ἐνετύλιξεν αὐτὸ σινδόνι, καὶ ἔθηκεν αὐτὸ ἐν μνήματι λαξευτῷ, οὗ οὐκ ἦν οὐδέπω οὐδεὶς κείμενος.
Is anyone aware of discussions about λαξευτός "hewn" in the sense of "hewn from" rather than "hewn out of", i.e. that according to the Lucan account means that the tomb was built of stones hewn and squared from rock, not the that the space was created in the rock (a cave was formed)?

λαξευτός seems to mean "the thing obtained by cutting it out of the rock then smoothing", rather than the space that the removal of rock leaves in the rock.

The parallel Marcan and Matthean accounts use λατομεῖν "quarried" in a general sense, rather than the more finely hewed λαξευτός:
Mark 15:46 wrote:Καὶ ἀγοράσας σινδόνα, καὶ καθελὼν} αὐτόν, ἐνείλησεν τῇ σινδόνι, καὶ κατέθηκεν αὐτὸν ἐν μνημείῳ, ὃ ἦν λελατομημένον ἐκ πέτρας· καὶ προσεκύλισεν λίθον ἐπὶ τὴν θύραν τοῦ μνημείου.
Matthew 27:60 wrote:καὶ ἔθηκεν αὐτὸ ἐν τῷ καινῷ αὐτοῦ μνημείῳ, ὃ ἐλατόμησεν ἐν τῇ πέτρᾳ· καὶ προσκυλίσας λίθον μέγαν τῇ θύρᾳ τοῦ μνημείου, ἀπῆλθεν.
Γελᾷ δ' ὁ μωρός, κἄν τι μὴ γέλοιον ᾖ
(Menander, Γνῶμαι μονόστιχοι 108)
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