[B-Greek] Again on SABBATON

Ken Penner ken.penner at acadiau.ca
Thu Jun 12 11:04:05 EDT 2008


Hi Jon; you wrote:

> Yes, I took a look at BDAG. I do not have access to the bibliography here. The argument
> about fasting twice a day was one that I forgot to bring up to him. Otherwise, I did not
> find anything in BDAG that could refute what he said. Tanks a lot for the primary source
> references.

Let's simply look at the references given by BDAG to see whether they are more easily interpreted as "week" or "Saturday".

Matthew 28:1 Ὀψὲ δὲ σαββάτων, τῇ ἐπιφωσκούσῃ εἰς μίαν σαββάτων ἦλθεν Μαριὰμ ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ καὶ ἡ ἄλλη Μαρία θεωρῆσαι τὸν τάφον. 
OYE DE SABBATWN, TH EPIFWSKOUSH EIS MIAN SABBATWN HLQEN *MARIAM H *MAGDALHNH KAI H ALLH *MARIA QEWRHSAI TON TAFON.
Here "late on the Sabbath" is combined with "the first of the Sabbath;" one "Sabbath" follows another. This makes sense if the second "Sabbath" is a week, but not if it is a day. Here, "first of the Sabbath" is in the morning.

Mark 16:2 καὶ λίαν πρωῒ τῇ μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων ἔρχονται ἐπὶ τὸ μνημεῖον ἀνατείλαντος τοῦ ἡλίου. 
KAI LIAN PRWI TH MIA TWN SABBATWN ERXONTAI EPI TO MNHMEION ANATEILANTOS TOU HLIOU.
Here again, the women come to the tomb on "the first of the Sabbath." How much time elapsed between Jesus' death (just before the Sabbath) and the women's trip to the tomb (what makes more sense: the first hour of the Sabbath, or the first day of the week)?

Mark 16:9 Ἀναστὰς δὲ πρωῒ πρώτῃ σαββάτου ἐφάνη πρῶτον Μαρίᾳ τῇ Μαγδαληνῇ, παρʼ ἧς ἐκβεβλήκει ἑπτὰ δαιμόνια. 
ANASTAS DE PRWI PRWTH SABBATOU EFANH PRWTON *MARIA TH *MAGDALHNH, PARʼ HS EKBEBLHKEI EPTA DAIMONIA.
Again, how much time elapsed between his death and resurrection? A few hours or more than a day?

Luke 18:12 νηστεύω δὶς τοῦ σαββάτου, ἀποδεκατῶ πάντα ὅσα κτῶμαι. 
NHSTEUW DIS TOU SABBATOU, APODEKATW PANTA OSA KTWMAI.
As mentioned, fasting twice a week makes more sense than twice a day, especially since fasting on the Sabbath

Luke 24:1 Τῇ δὲ μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων ὄρθρου βαθέως ἐπὶ τὸ μνῆμα ἦλθον φέρουσαι ἃ ἡτοίμασαν ἀρώματα. 
TH DE MIA TWN SABBATWN ORQROU BAQEWS EPI TO MNHMA HLQON FEROUSAI A HTOIMASAN ARWMATA.
In the preceding verses, they rested, since it was the Sabbath. Then on the first of the "Sabbath" they came to the tomb.

John 20:1 Τῇ δὲ μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ ἔρχεται πρωῒ σκοτίας ἔτι οὔσης εἰς τὸ μνημεῖον καὶ βλέπει τὸν λίθον ἠρμένον ἐκ τοῦ μνημείου. 
TH DE MIA TWN SABBATWN *MARIA H *MAGDALHNH ERXETAI PRWI SKOTIAS ETI OUSHS EIS TO MNHMEION KAI BLEPEI TON LIQON HRMENON EK TOU MNHMEIOU.
Here it is pre-dawn, yet the "first of the Sabbath."

John 20:19 Οὔσης οὖν ὀψίας τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ τῇ μιᾷ σαββάτων καὶ τῶν θυρῶν κεκλεισμένων ὅπου ἦσαν οἱ μαθηταὶ διὰ τὸν φόβον τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἦλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ ἔστη εἰς τὸ μέσον καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· εἰρήνη ὑμῖν. 
OUSHS OUN OYIAS TH HMERA EKEINH TH MIA SABBATWN KAI TWN QURWN KEKLEISMENWN OPOU HSAN OI MAQHTAI DIA TON FOBON TWN *IOUDAIWN, HLQEN O *IHSOUS KAI ESTH EIS TO MESON KAI LEGEI AUTOIS• EIRHNH UMIN.
Here it is evening, yet the "first of the Sabbath."

Acts 20:7 Ἐν δὲ τῇ μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων συνηγμένων ἡμῶν κλάσαι ἄρτον, ὁ Παῦλος διελέγετο αὐτοῖς μέλλων ἐξιέναι τῇ ἐπαύριον, παρέτεινέν τε τὸν λόγον μέχρι μεσονυκτίου. 
EN DE TH MIA TWN SABBATWN SUNHGMENWN HMWN KLASAI ARTON, O *PAULOS DIELEGETO AUTOIS MELLWN ECIENAI TH EPAURION, PARETEINEN TE TON LOGON MEXRI MESONUKTIOU.
Here Paul began talking during "the first of the Sabbath" and continued until midnight.

1 Corinthians 16:2 κατὰ μίαν σαββάτου ἕκαστος ὑμῶν παρʼ ἑαυτῷ τιθέτω θησαυρίζων ὅ τι ἐὰν εὐοδῶται, ἵνα μὴ ὅταν ἔλθω τότε λογεῖαι γίνωνται. 
KATA MIAN SABBATOU EKASTOS UMWN PARʼ EAUTW TIQETW QHSAURIZWN O TI EAN EUODWTAI, INA MH OTAN ELQW TOTE LOGEIAI GINWNTAI.
Here they are to set aside money at "the first of the Sabbath".

Certainly SABBATON can mean "week."

Ken M. Penner, Ph.D.
Acadia Divinity College
Hebrew and Greek vocabulary memorization software:
http://purl.org/net/kmpenner/flash/ 





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