Re: PISTEUW + EPI + dative

From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Sun Jul 19 1998 - 07:15:38 EDT


At 11:19 AM -0700 7/18/98, clayton stirling bartholomew wrote:
>In Acts 13:12 the phrase EPI THi DIDACHi TOU KURIOU is joined with the
>participle EKPLHSSOMENOS without comment in the several commentaries I
>checked. It seems that one could also join this phrase to EPISTEUSEN,
>understanding the phrase EPI THi DIDACHi TOU KURIOU as providing the content
>of EPISTEUSEN. In this case the participle EKPLHSSOMENOS could serve an
>adverbial function limiting EPISTEUSEN.
>
>I checked BAGD and found some examples of PISTEUW + EPI + dative (Acts 11:17).
>This is not an impossible construction. Therefore, I am wondering why this
>particular reading is not even considered as a possibility? Why is it so very
>obvious that the phrase EPI THi DIDACHi TOU KURIOU should be joined with the
>participle EKPLHSSOMENOS?
>
>If the answer to this is word order, then I am completely baffled because both
>of these readings seem to be quite reasonable given this word order.

Well, in the first place, I think the word-order IS ordinary enough and
points to the usual interpretation of this passage. I like to get students
to retain the word-order so far as possible in translation; in this
instance, I'd make it: "Then the proconsul, upon seeing what had happened,
believed, astounded at the teaching of the Lord."

As for the linkage of verb, participle, and the EPI phrase, I rather think
that PISTEUW here is used in an absolute sense and that the linkage of EPI
THi DIDACHi to EKPLHSSOMENOS is not really unusual. Compare Luke's version
of the Marcan story (Mk 1:21-28) of the Man with the Unclean Spirit (Lk
4:31-37): I think that Luke has indeed redacted the Marcan story but
retained the linkage in it of amazement of onlookers at the combination of
instruction and miracle-working. Lk 4:32 reads, "KAI EXEPLHSSONTO EPI THi
DIDACHi AUTOU, hOTI EN EXOUSIAi HN hO LOGOS AUTOU" a simplification,
apparently, of Mk 4:22, "KAI EXEPLHSSONTO EPI THi DIDACHi AUTOU; HN GAR
DIDASKWN AUTOUS hWS EXOUSIAN ECWN KAI OUC hWS hOI GRAMMATEIS."

>Off Topic:
>
>Acts 13:6-12 is a striking passage. Paul's words to O MAGOS are harsh
>and then he strikes him blind. O ANQUPATOS seems to be impressed with
>this. In the mind of a Roman official, it may have seemed that the magic of
>Paul was more powerful than the magic of ELUMAS O MAGOS. Power being something
>that a Roman would have understood.

Well, a display of IMPERIUM and AUCTORITAS would certainly have impressed a
Roman official; I'm not so sure that what Luke means by DUNAMIS would have
meant as much as the other items.

>The Apostle Paul certainly would have been thrown off the b-greek list for
>this kind of behavior.

Well, I don't think we'd want to encourage list-members to vent their ire
on each other with phrases such as "W PLHRHS PANTOS DOLOU KAI PASHS
hRADIOURGIAS, hUIE DIABOLOU, ECQRE PASHS DIKAIOSUNHS."

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University
Summer: 1647 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/

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