Re: Rahab's sign

From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Wed Nov 10 1999 - 06:59:34 EST


<x-rich>At 1:13 PM -0500 11/5/99, Bart Ehrman wrote:

> In discussing Rahab and the spies, 1 Clem 12:7 says KAI PROSEQENTO

>AUTHi DOUNAI SHMEION. The implied subject of of PROSEQENTO is the

>"spies." The phrase is a semiticism. A typical rendering in English

>translations is something like "They proceeded to give her a sign."

>Parallels to this use of PROSEQENTO are Luke 19:11 and Acts 12:3.

>

> Harnack, though, argued that it should be rendered something like
"They

>directed her to give a sign" (well, Harnack wasn't writing in English;
his

>suggestion is "praeterea mandaverunt ei ut signum daret"). Something
like

>this seems to be followed still by the most recent German renditions.

>Lightfoot argues thought that it is impossible, on the grounds that
it

>involves understanding PROSEQENTO as something like "enjoin" or
"impose."

>

> Does anyone have an opinion about it?

This is still sitting in my B-Greek "open questions" box and I see that
nobody has thus far expressed an opinion on it. What I offer is nothing
more than that: an opinion: (a) I can't see any justification in terms
of what the lexica offer us for PROSTIQHMI (or PROSTIQEMAI) for
understanding the verb to mean "command" or "instruct"; (b)
PROSTIQHMI/PROSTIQEMAI + infinitive is a common enough Hebraism with
the sense, "continue to do" or "go on doing." I may be wrong about
this, but it really looks to me like Harnack has given PROSEQENTO a
meaning that he thinks is appropriate to the context rather than one
that has parallels elsewhere.

Lk 19:11 AKOUONTWN DE AUTWN TAUTA PROSQEIS EIPEN PARABOLHN ...

Acts 12:3 IDWN DE hOTI ARESTON ESTIN TOIS IOUDAIOIS, PROSEQETO
SULLABEIN KAI PETRON ...

Both of these are consistent with the usage "proceed," "continue": "he
went on and told a parable ..." and "he proceeded to take Peter along
also ..." and are so listed by Louw & Nida (below).

Here's Louw & Nida on usage within the GNT: 52.7 won't apply; 57.78
might appear to support a sense PROSTIQESQAI = Lat. mandare, but it
would be more a matter of "give permission," which doesn't seem quite
the same to me. 89.89 looks closest, but it hardly supports the sense
that Harnack, from what you say, is presenting.

<color><param>0000,7777,0000</param>52.7 PROSTIQHMI PROS TOUS PATERAS
AUTOU : (a Semitic idiom, literally 'to place with his fathers') to
carry out a burial procedure - 'to bury.' EKOIMHQH KAI PROSETEQH PROS
TOUS PATERAS AUTOU 'he died and was buried' Ac 13:36.

57.78 PROSTIQHMI, EPITIQEMAI: to place something at the disposal of
someone else - 'to give, to provide, to grant.'

59.72 PROSTIQHMI, EPITIQEMI; PROSANATIQEMAI: to add something to an
existing quantity - 'to add.'

68.13 PROSTIQEMAI: to continue, with focus upon the next element - 'to
continue, to proceed to.'</color>AKOUONTWN DE AUTWN TAUTA PROSQEIS
EIPEN PARABOLHN ...<color><param>0000,7777,0000</param> 'while they
were listening to this, he continued and told them a parable' Lk
19:11.

89.89 PROSTIQEMAI: to mark an immediately following event - 'to proceed
to.' </color>IDWN DE hOTI ARESTON ESTIN TOIS IOUDAIOIS, PROSEQETO
SULLABEIN KAI PETRON ...<color><param>0000,7777,0000</param> 'seeing
that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter' Ac 12:3.
</color>

Carl W. Conrad

Department of Classics/Washington University

One Brookings Drive/St. Louis, MO, USA 63130/(314) 935-4018

Home: 7222 Colgate Ave./St. Louis, MO 63130/(314) 726-5649

cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu

WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/

</x-rich>



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