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The exact time of "meta"

Posted: December 2nd, 2020, 9:09 pm
by Nathaniel
Luke 1:24 uses the phrase μετά δε ταύτας τας ημέρας, which means "and after those days," but I need to know how soon "meta" is? Is it synonymous with "shortly after," "some time after," "immediately after," or is the word completely devoid of timing? Strong' Concordance doesn't help me narrow down the 'soonness' of the 'after,' and that nuance or implication is important to understand the word and its phrase.

Is there another word that would have been used for "immediately after?"

Re: The exact time of "meta"

Posted: December 3rd, 2020, 4:54 am
by Philip Arend
It appears that μετὰ ταῦτα is a general marker for the next relevant event to an author's discourse. The NT uses a a number words for immediately, which should be keyed to your Strongs. for example: εὐθέως, ἐξαυτῆς, παραχρῆμα etc

The following is from Brill's entry on μετὰ:

after, of time OD. 22.352 HOM. 4.326, al. etc.; μετὰ ταῦτα or τοῦτο after this, then, subsequently HDT. 1.50.1, al. etc.; μετʼ εὐχάν after the prayer AESCHL. Ag. 231; μετὰ τὰ Τρωικά after the Trojan war THUC. 2.68.3; κατὰ τὰς … μετὰ τὸν Μῆδον σπονδάς according to the terms agreed upon after the Persian war THUC. 3.68.1; τὸ μετὰ ταῦτα that which follows PLAT. Phil. 34c, al.; οἱ μετʼ ἐμέ those who come after me VT Wis. 8:13; μετὰ δὲ τὴν ταφήν after the funeral ceremony ACH. 1.15.1 | with ptc.: μετὰ Πάτροκλον θανόντα after the death of Patroklos IL. 24.575; μετὰ Σόλωνα οἰχόμενον after Solon’s departure HDT. 1.34.1 | with temp. determinations: μεθʼ ἡμέραν by day (proper. when the day is out) EUR. Or. 58 PLAT. Phaedr. 251e; μετὰ νύκτας by night PIND. N. 6.6; οὐ νυκτὸς ἀλλὰ μετʼ ἡμέρην not by night but in broad daylight HDT. 2.150.4; νύκτωρ ἢ μεθʼ ἡμέραν at night or by day EUR. Bac. 485; μετὰ τὸν ἐνιαυτόν after the year was out THUC. 1.138.2; μετὰ οὐ πολλὸν χρόνον not long afterward HDT. 1.60.1; μετὰ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον after this period of time PLAT. Rp. 537b; μετʼ ὀλίγον ὕστερον a little later PLAT. Leg. 646c; βαπτισθήσεσθε οὐ μετὰ πολλὰς ταύτας ἡμέρας you will be baptized not many days from now NT Acts 1:5; μετὰ ἡμέρας τρεῖς three days later DIOSC.2 2.19; μετὰ δὲ ἔτη δύο two years later IOS. B.I. 1.13.1 (248) | in the calendar: μετʼ εἰκάδα(ς) after the twentieth day of the month MEN. fr. 225.3 IG 22.890.3 (IIBCE): δευτέρα μετʼ εἰκάδας the 22nd of the month, ἑβδόμη μετʼ εἰκάδας the 27th of the month, etc. elis. μετ ’ and μετ-, bef. a rough breathing μεθ ’ and μεθ- ‖ s.times postpositive in anastrophe μέτα | poet. as prevb. frequently in tmesis ‖ Aeol. Dor. also πεδά (q.v.).

Franco Montanari, ed. Madeleine Goh and Chad Schroeder, The Brill Dictionary of Ancient Greek (Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2015).