[B-Greek] APOKRITHEIS in Matthew 28:5

Roe d.roe at t-online.de
Sat Mar 17 20:18:38 EST 2007


Hi Harold,

I -- and I'm sure many others -- have respected your opinion over the 
years on B-Greek.  Why not also copy or forward your comments on the 
non-verbal aspects of this to me and other interested B-Greekers...?  We 
would appreciate it!

Thanks, and Best regards,
David

D.W. Roe
Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany


Harold Holmyard wrote:
> Farrell Till wrote:
>   
>> A Bible group that I participate in has been discussing differences in 
>> Matthew's and John's resurrection narratives. A key concern during the 
>> discussions has been why John said that Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, 
>> found it empty, and then ran to tell Peter and "the other disciple" that 
>> the body had been stolen, whereas Matthew said that Mary  M was one of the 
>> women who went to the tomb, saw an angel descend, roll away the stone, and 
>> tell the women that Jesus had risen, after which the women, who would have 
>> included Mary M, left the tomb, encountered Jesus, and even touched and 
>> worshiped him.
>>
>> The two accounts seem incompatible, but a solution has emerged during the 
>> discussions.
>>     
>
> HH: The two accounts are quite compatible, but I will share with you 
> off-line about it. I don't think the answer is in the verb you discuss.
>
> Yours,
> Harold Holmyard
>   
>>   This solution hinges on some lexicographical claims that the 
>> aorist tense of APOKRINOMAI conveys the idea of "answering 
>> later."  Moulton's,  Perschbacher's, and Wigram's Analytical Greek Lexicons 
>> have been cited to support this solution.  All of them give the same 
>> explication of this verb.
>>
>>   
>>     
>>> APOKRINOMAI (§ 27. rem. 3) aor. 1, APOKRINAMHN  "and, later, also"  (pass. 
>>> form) APEKRIQHN (i, fut. (pass. form) APOKRIQHSOMAI (APOKRINW to separate, 
>>>     
>>>       
>> >from APO & KRINW to answer, Mat. 3.15, et al.; in N. T. to respond to 
>>   
>>     
>>> certain present circumstances, to avow, Mat. 11.25 et al.
>>>     
>>>       
>> Matthew 28:5 contains the aorist 1 participle APOKRIQEIS, so on that basis 
>> some have theorized that this verse should have been translated "And later 
>> answering, the angel said...."  This translation of the verse would allow 
>> for a gap or delay between the angel's descent and his speaking to the 
>> women, so possibly Mary Magdalene could have left the tomb site before the 
>> angel announced the resurrection and gone to find Peter and John.  This, 
>> then, would possibly explain why she thought that the body had been stolen 
>> even though Matthew's account says that the angel told the women that Jesus 
>> had risen and that they then encountered Jesus personally.
>>
>> A major problem, however, is that we can find no Bible versions in either 
>> English or French that translated APOKRITHEIS this way in Matthew 28:5 or 
>> anywhere else in the New Testament.  Is there any basis for thinking that 
>> APOKRITHEIS in this verse did communicate the idea of a significant time 
>> delay?  Are there any places in the NT where APOKRITHEIS was translated 
>> "later answered" or its equivalent.
>>
>> If not, why do you suppose that Wigram, Moulton, and Perschbacher have said 
>> that APOKRITHEIS in the aorist tense could mean "and, later," or "also."
>>
>> Another problem that some of us have wondered about is how conjunctive 
>> ("and" or "also") or adverbial ("later") terms could properly define a 
>> verbal  word.  None of these terms convey concepts of verbal action.
>>
>> Some of us have elementary knowledge of Koine Greek but nothing that could 
>> be considered scholarly.  Any input that the group could give us would be
>> be
>>
>> J. F. Till (ret.)
>> jftill at mailaka.net 
>>   
>>     
>
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