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corpus-paul - Re: LOUKAS=LOUKIOS=Author of Acts?

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  • From: "Mark D. Nanos" <nanosmd AT home.com>
  • To: Corpus-paul <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: LOUKAS=LOUKIOS=Author of Acts?
  • Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2001 17:35:48 -0500


on 7/20/01 1:15 AM, Richard Fellows at rfellows AT intergate.ca wrote:

> Romans, on the
> other hand, is a more formal letter, and here Paul selects longer names. He
> uses 'Sosipater' instead of the abbreviated 'Sopater' (Acts 20.4), and he
> uses 'Timothy' instead of the shorter 'Titus'. We should not be surprised,
> then, to read the longer 'LOUKIOS' in Romans, but to find 'LOUKAS' in
> Philemon and Colossians where contracted forms are preferred.

Richard,
Whether your theory is correct or not, the logic being applied here needs to
account for the usage of the diminutive Prisca in Rom. 16, but Priscilla in
Acts 18, an example which runs in the opposite direction. Note too that Paul
lists first the wife (named in this less formal fashion), while Luke lists
the husband first.

I would also question whether "more formal" is a useful way to contrast
Romans and Acts, two very different letters, from different hands, to
different people, for different reasons. Attention to epistolary theory will
be necessary if you wish to make such a comparison (see works by Stowers,
Stirewalt, White, Malherbe, etc.). Actually, the stated purpose as well as
style of Acts seems to be extremely formal and political. The greetings in
Rom. 16 to which you refer appear to express a friendly tone, somewhat in
contrast to the "bold" tone of the letter (15:15), which Paul apparently
senses the need to explain during the transition from the letter-body to the
style of the letter-closing.

Hope this helps you think this out.

Regards,
Mark
--
Mark D. Nanos, Ph.D.
313 NE Landings Dr.
Lee's Summit, MO 64064
USA
nanosmd AT home.com






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