LUKE: The Source New Testament With Extensive Notes on Greek Word Meaning
Copyright by Dr. A. Nyland 2004, 2007.
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LUKE: The Source New Testament: With Extensive Notes on Greek Word Meaning
Translation and notes by Dr A. Nyland.
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Notice of copyright must appear on the title or copyright page of the work as follows: Scripture taken from The Source: With Extensive Notes on Greek Word Meaning. Copyright 2004 by Dr A. Nyland. Used by permission of Smith and Stirling Publishers. All rights reserved.
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The Source is based primarily on the Greek texts of the UBS Fourth Revised Edition.
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Table of Contents.
Chapter 1. Preface
Chapter 2. Glossary
Chapter 3. Introduction
Chapter 4. Luke
Chapter 5. Abbreviations of Bible Versions
Chapter 6. Abbreviations
Chapter 7. Bibliography
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The Source New Testament with Extensive Notes on Greek Word Meaning is available as a whole book. In the Endnotes of these separate books of the New Testament, the Greek front is not used, and the original Greek words mentioned in the Endnotes appear in only English transliteration. However, in the whole book, The Source New Testament with Extensive Notes on Greek Word Meaning, the Greek words in the Footnotes also appear in Greek font as well as in English transliteration.
In this series of separate books of the New Testament, the Glossary is repeated, as is the Introduction.
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Etymological Fallacy. This is the wrongful assumption that the etymology of a word is its actual meaning.
Grammatical gender. English is the only language in which masculine and feminine genders denote male and female persons. In other languages, grammatical gender is not related to biological (natural) gender. It is difficult for people who understand only English to grasp this basic point. Other languages assign grammatical gender to persons, inanimate objects, concepts, and in fact to all nouns, adjectives, and pronouns. The grammatical gender can be at odds with biological gender. The Greek word for a descendant (even a male descendant) is feminine gender as in Rom. 15.12, “there will be a descendant of Jesse.” There are two Greek words for a group of persons eating together, one of which is feminine gender and the other word is neuter, even a group comprised wholly of men.
The Greek word for “fox” (even a male fox) is feminine gender. The Greek word for “eagle” (even a female eagle) is masculine gender. The Greek word for “old woman” is neuter gender. Even the word patris, which means one’s hometown, one’s homeland, commonly rendered in Bibles as “fatherland”, is feminine gender. The priestly class of Luke 1:5 (ephemeria) is feminine gender. Hegemonia, the complete rule, leadership, over another (as in Luke 3:1) is feminine gender.
The Hebrew word for “Holy Spirit” (Old Testament) is feminine gender, and the Greek word for “Holy Spirit” (New Testament) is neuter gender. The pronoun used to refer to the Holy Spirit in the original Hebrew language of Scripture is “she”, and the pronoun used to refer to the Holy Spirit in the Greek is “it”. In English, people choose to substitute “she” and “it” with the English pronoun “he”. Obviously, we do not think of the Holy Spirit as a woman when reading the Old Testament, and as a neuter thing when reading the New Testament. The gender is grammatical, not biological, and there is no necessary relation between the two.
Idiom. The idiomatic expression “pigs might fly” should not be translated it word-for-word, as “pigs” + “might fly” but by an expression to express an impossibility in the target language. The Greek, “You’re a bombustard bird!” should be translated by English idiom, “You’re taking nonsense!” The Greek, “a Tithonus of a person” should be translated by English idiom, “a senile person.” The Greek, “to put on the cap of Hades” should be translated by English idiom, “to become invisible.” The Greek, “garlic-primed” should be translated by English idiom, “very angry.” The Greek, “to have swallowed garlic” should be translated by English idiom, “to be ready to fight.” The Greek, “It’s gone to the polecat!” should be translated by English idiom, “It’s gone to the dogs!” The Greek, “to have Sisyphean wiles” should be translated by English idiom, “to be very cunning.”
In the New Testament, the Greek, “kicking against the goads,” should be translated by English idiom, “You’re whipping a dead horse!” or, “Pigs might fly!” In the New Testament, the Greek, “if your eye is evil” should be translated by the English idiom, “if you are stingy with money.”
That is correct basic translation procedure. Misunderstanding by people who speak only English, or by improperly taught beginner Greek students arises over the term “literal” translation.
Litotes. An example is “not undistinguished city”, typical Greek litotes (an ironic understatement using a negative of its contrary) which means in English “a most distinguished city”. “I am not a little tired” is the way a Greek would have said “I am completely exhausted!” For litotes see Rom. 1:16; 10:11; 1 Pet. 2:6; Rev. 3:5.
Metonymy. The substitution of a word describing the nature or significance of an object instead of the object itself.
Semantic Range. The range of meanings possessed by a word. It is important to note that all the English meanings possible for a particular Greek word do not apply at the same time. E.g. the semantic range of the English word “port”: a suitcase, a strong wine, a harbor, the left side of the ship. “Port” does not have all these meanings at the same time. Regard the following: “They were all very drunk in the morning. The police arrested them at the bar and put them in jail for the night. They became drunk after drinking numerous bottles of port.” The meaning of a word in a particular context does not extend to others in its semantic range. In the above passage, the word “port” always means a strong drink, and has nothing to do with ships. In the New Testament, adelphos (“fellow believer”, “fellow member”) when used of church members has nothing to do with membership of a family, just as the English word “port” when used of drinking the strong wine has no nuance of somewhere to put ships. There is no relationship between the two meanings. The English word “bear” can mean a large animal, to put up with something, or carry something. It does not have all meanings at the same time.
Synecdoche. A figure of speech in which the part is named but the whole is understood. The word “faces” in “We noticed new faces at school” is synecdoche for “people”.
Transliterate. To “transliterate” (noun, “transliteration”) means to put the Greek letters into English letters. The original has Greek letters. The transliteration is anoetos. The meaning is “loss of senses”. In the New Testament, the translators traditionally decided to transliterate certain words and not translate them, e.g. “angels” (a transliteration) rather than the translation “messengers”.
Translator’s Note. It is not the duty of the translator to correct or change the original writer’s grammar in any way, to do so would be a gross error. This is certainly not the job of the translator. I have retained the tone of the writer of each book. If the Greek is colloquial, I translate the colloquial tone, if the Greek is formal, I translate the formal tone. If the Greek repeats an adjective, I repeat an adjective. I certainly do not put the Greek into nice correct English if the original Greek is not nice correct Greek. To “correct” the original language is a most grave translation error. Note that much of the New Testament is dialogue, and people often do not follow formal rules of grammar when speaking. I translate such speech accordingly.
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For centuries, the meanings of numerous New Testament words remained unknown, thus translators were left to guess. In the late 1880s and again in the mid 1970s, large amounts of papyri and inscriptions were discovered. These impacted our knowledge of word meaning in the New Testament to such a degree that scholars labeled the finds “sensational” and “dramatic.” The papyri were written at the time of the New Testament, and touched upon all aspects of life, comprising everyday private letters from ordinary people, contracts of marriage and divorce, tax papers, official decrees, birth and death notices, and business documents. Large numbers of previously uncommon words found in the New Testament now appeared commonly in everyday documents as well as on inscriptions. Many mysteries of word meaning were thus solved. (This has nothing to do with the Dead Sea Scrolls.)
Yet nearly every New Testament translation of today follows the traditional translations of the earlier versions, which were published centuries before the evidence from the papyri and inscriptions revealed to us the meanings of numerous New Testament words.
In 1895, the celebrated German scholar Deissmann published a large body of papyri, and between 1914 and 1929 Moulton and Milligan published documentary (“documentary” or “non-literary” meaning papyri and inscriptions) vocabulary in eight volumes in their Vocabulary of the Greek Testament. Although this was an enormous advance, Moulton and Milligan still had no entry for about 17 percent of New Testament words. Of the words they did include in their lexicon, there were 800 words for which they did not list documentary attestation. Due to ongoing discoveries, the work was out of date before the last volume had been published. Nearly every recent New Testament dictionary and concordance is based on this old work while older ones are based on work prior even to that of Moulton and Milligan.
In July 1910, James Hope Moulton made a statement that could be marked as one of history’s “famous last words”: “I do not think that papyrology will take us much further. New papyrus collections will only add details now.” (July 1910, James Hope Moulton. Quoted in W.F. Moulton, James Hope Moulton (London: Blackwell Press, 1919), 69.)
But this was not to be. Scholars had thought the previous finds of papyri sensational and dramatic, yet the subsequent discovery and editing of papyrus fragments revolutionized our understanding of words which appear in the New Testament. Several thousand Greek inscriptions and papyri were published for the first time, or reissued, in 1976. In that year alone, fifteen volumes of new papyri were published. Light was thrown on a large number of words previously unattested. Finds are ongoing: several thousand new inscriptions come to light each year. In the last two decades, four thousand inscriptions have been found at Ephesos alone. These discoveries have been largely overlooked by Bible translators, despite greatly exciting New Testament scholars and lexicographers. Laypersons and a significant number of Bible translators alike are unaware of the main body of scholarship as it is tucked away in technical journals. Thus the dictionary work we see in today’s Bible translations is based on a centuries-old view of word meaning, following Tyndale’s translation of 1534 and the King James Version of 1611.
Even in recent years, Greek documentary sources (i.e. papyri and inscriptions) have been neglected for the illustration of New Testament vocabulary. Three of the major lexical works which have appeared in the contemporary era are C. Brown (ed)., The New International Dictionary of NT Theology, 3 vols, Exeter, 1975-78, a translation with extensive revisions and additions of L. Coenen et al. (edd.), Theologisches Begriffslexikon zum Neuen Testament (Wuppertal, 1965-71); N. Turner, Christian Words, Edinburgh, 1980; and C. Spicq, Notes de lexicographe nevo-testamentaire (2 vols, plus Suppl. vol; Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis 22.1-3; Gottingen, 1978-1982. Horsley, New Documents Illustrating Early Christianity 5.68-69, states that while theological perspectives have not biased Spicq’s philological judgments, he has shown no appreciation of sociolinguistics or newer linguistic scholarship for New Testament studies. G.D. Kilpatrick, in his review of Turner’s Syntax and Style (at TLZ 104 [1979] 10), notes that Turner’s work ignores modern developments in research. On Turner’s work, Horsley, NDIEC 5.68, 71, states, “Turner...begins his entry with a bald and inaccurate statement... Turner’s decision to take little account of non-literary evidence is borne out strikingly by his bibliography...The impression left with the reader is that Turner’s reading of documentary texts had ceased before the Second World War.”
While the disregard of the documentary evidence for word meaning has had a profound impact on Bible translation, there are several other lesser, varied reasons for the inadequacy of available lexicon (dictionary) work. The old idea that Biblical Greek was in some way different from secular Greek has been discredited, yet did for many years adversely influence translation. The equally old view that New Testament Greek abounded in Semitisms no longer has credibility, yet is still pushed in some quarters. Well known scholar Max Wilcox left Australia as a young man to study for his doctorate in Semitisms in New Testament Greek, only to find there were scant few. However, this view is still perpetrated by several textbooks.
J.H. Moulton’s Grammar of New Testament Greek singularly has exercised a significant influence upon New Testament scholarship for many decades. Yet the Syntax volume, for which N. Turner is responsible, is considered to be seriously deficient. It is surprising that Turner was appointed to assist H.G. Meecham (and to continue after Meecham’s death, Meecham being appointed after W.F. Howard who had assumed responsibility upon Moulton’s death), when his views were at odds with those of Moulton. Horsley, NDIEC 5.50, states, “…although the book was not begun until the mid-1950’s, the reader is left with the impression that it is an already outmoded product of the late 1930s which was not published for a further generation.”
Turner’s work displays serious errors, not surprisingly as his position is that the Greek of the Bible was different from secular Greek, and is “a unique language with a unity and character of its own”. (Syntax, 4.) Syntax has no basis in sound evidence, and Horsley, NDIEC 5.54,55,61, states, “…the proverb, ‘Out of sight, out of mind,’ unfortunately sums up the disregard which much of NT Studies has shown for documentary publications since roughly the 1930s.”
Horsley further points out, with J.A. Lee, Etlologia Neotestamenataria (1997) 62, “…the handling of technical terms has been a notable weakness in the NT lexicographical tradition, as in many others, lexicons have tended to provide a gloss rather than a description of the object or activity. In other words, their practice has been driven by the desire to offer a ready translation.” (Their emphasis.) For example, in the available translations, parresia has been reduced to a single word: “boldly”(KJV, NKJ) “openly” (KJV, JB, TEV), “plainly” (NIV, RSV, NEB), and arete likewise, to “virtue” (KJV, NKJ), “excellence/excellent” (NIV, RSV, NEB) “lovely” (TEV). For arete, BDAG lists three meanings: 1. moral excellence, virtue, 2. a synonym for doza, and 3. manifestation of divine power, miracle. This hardly does credit to the meaning of the word, which is puzzling as arete is a common word, one fundamental to Greek thinking. Perhaps it is a reflection of BDAG’s circular reliance upon the KJV, which in turn relied upon the Latin virtus to translate arete. For parresia BDAG’s entry is far better.
Many modern translators have followed the KJV, whether directly or through the lexicons (dictionaries). For example, the word paidarion in John 6:9 is translated as follows: “lad” (KJV, NKJ, RSV, NAS), “boy” (NIV, PME, Weymouth, TNIV), “small boy” (JB), “little boy” (Amplified). Yet, paidarion can mean “slave,” “young (free) man,” “young (free) woman,” “child,” “girl,” “manservant,” “soldier”. All these meanings have been well attested in the Septuagint alone. There is no evidence for the exclusive term “lad” or “boy”. For further reading, see commentary in G.M. Simpson, A Semantic Study of Words for Young Person, Servant and Child in the Septuagint and other early Koine Greek, Sydney, 1976, pp. 95, 182f.
BAGD’s (the predecessor of BDAG) entry disregarded the evidence from the Septuagint, and ignored BGU 2347.3 where paidarion is clearly shown to be an adult man. BGU was published three years earlier than BAGD.
Matthew 11:12 caused problems for translators and puzzled readers for centuries. Only in recent times was it discovered that bia refers to illegal forcible acquisition, and is a technical legal term referring to the delict of hindering an owner or lawful possessor of their enjoyment of immovable property. From the papyri, there is now firm evidence to show that both bia and harpage, together with their cognates, were used in legal terminology with reference to forcible acquisition. We now know the scripture has nothing to do with heaven suffering violence or forcefully advancing. The actual translation is, “From the time of John the Baptizer until now, Heaven’s Realm is being used or even robbed by people who have no legal right to it. This stops those who do have a legal right to it from enjoying their own property.”
Many faulty traditions have grown in the Christian community. Some of these have arisen from mistranslation, but some have not. The following traditions demonstrate the ease with which one can be misled simply by religious tradition. The popular belief remains that there were “three” “wise men” and that these people visited Jesus as a baby in a manager. However, the Bible does not mention the number, and in fact states that they visited Jesus in a house. (History tells us that Jesus was around two years of age at the time.) At no time does the Bible, in any translation, suggest or imply that the “wise men” were present soon after Jesus’ birth. Further, not one Bible version states the number “three”; this is purely unfounded tradition based perhaps on the number of different types of gifts, not even number of gifts. In another instance, there is much talk and speculation in some of the Christian community as to who the “Antichrist” could be, despite the fact that there is no mention of a single “Antichrist” figure anywhere in the Bible. The word only appears in the First and Second Letters of John, only briefly, and is identified as those people (plural) who do not agree that Jesus the Anointed One has come in human form. The word is not mentioned in Revelation. These misconceptions are all based on correct translation, so it is not surprising that misconceptions based on mistranslation are perpetrated. Turning to translation matters, in what is surely to be seen as censorship, the word Magos is translated widely as “wise man” in the context of the young Jesus, “sorcerer” in Acts, and as “astrologer” in Daniel.
Tradition, censorship and the tendency to use a one word translation instead of an extended definition likewise influence translation. In Hebrews 5:7 Jesus offered up the hiketeria to the Father. The hiketeria was literally an olive branch which the suppliant held in their hand as a claim for help and protection. In pagan terms it was always honored. If all else failed, the hiketeria could be offered. For example in Aeschylus, The Suppliant Maidens, 192, Danaus’ daughters are fleeing from Egypt, and when Danaus sees armed crowds approaching with horses and chariots, he advises the use of the hiketeria to ensure their safety. Herodotos 7.141 speaks of the Athenians sending their envoys to Delphi to consult the oracle, whereupon the priestess foretold a terrible fate. They were about to give up in dismay, when someone suggested they should approach the oracle the second time and offer the hiketeria. The priestess then gave a more favorable prophecy. The Greek in these examples is the same as in verse 7. For the entry on hiketeria, BDAG states, “the olive branch was the sign of the suppliant” and yet translates it as “supplication” and “prayer”, hardly near enough its meaning. Perhaps this gloss is the product of BDAG’s search for a ready single word translation, or perhaps it was influenced by the hiketeria having an otherwise pagan context.
Theological bias can influence Bible translators to err from the text. For example, the straightforward Greek sentence of 1 Cor. 11:10 which simply states that a woman ought to show her own authority on her head has been completely altered in most Bible versions to state that a woman must wear a covering (the word “veil” does not appear in the Greek) to show she is under a man’s authority. The Greek sentence does not mention a man or husband.
The NKJV, NIV, TEV, Phillips Modern English, RSV, Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible and the Living Bible changed the female name Junia to a masculine name. The KJV, NJKV and Living Bible changed the female name Nympha to a masculine name and changed “the church that is in her house” to “the church that is his house”. The NKJV reversed the order of “mother and brothers”. The NJKV and KJV reversed the order of Priscilla (woman) and Aquila (man) when the couple was presented in a teaching context. The KJV, NKJV and Tyndale Bible added the words “a man” to a sentence about a woman being in a position of responsibility, and the Living Bible, New English Bible and Phillips Modern English changed it to a word to include both genders.
The translations of most New Testament versions are based on a lack of understanding of Greek word meaning. Available translations do not sufficiently regard the abundant evidence from the papyri and inscriptions and thus in many cases present a far from accurate translation of the New Testament.
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Luke was recognized as the author of this Good News from the early second century. Eusebius, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Jerome, the Muratorian Canon, and the anti-Marcionite Prologue to Luke all attest to authorship by Luke both of the Good News and of Acts. The Muratorian Canon ll. 2-3. states, “The third Good News book according to Luke. Luke, this physician, after the Anointed One’s ascension, since Paul had taken him as an expert in the way, composed it in his own name according to his own thinking. Yet he did he not see the Lord in the flesh.” (“Tertium evangelii librum secundum Lucam. Lucas iste medicus post ascensum Christi, cum eum Paulus quasi ut iuris studiosum secum adsumpsisset, nomine suo ex opinione conscripsit, dominum tamen nec ipse vidit in carne.”)
The date is not known precisely: it was after the late 50s, and before the end of the 60s. The book of Acts ends before Paul’s trial was over, suggesting that it was written prior to 62/3 AD. It is clear that Luke-Acts is a two volume work -. see the two prefaces: Luke 1:1-4 and Acts 1:1-2. Acts 1:1-5 recapitulates the conclusion of Luke 24:36-53. Some have compared this to Thucydides’ second preface in his History of the Peloponnesian War, 5:26ff.
It is also clear that Luke was written prior to Acts. Matthew and Luke have independently used Mark. The evidence suggests that Matthew and Luke were unaware of each other’s work, and thus should be dated around the same time as each other. Matthew was written prior to the war with the Romans in 66-70 AD, and Acts covers events up to 63 AD. 62 AD seems to be the most likely date for the writing of Luke’s Good News.
The evidence suggests that Luke was a medical doctor, cf. Colossians 4:14, “Luke, the beloved doctor.” The gospels of Luke and Matthew each include 25 healing stories, while Mark includes 19 healing stories. Matthew does not record healing activity by the disciples, while both Luke and Mark do. Mark’s account is more detailed than that of Luke, and Mark gives a more detailed account of both miracles of healing and healing practices. Luke and Mark both give precise information about diseases. However, Mark is precise in his use of tense for the healing terms therapeuo and iaomai. Therapeuo, was used for ongoing healing (see note at Luke 4:23), and iaomai for instant healing (see note at Matt. 8:8). Luke shows more precise interest in the identity of the sick, and stresses the instantaneous and miraculous healings.
Luke was a non-Jew, writing for an educated non-Jewish audience. Greek was his native language. He was highly educated, and wrote in the “high style” displaying a knowledge of rhetorical forms and literary conventions, as well as a familiarity with the topoi of Graeco-Roman culture, and this is highly significant. Luke knows the Torah, but his stylistic and story-telling ability in Greek shows facility in the use of rhetorical conventions, and this does reveal the nature of his audience. Much has been written on Luke’s audience. As for Luke’s devices in Acts as well as Luke, he does entertain the listener/reader by inserting variety, using direct discourse, letters, and makes much use of the shipwreck topos (typical of the Graeco-Roman to suggest the preservation at sea is proof of innocence, cf. Antiphon, On the Murder of Herodes, 82-3; Andocides, On the Mysteries, 137-38) and of dramatic episodes. These along with his rhetorical skills suggest a wide general audience. His historical notations are few and generally mentioned in passing, while his literary allusions are more obvious.
As for Luke’s purpose, there is discussion as to whether the genre is historical, biographical, or even novelistic romance, and further discussion as to the often made assertion that Luke and Acts should be treated as a unit when literary genre is considered. While Luke’s genre might be debated, there is academic consensus that entertainment was an element in his writing - as it was in any ancient writer with literary pretensions. This again suggests a general audience.
For further reading on Luke’s audience, see: D.E. Aune, The New Testament in its Literary Environment, Philadelphia, 1987; H.J. Cadbury, The Style and Literary Method of Luke, Cambridge, 1920; C.H. Talbert, Literary Patterns, Theological Themes and the Genre of Luke-Acts, Missoula, 1974. For the general and Hellenized nature of Luke’s audience, see also G.H.R. Horsley, “Invitations to the kline of Sarapis” NDIEC Vol. 1 (1984) 9.
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The Good News According to Luke.
Ch.1:1-4 Many people have undertaken to set out a written account of the things that were accomplished among us, 2 precisely as they were handed down to us by those who were eye witnesses and assistants of the Word from the beginning. 3 Because of this it seems good to me too, Honorable Theophilos, as I have closely followed all the events right from the beginning, to write this account and do it accurately and in a systematic manner. 4 I have done this so you can be fully assured that those matters which you have been orally taught are absolutely certain.
Notes.
Verse 1. A written account. Anatasso, “set out (information) in writing”, occurs only here in the New Testament. See LSCG 174.14 (Halasarna on Kos, 21 BC), “decided once again to erase at public expense, all unauthorized inscriptions and those illegally engraved, and to set out all of them with their patronymics in the order in which they served as priests on a white marble stele erected in the temple”; SEG 38.681.5 (Stuberra in Macedonia, 87/88), “Year 235. The city providing the oil from the denaria given by M. Vettius Philon, L. Insteius Gemellus the ephebarkhos listed the ephebes…”: TAM 3.1.657.10 (Termessos, III), “It is not permitted for anyone else to open the tomb, or bury anyone on top. The person who attempts any of this will be deemed guilty of tomb robbery and will pay 2500 denaria to the imperial treasury. The copy has been recorded in the files of the proconsular office”; P.Fam.Tebt 21.36 (Tebtunis, 122), “[These points] have been set out in writing through the agency of Lourias, also called Apollonius, at the office of the village of Tebtunis and Mount Kerkesoukha in the Polemon district, sixth year of Imperator Caesar Trajan Hadrian Augustus, first of the month Mesore.”
Verse 2. Precisely. Kathos, “precisely as”, not hos, “as”.
Verse 3. Honorable. Kratistos, “honorable”, usually of an official. See, for example, E.L. Hicks, The Collection of Ancient Greek Inscriptions in the British Museum, III.2 (Oxford, 1890) 482 (and addendum on p. 294), A l.6, “I learned...that the honorable proconsuls before me regarded the days of the festival of Artemis as sacred.” Kratistos as an epithet attached to personal names designates the person as one of status. See for example P.Oxy. 33313 (Oxyrhynchos, II) ll.4, 23; I.Eph. 1.24. For other references to use of kratistos as epithet, see WB Suppl. 1.3 Abschn. 9, col. 385 and Spoglio. Kratistos was also used as a polite form of address (Jos., Vita 430; Ap. 1:1). Kratistos was also used as a polite form of address (Jos., Vita 430; Ap. 1:1). Kratistos occurs elsewhere in the New Testament only in Acts (1:1 23:26; 24:3; 26:25).
Theophilos. Nothing is known of the Theophilos mentioned by Luke. The name is frequently attested in papyri (from 3rd c. BC). 66 instances are known from Rome, 33 of which indicate the status of the person. Of these, only one of is senatorial standing, another is free born, and the rest are either freed or slaves. See, for example, AAWW III. 439-44 (Iulia Gordos, 75/6), “Theophilos son of Thynites is of very noble ancestral stock”. Luke refers to Theophilos as kratistos, “honorable”, usually used of an official.
Verse 4. Orally taught. Katekheo, to teach orally.
5-7 In the time of Herod, the king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was one of the descendants of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both right before God, and they acted blamelessly as to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. 7 But they didn’t have any children, as Elizabeth was barren and they were both getting on in years.
Notes.
Verse 6. Blamelessly. Amemptos, “blameless”. Occurs in the New Testament in Luke 1:6; Phil. 2:15; 3:6; 1 Thess. 3:13, and the adverb occurs in 1 Thess. 2;10, 5:23. The word is quite common in epigraphical texts, cf. NDIEC 4.141.
8-11 Now it turned out that while Zacharias was serving God with his priestly duties when his priestly division was on duty, he was chosen by lot – 9 this was in line with the priestly custom - to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 At the time of the incense offering, the whole crowd of people was praying outside. 11 A Messenger of the Lord appeared in front of him, standing on the right side of the incense altar.
Notes.
Verse 11. The place of honor (the south side). The Messenger was standing between the altar and the golden candlestick. The left side (north side) of the altar was the table with the sacred bread.
12-17 When Zacharias saw him, he got all mixed up and he became quite scared. 13 But the Messenger reassured him, “Zacharias, don’t be afraid! Your earnest request has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you must give him the name ‘John’. 14 He will be a joy and a delight to you, and lots of people will shout joyfully because of him. 15 He will be important in the Lord’s sight! He’ll never take wine or sweet fermented liquor and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. 16 He will bring back many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17 He will go on ahead of the Lord to prepare people for the Lord. He will be equipped with the same spirit and power that Elijah had, to correct the attitudes of parents to their children. He will correct disobedient people so that they will have the common sense of the people who are right with God, and make ready for the Lord people who are well prepared for him.”
Notes.
Verse 14. Because of. The dative of grounds of emotion.
Verse 15. Israelites. Huios with a noun refers to a member of a class of people, and should not be translated as “son/child of…” With a place name, it indicates inhabitants of that place. The Benai Israel, translated in the KJV as “children/sons of Israel” actually means “members of the class of people called Israel” and should be translated as “Israelites”. The expression is also Greek, and found as early as Homer.
Verse 17. He (will go on ahead). Kai autos is used frequently by Luke at the beginning of a sentence, and has no special emphasis.
So that. The preposition of rest after a verb of motion expresses the result of the motion.
The common sense. Phronesis, “common sense”, “practical wisdom” occurs only elsewhere in the New Testament in Eph. 1:8.
18-20 “What’s going to make me believe that this is the case! Zacharias asked the Messenger. “Me - I’m an old man, that’s for sure, and my wife’s well and truly getting on years!”
19 The Messenger answered, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and who was sent to announce this Good News to you! 20 Well then! You will be silent! As you didn’t believe my words, which will in fact turn out just as I said, you won’t be able to speak a word until the very day it actually happens!”
Notes.
Verse 18. The sentence is hard to express in the English language. The Greek indicates that Zacharias almost implies that the Messenger has forgotten that he and his wife are old.
Verse 20. Well then! Idou. The attention prompter idou is not translated here. It is often translated “behold” or “look”, but is simply a prompter of attention. It can be translated “Listen!”, “Pay attention!”, “Look!” or even “Hey!” or “Hey you!” In most cases it is jarring in English translation and is better omitted. The other two prompters of attention in the New Testament are ide which occurs far less frequently than idou, and age, which occurs only twice, in James 4:13 and 5:1.
21-23 The people waited for Zacharias. They were surprised that he was spending such a long time in the temple. 22 When he came out, he couldn’t speak to them. They realized that he had seen a vision, because he kept on making signs and stayed firmly speechless the whole time. 23 And it turned out that as soon as his time of priestly ministry was completed, he went back home.
Notes.
Verse 22. Firmly. Diameno, not simply meno,” to remain”. Diameno here with pros and accusative of person, “to hold ground”, “to stand firm”. (With dative of person, diameno means “to stand by, to remain by [someone]”.) See P.Tebt I8.27, “You will stand firmly in the same miserable course with no improvement whatsoever”; P.Fay. 135.10, “Hurry up and pay, so that we may stand firmly on good terms.”
Verse 23. Priestly ministry. Leitourgia occurs elsewhere in the New Testament only in 2 Corinthians 9:12; Phil. 2:17, 30; Heb. 8:6, 9:21. It means priestly ministry, (secular) public service, and occurs commonly outside the New Testament See P.Wiscon. 81; P.Berl.Leihg.46; P.Oxy I.40.6.
24-25 After these events his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and lived in seclusion for five months. 25 “The Lord has done this for me!” she exclaimed. “He was watching over me to take away my inability to have children which the people considered to be a disgrace.”
26-29 When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, God sent the Messenger Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee, 27 to an unmarried girl who was engaged to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The unmarried girl’s name was Mary. 28 The Messenger greeted her, “Hello there, you highly favored person! The Lord is with you!” 29 But she was deeply disturbed and wondered what sort of greeting this was!
Notes.
Verse 27. An unmarried girl. Parthenos (occurs twice in this verse). “unmarried woman”, “girl of marriageable age” not parthenios “virgin” (of either gender). The actual word parthenos carries no connotation of virginity, cf. G.R. Horsley, NDIEC 4.222. In reference to IG XIV (1890) 1648 ll.1-10, Horsley states, “Theodosia is called parthenos at the age of 18, and is about to be married. This example confirms nicely the notion of parthenos as a girl of marriageable age (cf. LSJ, s.v., 2). The discussion of the word in Spicq, NLNT 111.516-25 provides a number of documentary references. While virginity may have been expected, the word does not require that connotation.” The word is very widely attested for the above meaning: see IGUR III (1979) 1203, 1231, 1287, 1318, 1395, 1463, 1465, 1485; CIJ 1 45, 106, 168, 320, 381, 386, 588, 608, 733; CIJ II 1169; I.Eph. VI 2231, 2480, Pircher, no.16, Guarducci, EG IV.363-65 (Herakleia-Perinthos, III fin./IV init.; fig. 105), Tsigardis, Katalogos, 45. The correct translation of this word has caused some trouble for certain Bibles which translated the word correctly, as some prefer to substitute the correct meaning with the word “virgin” for theological reasons.
Verse 28. Hello there. Chairein. The infinitive as a greeting. The usual opening to a Greek letter. It was gradually perceived as a meaningless formulaic expression in the prescript in letters, and began to disappear in IV AD. See discussion in H. Koskenniemi, Studien zur Idee und Phraseologie des griechischen Briefes bis 400 n. Chr. (Helsinki. 1956) 155-8. Aristophanes plays on the literal meaning of the greeting in Acharnians, 176, 832, and see also in Bacchae, 1379-80.
30-38 The Messenger continued, “Don’t be afraid, Mary! You’ve found favor with God! 31 You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus. 32 He will be very important, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his Realm will never end.”
34 “How can this be?” Mary asked the Messenger. “I’m a virgin: I haven’t been with a man!”
35 The Messenger answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will spread his shadow over you. The one to be born will be sacred and will be called the Son of God. 36 Your relative Elizabeth has also become pregnant with a son in her old age. They said she was unable to have children but now she is six months pregnant! 37 Every spoken word from God has power!”
38 “Fantastic!” Mary exclaimed. “I am the Lord’s slave servant! May everything you’ve said come true!” And then the Messenger left her.
Notes.
Verse 35. Spread his shadow. Episkiazo. There are 5 instances in the New Testament: Matt. 17:5; Luke 1:35, 9:35; Mark 9:7; Acts 5:15. A rare word: “cast its shadow.” See I.Moesia 1.70.3 (Singidunum, II-III), epitaph for a mule driver, “Hades cast his shadow over me”. See also I.Delos 5.2548.8 (Delos, I), poem in honor of a priest, “… mould will not cast its shadow…”
Son of God. Taking hagion in apposition with predicative force.
39-41 At that time Mary set out and traveled in a great hurry to the highlands to a city in Judea. 40 She arrived at Zacharias’ house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby happily jumped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Notes.
Verse 41. Happily jumped. Skirtao, used of the springing, leaping, bounding of horses which are feeling happy, and the skipping and frolicking of happy goats.
42-45 “Happy are you among women, and happy is the child you will give birth to!” Elizabeth called out loudly. 43 “What an honor this is – the Lord’s mother visiting me! 44 As soon as I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy! 45 You are in a happy state, because you believed that the things the Lord told you would happen!”
46-55 And Mary said, 47 “My soul greatly praises the Lord, and my spirit rejoices about God my Deliverer. 48 With favor he has looked upon my humble state. From now on all people groups will call me happy 49 because the Almighty One has done great things for me. And sacred is his Name. 50 His mercy is on those who respect him from tribe to tribe. 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his power, those who are arrogant in their thinking he has scattered. 52 He has brought down sovereigns from their thrones, and lifted on high the oppressed poor. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things and the wealthy he has sent away empty-handed. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors!”
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then went back home.
Notes.
Verse 46. And Mary said. Equally, “And she (Elizabeth) said, ‘Mary, my soul greatly praises the Lord.’” The Greek is entirely ambiguous as to whether the words were by Mary or Elizabeth.
Verse 50. Those who respect. Phobeomai, usually means to fear, but the Greeks used it in the meaning “respect” when used in the case of gods or things sacred. See, for example, P.Tebt I.59, where someone writes to the priests of Tebtunis assuring them of his good will “because from old I revere and worship the temple”. The use was the same from Classical times.
Verse 51. His power. The word also means a physical arm, Greek metaphor for power.
57-66 When the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, she had a son. 58 When her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, they were happy with her. 59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the little boy. They were trying to name him after his father Zacharias.
Notes.
Verse 59. Circumcise. Peritemno, here “circumcise”, but in general to make an incision around something. IG IV2.1, 123, 134-7 (Epidauros, IV2 BC) details a mouth operation. C.A. Behr, Homm.Vermaseren 1.13-24 discusses the text of Ailios Aristeides, 49, 47, in which the word appears as “an incision around my face”. It is well attested as “circumcision” and commonly used in Egypt, as circumcision was expected of Egyptian priests in Roman times. A report of proceedings in which a man presents his sons to the high priest for circumcision was published in 1976: BGU 13.2216 (Soknopaiu Nesos, 156). PSI 9.1039 (Oxyrhynchos, III) is a list given to the high priest of boys who are candidates for circumcision.
They were trying. Conative imperfect.
60 “No!” his mother insisted. “He is to be called John!”
61 “There’s no one among your relatives with that name!” they objected.
62 So they made signs to his father to ascertain what he would perhaps like to call the child. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, “His name is John.”
Everyone was amazed. 64 Instantly his mouth was opened and his tongue could work, and he started speaking, praising God. 65 All their neighbors were shocked, and the whole story was passed around right through the hill country of Judea. 66 It was impressed on the minds of everyone who heard it. “What on earth is this child going to turn out to be?” they exclaimed. Clearly, he was in the Lord’s hands.
Notes.
Verse 62. Perhaps. Due to use of the an.
67-79 His father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: 68 “Worthy of all praise is the Lord, the God of Israel, he has visited, he has paid the ransom price for his people. 69 He has raised up a Power to bring deliverance to us in the family of his servant David, 70 as he said through his sacred prophets, through the ages. 71 Deliverance from our enemies, from the power of all who hate us, 72 to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his sacred covenant, 73 the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham. 74 To grant that we would be rescued from the power of our enemies and serve him without fear, 75 and be sacred and right with God in his presence all the days of our life. 79 And you, my child, you will be called ‘Prophet of the Most High’. You, my child, will go on in front of the Lord to prepare his way, 77 to show his people how to find salvation by means of the cancellation of their sins, 78 through the compassion of our God. The sun rising from on high will visit, 79 to appear to those who are sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
80 The child grew and became spiritually strong. He lived in the wilderness until the time he publicly entered his ministry to Israel.
Notes.
Verse 68. All praise. Eulogetos, rare word, occurs 8 times in the New Testament: Mark 14:61; Luke 1:68; Rom. 1:25; 9:5; 2 Cor. 1:3; 11:31; Eph. 1:3; 1 Pet. 1:3, conveys the idea that God is to be praised. See manumission by a Jew, IBosp 1123.2 (Gorgippia, 41), “To God the highest, almighty, blessed”; Jewish dedication IGBulg. 3.1.1432.5 (Thrace, 1-11), “made the dedication to the Blessed One”.
Verse 69. A Power. A horn, representing a power.
Verse 77. Cancellation. Aphesis, “cancellation”, not “forgiveness”. Aphesis, a setting free, a quittance or discharge, a dismissal, for example, aphesis phonou, a discharge from murder, Id. Legg. 869D; PSI 8.972, a dismissal of the matter (referring to an assault).
Verse 78. The sun. Sun or star.
Ch.2:1-7 In those times Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census was to be taken of the whole Roman empire. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 Each person traveled to their own city to be enrolled. 4 Joseph also went up from the city of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the city of David, because he belonged to the house and tribe of David, to get himself enrolled. 5 He went with Mary, because she was engaged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 It turned out that while they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him up in baby clothes of strips of cloth and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the guest house.
Notes.
Verse 2. This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) Equally possible (perhaps slightly less attractive grammatically in the Greek), “This was an earlier enrolment, before Quirinius was governor of Syria.” Matthew (2:1) and Luke (1:5-28) place the birth of Jesus in the time of Herod the Great, who died in 4 B.C. Josephus (A.J. 18:1-2) tells us that Quirinius conducted the census in Judea in 6 A.D. Augustus instituted a series of censuses. Luke mentions the second one (6 AD) in Acts 5:37. William Ramsay demonstrated that a periodical fourteen-year census in Egypt is given in dated papyri. He noted that several inscriptions indicated that Quirinius was governor of Syria on two occasions, the first prior to A.D. 6 and that a census was recorded between 10 and 5 B.C. Periodic registrations took place every fourteen years and such action was regarded as Augustus’ general policy of Augustus, even if instigated by a local governor. Luke tightly attributes the census to a decree of Augustus. See William Ramsey, The Bearing of Recent Discovery On The Trustworthiness of The New Testament, (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1979) pp. 275 ff.
Verse 7. Strips of cloth. The standard baby clothes of the culture.
The guest house. This had a wide meaning: guest house, inn, place where burdens were unloosened, general’s quarters, reception rooms for messengers.
8-14 There were shepherds in the same district passing the night out in the open, keeping watch over their flocks. 9 A Messenger of the Lord appeared and stood in front of them, and the Lord’s splendor shone around them. They were terrified! 10 “Don’t be afraid!” the Messenger exclaimed. “I’m here to announce to you very joyful Good News for all the people, 11 namely that today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you: he is the Anointed Lord. 12 This is the sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped up in baby clothes of strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly the whole population of the heavenly army appeared with the Messenger, praising God, 14 “Honor to God in the Highest Realms, on earth peace to people with whom he is very pleased.”
Notes.
Verse 12. This is the sign for you. The sign is to prove that what is announced is true, not a sign by which to find the baby.
Verse 13. The whole population. Equally, “a great number”.
15-20 When the Messengers had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go off to Bethlehem! Let’s see about this matter that the Lord has told us!” 16 Off they hurried and they discovered Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the news around about what they had been told about this little boy. 18 Everyone who heard it was amazed at what the shepherds said. 19 But Mary kept up all these things to herself and reflected on them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, praising God and honoring him for everything they had heard and seen: it had all turned out exactly as they’d been told.
21-24 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the Messenger had given him before he was even conceived. 22 When it was the time for the purification offering required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. 23 (The Scriptures say in the Lord’s Law, “A sacred offering is to be made to the Lord for every firstborn male.”) 24 They offered a sacrifice in keeping with the requirements of the Lord’s Law, “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
Notes.
Verse 24. The sacrifice is the type specified for the poor, cf. Lev. 12:8. Note that the Magoi had not yet visited Jesus and given him the expensive presents. Jesus was just under two years of age and living in a house when the Magoi visited.
25-32 There was a person in Jerusalem by the name of Simon, and this person was a just person and godly too. He was waiting for the Encourager of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Anointed One. 27 The Holy Spirit prompted him to go into the temple courts. The parents had brought in the little boy Jesus to carry out the requirements of the custom of the Law. 28 Simon picked up Jesus and praised God. He said, 29 “Right now, Master, discharge your slave peacefully, just as you said. 30 My eyes have seen your Salvation, 31 which was prepared in full view of all the peoples, 32 a Light revealed to the non-Jews, a glorious Light revealed to your people Israel.”
Notes.
Verse 25. The Encourager. An expression for the Messiah, the Anointed One.
Verse 30. Your Salvation. There are two closely related words for salvation in the New Testament, he soteria, and to soterion. The latter, which occurs here, is the least common and only occurs in 3 other instances in the New Testament.: Luke 3:6; Acts 28:28; Eph. 6:17. It implies a recovery. Otherwise, it is difficult to distinguish between the meanings of the two.