> ETI LALOUNTOS TOU PETROU TA hRHMATA TAUTA EPEPESEN TO PNEUMA TO hAGION EPI
> PANTAS TOUS AKOUONTAS TON LOGON.
>
> I believe that LALOUNTOS is a genitive absolute here, reinforced by the ETI,
> forcefully stating that it is while Peter is still in the midst of speaking
> "these words" that the spirit falls on those who are listening. But "these
> words" is no clearer in the Greek than it is in the English: most likely, it
> means "while Peter was still in the midst of making this speech", and does
> not refer to any particular set of words. If you ask me, the text does not
> clearly indicate that it was saying the last phrase in his speech that
> caused the Spirit to descend, and any theology which turned that into a
> magic formula for calling the Spirit down would go beyond what this
> scripture says.
>
I also think that there is a genitive absolute here and would translate the
verse in this way: "While Peter was speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell
upon all the ones who were hearing the word." And, it seems clear that the
reference is to Peter's speech. However, my interest lies in the use of
PANTAS. Is it true that PAS, when used in the attributive position, indicates
"entirety?" And, when used in the predicative position, PAS indicates "most,"
but not necessarily "entirety?" The usage here is predicative. So, is it being
said that the Holy Spirit fell upon "most," but not upon "all" who were hearing
the word? That seems unlikely to me, given the context. Is there a better
"rule" (bad word, but I'm an amateur) than the one I have mentioned regarding
the usage of PAS?
Part of my interest comes from encountering the word recently in Phlps 1:13.
Paul claims that his "bonds" -- DESMOUS -- are manifest EN hOLWi TWi PRAITORIWi
KAI TOIS LOIPOIS PASIN, KAI TOUS PLEIONAS . . . . Just how far had the
knowledge of Paul's bonds become known? In "all," or "most of" the remainder of
what, or who?
Thomas Bond
lpbond@pldi.net