re: POLLOI in Luke 1.1

Mark Goodacre (goodacms@m4-arts.bham.ac.uk)
Thu, 13 Nov 1997 10:20:27 GMT

I think Brian Wilson is right to focus attention in his recent
message back onto the meaning of POLLOI. I would have thought that
the more obvious forum for debating synoptic questions more generally
would be the Crosstalk list. I have myself edited some of the recent
Crosstalk correspondence on the synoptic problem and it can be viewed
at the 'World Without Q' web site (address below).

I do not think that it would be possible to pinpoint a lower limit
for the meaning of POLUS. Certainly the evidence of Acts 24.10 shows
that it has to be at most six or seven years. With regard to the
upper limit, I think Brian is right that POLLOI can be at times
synonymous with PANTES (etc.) - Paul seems to use the two almost
interchangeably in Rom. 5.12-21, for example.

Good wishes

Mark
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Mark Goodacre Tel.: +44 (0)121 414 7512
Department of Theology Fax.: +44 (0)121 414 6866
University of Birmingham Email: M.S.Goodacre@bham.ac.uk
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Birmingham B15 2TT World Without Q: http://www.bham.ac.uk/theology/q.htm