[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
Kamelios vs. kamilios
Concerning the question that Jeffery Boris Holton poses about the
passage in Matthew 19:24, I would like to shed some information that I have
heard. Most major cities of the time period were often surrounded by a high
wall and contained openings through which traffic could move. During the
night, these passages would be closed up, except for one passage that was
very narrow and low. This passage remained open for late arriving travelers to
enter. The passage was narrow so that an invading army would have to enter
single file, being easy to kill as they entered. Late arriving travelers with
significant "wealth" and riding on camels would often find it difficult, if not
impossible, to enter the city. They would either leave their baggage outside
the city, or unpack it and carry it in. (The gate being to low for the camel
and the baggage to pass through at the same time.) These gates were often
called "eyes of the needle" due to their small size. This could be what
the Matthean author meant when this passage was used. Incidently,
this also fits in with the surrounding narrative. This passage deals with
the accumulation of wealth. A person wishing to pass into eternal life
must divest his or herself of the "excess baggage" or wealth in order
to enter into the narrow gate.
Bruce William Cory