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Re: Lexicons

Larry,

I think I know the kinds of problems Dan is talking about.  BAG sometimes 
gives a definition that reflects traditional Christian theologies rather 
than the evidence of actual word usage in non-Biblical/Christian texts.  
It usually does so by giving an *extra* definition, but still.  I guess 
this has to do with how much one sees a divergence between Christian and  
non-Christian Greek of the time & society.

I would certainly recommend Liddell-Scott as a counteractive and 2nd 
opinion.  I think we need to introduce specific words as examples. I'm 
not sure I'll have a chance to look, but I think *arsenokoites* was a 
good example (of course, that word has been controverted much recently).

Greg Jordan
jordan@chuma.cas.usf.edu

On Fri, 2 Sep 1994, Larry W. Hurtado wrote:

> Dan McDonald's commendation of Liddell-Scott for NT work needs some
> qualifications.
> 1) It is somewhat dated, and the evidential and scholarly bases for
> semantic judgments in Bauer-Arndt-Gingrich are in many cases significantly
> more recent and reflective of contemporary scholarship.
> 2) Liddell-Scott is PRIMARILY oriented to classical Greek and to a braod
> coverage of word uses/developments.  BAG is a more intensive and focused
> treatment of word uses in the NT and other very early Greek Christian Lit.
>  For exegesis, one might well want to consult both, but for different
> purposes.  For reading assistance and lst-choice consultation, however,
> BAG is a better choice for the NT.
> 3) There is no scholarly tool that is not affected by the biases or
> assumptions or commitments of its authors/editors, Liddell-Scott, BAG,
> whatever.  Tools prepared by NT scholars, or "theologians" (as the term is
> colloquially used outside the academy of scholars), are no more or no less
> likely to reflect such problems--The point is, however, that tools like
> BAG are prepared to the same high standards of critical scholarship as any
> tool prepared by classicists or ancient historians, etc.  So Mr.
> McDonald's fear/implication here is both ill-founded and misleading, and
> downright unfair to those who have labored mightily to prepare such
> invaluable tools as BAG.
> 
> Larry Hurtado, Religion, Univ. of Manitoba 
> 
> 
>
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