From: Cooper Greg (CooperG@wsdot.wa.gov)
Date: Tue Jan 27 1998 - 19:09:39 EST
What does the Greek word for "touch" mean? Is there any indication
that it implies holding onto, constraining, clinging to.....?
If so, that would seem odd to me. How could a mortal confine someone
who could not be constrained by death or a physical, stone grave or even
a grave cloth that he was bound in?
Gregory Lee Cooper
>----------
>From: Ben Crick[SMTP:ben.crick@argonet.co.uk]
>Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 1998 3:23 PM
>To: b-greek@virginia.edu
>Subject: Re: multiple ascensions
>
>On Thu 22 Jan 98 (15:44:09), jwest@highland.net wrote:
>> Is anyone aware of any biblical evidence which suggests that Jesus
>> ascended numerous times, culminating in the "grand finale" of Acts 1?
>
> Dear Jim,
>
> I think this springs from consideration of John 20:17 "Jesus saith to her,
> Touch me not; for I have not yet ascended to my Father...". Jesus would not
> allow mary Nagdalene to touch him, because he had not yet ascended to his
> Father. Then in verse 27, "then saith [Jesus] to Thomas, reach here thy
> finger, and behold my hands; and reach here thy hand, and thrust it into my
> side...". Something has happened in the meantime, to enable Jesus now to be
> touched and handled. Was it a 'journey to the sky' to see his Father?
>
> Even before this invitation to Thomas, Jesus had said to the other disciples
> in the upper room "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: *handle
> me, and see*; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have"
> (Luke 24:39).
>
> IMHO the translation of MH MOU hAPTOU is better "Do not keep clinging to me"
> (suggested by William Hendriksen, /John/, Banner of Truth Trust, 1959,
> ad loc). Hendriksen writes "What Jesus probably means is this: 'Do not
> think, Mary, that by grasping hold of me so firmly (cf Matt 28:9), you
> can keep me always with you. That uninterruptible fellowship for which you
> yearn must wait until I have ascended to be forever with the Father.' Jesus
> did not object to being /touched/. Otherwise, how can we explain his word to
> Thomas?" (op cit, p 455). How indeed.
>
> BF Westcott has an extended note on this verse in his /John/ (from the
> Speaker's Commentary), Cambridge, 1882, 17th impn, pages 292f; no doubt in
> his commentary on the Gk text also; but I don't have a copy to hand.
>--
> Revd Ben Crick, BA CF
> <ben.crick@argonet.co.uk>
> 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK)
> http://www.cnetwork.co.uk/crick.htm
>
>
>
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