From: McKay family (music@fl.net.au)
Date: Sat Apr 25 1998 - 10:25:05 EDT
A new Christian is perplexed by apparent contradictions in the accounts of
the conversion of Saul.
In Acts 9:7 we read
hOI DE ANDRES hOI SUNADEUONTES AUTOi EISTHKEISAN ENEOI, AKOUONTES MEN THS
FWNHS MHDENA DE QEWROUNTES
but in Acts 22: 9 we read
hOI DE SUN EMOI ONTES TO MEN FWS EQEASANTO THN DE FWNHN OUK HKOUSAN TOU
LALOUNTOS MOI.
and in Acts 26:14
PANTWN TE KATAPESONTWN hHMWN EIS THN GHN HKOUSA FWNHN LEGOUSAN ...
F. F. Bruce points out that we have Luke saying that Saul fell to the ground
in 9:4, and in 9:7 the companions stood speechless, but Paul says in 26:14
that they had all fallen to the ground. And in 9:7, Luke says the companions
heard the voice or sound, but in 22: 9 Paul tells his hearers that the
companions saw the light but didn't hear the voice.
Moulton and A.T. Robertson argued that the genitive in Luke's account refers
to a sound, but that the accusative in Paul's accounts refers to
intelligible speech. Is this reasonable?
The NASB translates THN DE FWNHN OUK HKOUSAN in Acts 22: 9 as "but did not
understand the voice."
F.F. Bruce suggests that the sound Paul's companions heard [according to
Luke] may have been Paul's own voice.
What think ye?
I couldn't help remarking to my friend who told me of this newbie's distress
that there are plenty more such difficulties to be found in the Bible!
David McKay
music@fl.net.au
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