From: mail.access1.net (lancelot@access1.net)
Date: Sun Aug 23 1998 - 17:08:03 EDT
Greetings Again:
Your little hapaxlegomena has become curiouser and curiouser (as usually
happens)
>Acts 1:3 reads (in part):
>
>hOIS KAI PARESTHSEN hEAUTON ZWNTA META TO PAQEIN AUTON EN POLLOIS
>TEKMHRIOIS
>
>Is the following paraphrase too strong?
I was about to argue in your favor, but actually, the terminology is not
strong enough. Moulton - Milligan Vocabularly of the GNTp.628 translates
tekmerion, "infallible proof".
Luke evidently felt a by far more classical term, less common to the readers
usage, if not vocabulary would be appropriate- by far more intense.
Regardless, in one's common experiences in life there is no such thing.
Proof in a court of law where the rules of evidence are most rigorous is
always "beyond a REASONABLE shadow of a doubt".
Ok so what extant evidence might lead us to render this passage in such a
fashion? Certainly nothing in nature. (M-M)" Act 1.3 may be illustrated by
an Ephesian inscr. Syll 656 , where it is mentioned as megiston tekmerion of
the sebasmos (religious awe of worship) accorded to the goddess Artemis that
a month is named after her. tek. is also found with megiston and
ischurotatos (greatest and most powerful)" in other papyri.
So that tek. connotes a religious experience of unprecedented and perhaps
supernatural proportions (depending upon whether you believe the source or
not). This is not the same as semeion which are intended to fortell the
future. (more than often a warning of divine discipline).
Interestingly enough, Gallen employs the difference between these words when
he expressly speaks of the medical distinctions between tekmherion -
demonstative evidence- and semeion, stating that rhetoricians as well as
physicians have examined the evidence" (M-M)
A vision of the resurrected Christ, is more than irrefutable, it compares in
degree of INTENSITY with the impressions made upon human soul by a natural
distaster, war. Whether such events occurred or not isn't remotely an issue
to the observer.
Regards,
Brian L.
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