From: Christopher Hutson (crhutson@salisbury.net)
Date: Fri Dec 08 2000 - 17:29:48 EST
Tony,
On the age identification of a PAIS, Carl is correct that usage varies
widely. Such age terms are always relative. So use the following note with
caution. There is no substitute for exegesis to determine how such a word
is used in a particular context.
Aristophanes of Byzantium was the librarian at Alexandria in the late 2nd
century, BCE. His catalogue of age terms was copied and cited by various
scholars well into the Middle Ages. Here is his list of terms for children:
BREFOS: that which is newly born.
PAIDION: that which is fed by a nurse.
PAIDARION: that which is walking around and beginning to grasp vocabulary.
PAIDISKOS: the one in the next stage.
PAIS: one who is able to go through the common educational curriculum (DIA
TWN EGKYKLIWN MAQHMATWN).
Aristophanes goes on to discuss various terms for adolescent boys. Since
Aristophanes thinks of a PAIS as a "schoolboy," and since many ancient
theorists tended to think of adolescence as happening socially at age 14,
regardless of individual physiological development, then PAIS would be
associated with an age range of approximately 7-14 years, give or take local
custom at any given time period. But, again, individual writers often use
age terms quite loosely, so beware.
As for Acts 20:12, since here PAIS is parallel with NEANIAS in v. 9, as you
point out, we need to ask what that means. Aristophanes of Byzantium would
identify a NEANIAS as a twenty-something, certainly a young man who has
passed puberty. But he uses the term more specifically for a young man who
is not yet married.
Obviously, the author of Acts is not using these terms as precisely as
Aristophanes would have. Both of these are often used in rather general
terms, equivalent to "boy" and "young man." The context suggests to me that
NEANIAS in 20:7 identifies Eutychus as a young man (late teens or early
twenties), and that PAIS in 20:12 introduces an element of pathos to the
story, emphasizing that he was too young to die.
To answer your question, yes, the two terms can be used interchangeably, but
they still carry different nuances, just as the terms "boy" and "young man"
in English. In general, a PAIS is younger than a NEANIAS.
How's that for an answer that is specific yet hedged?
XPIC
______________________________
Christopher R. Hutson
Hood Theological Seminary
800 West Thomas Street
Salisbury, NC 28144
crhutson@salisbury.net
______________________________
Carl W. Conrad12/8/00 1:06 PM
> At 5:55 PM -0600 12/8/00, Tony Costa wrote:
>> Dear Friends,
>>
>> I had a question regarding the word PAIDA. It is usually translated as
>> child, boy,lad or sometimes "young man" as in the NIV at Acts 20:12.
>> In this chapter of Acts 20, the same person is identified as both NEANIAS
>> (young man) in 20:9 and PAIDA in 20:12. My question is, can PAIDA be used
>> interchangeably with NEANIAS?
>> An intersting passage on the subject is found in the LXX in 2 Kings
>> 2:23-24 where it mentions the PAIDARIA MIKRA ("small children") that scoffed
>> at the prophet Elisha. The Hebrew MT seems to support the idea that the word
>> N'ARIM can be translated "young men" or "youths" as in other places in the
>> Hebrew Bible. Any comments? Regards,
---
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