From: Iver Larsen (alice-iver_larsen@wycliffe.org)
Date: Wed Dec 13 2000 - 14:14:00 EST
> I was wondering if reading Luke 2:2 as "this earlier census happened while
> Quirinius governed Syria" is unnatural in the Greek. The Greek passage is
>
> hAUTH APOGRAFH PRWTH EGENETO hHGEMONEUONTOS THS SYRIAS KURHNIOU
>
> Is it unnatural to render it as "earlier census?" There are no "current"
> or "second" or "future" censuses being referred to - does this matter?
>
> Thanks for the input,
>
> Loo Jaba
Although not explicitly referred to in Luke's Gospel there is another census
that Theophilus probably knew very well. It is referred to by Luke in Acts 5:37
simply as "the census". It is famous and remembered many years afterwards,
because of the rebellion that happened as a result of it. The fronting of hAUTH
signifies that THIS census is contrasted to another census. Since this other
census is not referred to in the context of Luke 2, we have to assume that Luke
expected his reader(s) to know about it already. Because of this contrast, it
may be possible to understand Luke as saying as a parenthetical comment: THIS
census happened before/prior to (the one you know about under) the governorship
of Quirinius over Syria. (In John 1:15 we find PRWTOS MOU HN - he existed before
me.) But his comment may also be understood as: THIS first/earlier census (and
you already know about the second, famous one) happened under the governorship
of Quirinius over Syria. This second option is less likely because of the
position of PRWTH. The third option is the more traditional one: This was the
first census that happened under the governorship of Quirinius over Syria. I
find it difficult to justify this option from the Greek text.
Iver Larsen
Kolding, Denmark
alice-iver_larsen@wycliffe.org
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