From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Sat Jan 06 2001 - 11:06:23 EST
At 9:18 AM -0600 1/6/01, Will Wagers wrote:
>There is a discussion on a history of astronomy group about the star
>of Bethlehem. The ground alternates between the textual and
>astronomical considerations.
>
>In According to Matthew 2.1 (RSV), we have:
>
>"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of
>Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying,
>"Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star
>in the East and have come to worship him."
>
>Can "wise men from the East" mean "wise men arriving from the East"
>or "arriving wise men who are Easterners" or both?
Grk text: IDOU MAGOI APO ANATOLWN PAREGENONTO EIS hIEROSOLYMA
I'd say that APO ANATOLWN really ought to construe with PAREGENONTO,
"arrived from the East"--I wouldn't think we should understand the phrase
as attributive to MAGOI without an additional article.
>Can "we have seen his star in the East" mean that "we were in the East
>when we saw his star" or that "his star was in the East when we saw it"
>or both?
Grk text: EIDOMEN GAR AUTOU TON ASTERA EN THi ANATOLHi
I'd think that standard usage would refer to WHERE the eyes were oriented
when they saw the star rather than where they were geographically when they
saw; this also best explains the word-order of the Greek.
>According to Matthew 2.9 : "When they had heard the King they went their
>way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them."
>
>Again, does this mean that "they were in the East when they saw it" or
>that "it was in the East when they saw it" or?
>
>Can "went before them" mean only that the star moved towards the West
>as they moved westerly, in effect, leading them?
Grk text: PROHGEN AUTOUS pretty much has to mean "kept guiding them on
their forward way" Indeed, it's interesting that it's in the imperfect
tense.
At any rate, that's how I read the Greek here.
--
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics/Washington University
One Brookings Drive/St. Louis, MO, USA 63130/(314) 935-4018
Home: 7222 Colgate Ave./St. Louis, MO 63130/(314) 726-5649
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/
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