From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Tue Oct 09 2001 - 12:10:31 EDT
At 11:54 AM -0400 10/9/01, Ted Mann wrote:
>When Luke wrote EKLIPONTOS (Lk.23:45), did he have in mind an actual solar
>eclipse, as a number of translations imply (e.g., Phillips, NEB), or was
>this just an idiomatic way of describing the darkening of the sun (e.g.,
>NIV, NASB), without intending a scientific explanation?
How one responds to a question of this sort may depend upon the extent to
which one deems that Luke's language is literal or figurative. I personally
am inclined to think that he meant this was an UNNATURAL darkening of the
sun rather than a NATURAL solar eclipse. The verb EKLEIPW in and of itself
means simply "fail" or "be wanting" or "be lacking"; while it is used to
refer to a natural solar eclipse, that's by no means its sole or standard
use. Here's what LSJ offers:
==========
ekleip-ô , leave out, pass over, polla d' ekleipô legôn A.Pers.513 ; e.
ochlon logôn Id.Pr. 827 , cf. D.25.47; e. Andron leave out, pass over
Andros, Hdt.4.33; e. hotioun tês paraskeuês Th.7.48 ; tên stratian
X.HG5.2.22 ; ei ti exelipon, son ergon anaplêrôsai Pl.Smp.188e :--Pass.,
oneidos ouk ekleipetai fails not to appear, A.Eu.97.
2. forsake, desert, abandon, tas patridas, tên xummachiên, etc.,
Hdt.1.169,6.13, etc.; thêras mochthon E.Hipp.52 ; to xunômoton Th.2.74 ;
ton horkon E.IT750 ; abandon, quit, tên taxin Hdt.8.24 , al.; tên chôrên
Id.4.105 ,118,al.; ton ploun S.Ph. 911 , cf. 58; give up, tên turannida
Hdt.6.123 ; ta huparchonta Th.1.144 ; thrênous E.Ph.1635 ; v. infr.11.2.
3. freq.in elliptic phrases, ekleipein tên polin eis ta akra abandon the
city and go to the heights, Hdt.6.100, cf.8.50, X.An.7.4.2; exeleipon
oikous pros allon eunatora E.Andr.1040 (lyr.).
4. ei tis exelipe ton arithmon (of the Persian immortals) if any one left
the number incomplete, Hdt.7.83.
5. fail one, ekleloipasin humas hai prophaseis Lys.8.16 , cf. Pl.Lg.657d.
II. intr., of the Sun or Moon, suffer eclipse, Th.2.28 ; in full, ho hêlios
eklipôn tên ek tou ouranou hedrên Hdt.7.37 ; e. tas hodous Ar.Nu. [p. 512]
584.
2. die, hoi eklipontes the deceased, Pl.Lg.856e; tôn allôn ekleloipotôn
Is.11.10 , etc.; of trees, BGU1120.33 (i B.C.); more freq. in full, e. bion
S.El.1131 ; huph' hôn hêkista echrên ton bion eklipôn (=apothanôn) Antipho
1.21; so e. phaos E.Ion 1186 , etc.
3. faint, Hp.Prorrh.1.71.
4. generally, leave off, cease, têi moi [ho logos] exelipe Hdt.7.239 ; e.
puretos Hp.Aph.4.56 , cf. Th.3.87; ekleloipen euphronê, i.e. it is day,
S.El.19; hôste mê 'klipein kleos ib.985, cf. 1149; [hai ergasiai]
ekleloipasin Isoc.8.20 : c. part., leave off doing, Pl.Mx.234b, cf. 249b:
c. gen., therapeias Plu.Marc.17 .
5. fail, be wanting, rhômê gar ekleloipen hên prin eichomen E.HF230 , cf.
Pl.R.485d; tôn epitêdeiôn ekleipontôn D.S.16.75 ; hê phônê exelipe
Luc.Nigr.35 ; peri hôn e. [ho nomos] Arist.Pol.1286a37: Gramm., of words in
a sentence, A.D.Synt.11.17; of grammatical forms, ib. 168.21.
6. remain, be left, LXX 4 Ki.7.13.
7. depart, A.Pers. 128 (lyr.), Th.219.
8. ekleipôn sphugmos remittent pulse, Gal. 9.66
============
--
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
Most months: 1647 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu OR cwconrad@ioa.com
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/
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