Friday, March 22, 2024

One of the last sentences where differences existed between Morton Smith's transcription of the Letter to Theodore and Agamemnon Tselikas

Καὶ μεθ᾽ ἡμέρας ἓξ ἐπέταξεν αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ ὀψίας γενομένης ἔρχεται ὁ νεανίσκος πρὸς αὐτὸν περιβεβλημένος σινδόνα ἐπὶ γυμνῷ, καὶ ἔμεινε σὺν αὐτῷ τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην 
γυµνοῦ [PV, MS] γυµνῷ [AT]
"γυμνῷ" is in the dative case and means "naked" or "without clothes." It describes the condition of the young man as being wrapped in a linen cloth while naked underneath. "γυµνοῦ" is in the genitive case and also means "naked." However, in this context, it functions as an adjective modifying the young man, indicating that he is naked. In the first sentence, "γυμνῷ" (dative) suggests that the young man is clothed in a linen cloth but naked underneath. In the second sentence, "γυµνοῦ" (genitive) directly describes the young man as being naked. Clearly Tselikas recognized the proper meaning of the gospel passage.


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