Jesus spits on the ground, makes clay of the spittle, and “applies” the clay to the eyes of a blind man (John 9; NASB). The verb behind “apply” is epichrio . Its only other usage in the NT is five verses later, where the NASB translates the very same form of the very same verb as “anoint” (much better than “apply”). At least the NIV is consistently bad, rendering both uses as “put on.” The less patient will be tempted... Read more
John is aware of linguistic diversity, translating unusual Hebrew terms into Greek (e.g., “Messiah” into “Christ,” 1:42). This is perhaps for the convenience of Greek readers, but there is likely also a theological reason: John proclaims the incarnate Word, and describes the work and words of that Word with words drawn from a variety of languages. Read more
John tells us that the inscription “Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews” was placed above his head on the cross in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek (19:19-20). But this is just the culmination of a text that, though written in Greek, contains a number of cross-linguistic terms. Twice in chapter 19 John translates a Greek term into Hebrew/Aramic (vv. 13, 17), something he does only two other times in the gospel (5:2; 20:16). Pilate, meanwhile, goes in and out... Read more
Jesus chooses a couple of sets of brothers to be among the Twelve: Andrew and Peter, James and John. Plus, there’s Thomas the Twin. Why did Jesus do this? Possibly, because the Old Testament so often shows us brothers in conflict, especially older brothers hating and abusing younger brothers, while the younger brothers triumph. For the New Testament brothers, we don’t even know which brother is the older one. We just know that brothers are following Jesus together. Jesus comes... Read more
In his 1676 parody, La Terre australe connue , Gabriel de Foigny describes the rationality and simplification of the Austral language, which works somewhat like chemical formula. All words are monosyllabic, and each letter is associated with either a substance (the vowels, which match the four classical elements, plus salt!) or a quality (the consonants), so words can be formed from simple combinations of letters. Man is Uel – earth (u), air (e) and wetness (l), since his substance is... Read more
Linguistic values arise from differences between linguistic items in a system, Saussure argues. But on what basis do we conclude that those differences are differences between items at one moment? What can’t value and meaning arise in the difference between a word’s value now and a word’s value a century ago? Why flatten out the network of difference? Read more
Saussure also suggests that phonetic changes sometimes have the effect of obliterating the distinct parts of composite words. Latin’s amicus (“friend”) was clearly negated by inimicus (“enemy”), but the French ami and ennemi are no longer so obviously related by derivation. Again, breaking of these historical links between words has the potential to change the value of the words involved, and, conversely, the historical links are partly responsible for determining value. Read more
Saussure notes that phonetic changes in a language can have wider consequences on a language. One of these effects is “to break the grammatical link connecting two or more words.” Where linguistic signs once wore their derivation on their sound, a phonetic change breaks the link. In Latin, house-house is obviously linked ( mansio-mansionaticus ); in French the link is broken ( maison // menage ). Same for sheep-shepherd (Latin: vervex-vervecarius ; French: brebis // berger ). Saussure says that... Read more
Tom Perrotta creates a background buzz of sexuality in his 1998 novel Election . It’s appropriate to the story’s setting – an election for Winwood High’s student body president. What’s remarkable is how deftly he achieves this – mostly by gesturing and leaving a great deal unstated. We don’t know exactly what Lisa and Tammy are doing when they’re alone, and Perrotta’s hints make for a far more charged-up atmosphere than something more explicit. Read more
First Things has put up an article of mine on prophecy on their web site:http://www.firstthings.com. Read more
Leithart
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