I
just came across this in Tyndale's NT and it has me stumpted. I'd appreciate any thoughts on it.
As a preface, I consider Tyndale to be an extremely careful translator. He was burned at the stake for his refusal to bend over the "etc cetera" words like translating ekklesia as assembly or congregation not church, and whilst running and hiding and fleeing the agents of a sadistic English Lord Chancellor who wanted him dead, he still took the time to write a book back at the sadist defending his choices. So if he uses a word, I respect that he paid with his life to put it in there.
My starting point is the famous Paul in Acts 9 on "road to Damascus" KJV:
It's not that far from Jerusalem to Damascus Syria, unless you are walking that is, and I have always assumed that the "road to Damascus" was the "road to Damascus, Syria" - am I alone in that?And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
(Acts 9:1-3 [KJV])
But on reflection, that makes no sense. Besides being a long walk, it's in a different Roman province of the time. Whatever mandate Paul might have in Jerusalem would not extend to the Syrian province. And Paul says he's working for the high priest, not the Romans, so he would have no mandate at all.
So I was reading that verse in Mario Valente's careful compilation TyNT and saw "Damasco"
"Damasco" not "Damascus", and all further occurences in Acts. TyNT is a modern spelling version of the Tyndale bibles, so I consulted the original spelling version and TyNT is right - Damasco.And Saul yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damasco, to the synagogues: that if he found any of this way whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. But As he went on his journey, it fortuned that he drew nigh to Damasco, and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven.
(Acts 9:1-3 [TyNT])
Strongs in the KJV has: 1154 Damaskos dam-as-kos' of Hebrew origin (1834); Damascus, a city of Syria:--Damascus. see HEBREW for 01834
What's going on here? Is Tyndale signaling something with "Damasco" not "Damascus"?
Is the author of Acts signalling something?
PS: we don't reply to posts in this thread by StephenGoranson,Ulan as we do not see them.
PPS: There may have been a way Paul could operate in Damascus, but it's a stretch.