οἱ δοκοῦντες: "the acknowledged ones" in Gal and Mk

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gryan
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οἱ δοκοῦντες: "the acknowledged ones" in Gal and Mk

Post by gryan »

Gal 2:9
Ἰάκωβος καὶ Κηφᾶς καὶ Ἰωάνης, οἱ δοκοῦντες στῦλοι εἶναι, δεξιὰς ἔδωκαν ἐμοὶ καὶ Βαρνάβα κοινωνίας, ἵνα ἡμεῖς εἰς τὰ ἔθνη, αὐτοὶ δὲ εἰς τὴν περιτομήν·

"James and Cephas and John, the ones acknowledged (οἱ δοκοῦντες) to be pillars, gave the right (δεξιὰς) of koinonia (fellowship/communion) to me and Barnabas in order that we go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcision."

Mk 10:42
Οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ δοκοῦντες ἄρχειν τῶν ἐθνῶν κατακυριεύουσιν αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ μεγάλοι αὐτῶν κατεξουσιάζουσιν αὐτῶν.

"You know that those acknowledged (οἱ δοκοῦντες) to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and their great ones (οἱ μεγάλοι αὐτῶν) exercise authority over them.

Matt 20:25
Οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἐθνῶν κατακυριεύουσιν αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ μεγάλοι κατεξουσιάζουσιν αὐτῶν.

"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and their great ones (οἱ μεγάλοι) exercise authority over them.

-------------------

Hypothesis

When the author of Mark used "οἱ δοκοῦντες" (the acknowledged ones) in his story of Jesus' teaching on the true measure of "greatness", he was consciously referencing the Gal 2 usage of "οἱ δοκοῦντες" (the acknowledged ones).

When Matt chose to edit out "οἱ δοκοῦντες" (the acknowledged ones), he was decoupling his narrative from Gal. 2

It would appear that the decoupling from Gal was taken step farther in the version of the story in Luke 22:24-27. There is no mention of James and John and the indignant ten, and no talk of sitting at the right (δεξιῶν) of Jesus.

Note: In light of the fact that "οἱ δοκοῦντες" in Galatians were "James and Cephas and John" who gave the right (δεξιὰς) of koinonia (fellowship/communion) to Paul and Barnabas, it is striking that, in both Mark and Matt, the teaching on true greatness was addressed to the indignant "ten" (which included Peter and James son of Alphaeus) who were upset with the brothers Zebedee, James and John, for their bid to sit at the right (δεξιῶν) of Jesus.
Last edited by gryan on Tue May 11, 2021 5:45 am, edited 3 times in total.
gryan
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Re: οἱ δοκοῦντες: "the acknowledged ones" in Gal and Mk

Post by gryan »

gryan wrote: Tue May 11, 2021 3:30 am
It would appear that the decoupling from Gal was taken step farther in the version of the story in Luke 22:24-27. There is no mention of James and John and the indignant ten, and no talk of sitting at the right (δεξιῶν) of Jesus.
But the decoupling does not seem so complete when it is observed that, in the editorial introduction to the episode, gLuke used a form of the key linking term--δοκέω--which Matt's edit had erased:

Lk 22:24
Ἐγένετο δὲ καὶ φιλονεικία ἐν αὐτοῖς, τὸ τίς αὐτῶν δοκεῖ εἶναι μείζων.
A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be acknowledged as the greatest.
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Jax
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Re: οἱ δοκοῦντες: "the acknowledged ones" in Gal and Mk

Post by Jax »

Nice observation. Makes me wonder, is Mark using Galatians or is it the other way around. The reason that I ask is that it was claimed that Marcion 'found' Galatians. Whatever that means. So if Marcion, or one of his assembly, was the author of Galatians in the second century it might indicate that Mark came first.

How Matthew and Luke deal with it is the frosting.
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Irish1975
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Re: οἱ δοκοῦντες: "the acknowledged ones" in Gal and Mk

Post by Irish1975 »

The first part of Galatians 2 has 4 direct references to οἱ δοκοῦντες—

1Ἔπειτα διὰ δεκατεσσάρων ἐτῶν πάλιν ἀνέβην εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα μετὰ Βαρναβᾶ συμπαραλαβὼν καὶ Τίτον· 2ἀνέβην δὲ κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν· καὶ ἀνεθέμην αὐτοῖς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ὃ κηρύσσω ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, κατ’ ἰδίαν δὲ τοῖς δοκοῦσιν, μή πως εἰς κενὸν τρέχω ἢ ἔδραμον. 3ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ Τίτος ὁ σὺν ἐμοί, Ἕλλην ὤν, ἠναγκάσθη περιτμηθῆναι· 4διὰ δὲ τοὺς παρεισάκτους ψευδαδέλφους, οἵτινες παρεισῆλθον κατασκοπῆσαι τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἡμῶν ἣν ἔχομεν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ἵνα ἡμᾶς καταδουλώσουσιν, 5οἷς οὐδὲ πρὸς ὥραν εἴξαμεν τῇ ὑποταγῇ, ἵνα ἡ ἀλήθεια τοῦ εὐαγγελίου διαμείνῃ πρὸς ὑμᾶς.  6Ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν δοκούντων εἶναί τι,– ὁποῖοί ποτε ἦσαν οὐδέν μοι διαφέρει· πρόσωπον [ὁ] θεὸς ἀνθρώπου οὐ λαμβάνει– ἐμοὶ γὰρ οἱ δοκοῦντες οὐδὲν προσανέθεντο, 7ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἰδόντες ὅτι πεπίστευμαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς ἀκροβυστίας καθὼς Πέτρος τῆς περιτομῆς, 8ὁ γὰρ ἐνεργήσας Πέτρῳ εἰς ἀποστολὴν τῆς περιτομῆς ἐνήργησεν καὶ ἐμοὶ εἰς τὰ ἔθνη, 9καὶ γνόντες τὴν χάριν τὴν δοθεῖσάν μοι, Ἰάκωβος καὶ Κηφᾶς καὶ Ἰωάννης, οἱ δοκοῦντες στῦλοι εἶναι, δεξιὰς ἔδωκαν ἐμοὶ καὶ Βαρναβᾷ κοινωνίας, ἵνα ἡμεῖς εἰς τὰ ἔθνη, αὐτοὶ δὲ εἰς τὴν περιτομήν· 10μόνον τῶν πτωχῶν ἵνα μνημονεύωμεν, ὃ καὶ ἐσπούδασα αὐτὸ τοῦτο ποιῆσαι.

1) without complement in 2:2
2) with the complement “to be something” in the prior bit of 2:6
3) again without complement in the latter bit of 2:6, and finally
4) in most explicit form, “James and Cephas and John, reputed to be pillars” in 2:9

Just as a matter of rhetoric, it seems odd to introduce the most specific reference last, and to first use this expression in 2:2 without concrete specification. But there are many odd things about this chapter, and many sound reasons to suspect tampering and interpolation (“Peter” in 2:7, etc).
gryan
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Re: οἱ δοκοῦντες: "the acknowledged ones" in Gal and Mk

Post by gryan »

Irish1975 wrote: Tue May 11, 2021 6:24 am ...there are many odd things about this chapter, and many sound reasons to suspect tampering and interpolation (“Peter” in 2:7, etc).
Agreed.

I'm treating 2:7b-8 as if it were an interpolation (per the arguments made most persuasively in this article: "Galatians 2:7b-8 as a non-Pauline interpolation" By: Walker, William O Jr. The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 65 no 4 Oct 2003).

Also, I'm inclined to agree with Tertullian and Victorinus that the negation "οἷς οὐδὲ" (to whom not) could have been added later, and that the statement reads more smoothly when it is removed: οἷς οὐδὲ πρὸς ὥραν εἴξαμεν τῇ ὑποταγῇ (we yielded in submission for an hour). So, I'm trying not to base my interpretation of the passage as a whole on 2:5, one way or another.
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Re: οἱ δοκοῦντες: "the acknowledged ones" in Gal and Mk

Post by gryan »

Irish1975 wrote: Tue May 11, 2021 6:24 am The first part of Galatians 2 has 4 direct references to οἱ δοκοῦντες—

1Ἔπειτα διὰ δεκατεσσάρων ἐτῶν πάλιν ἀνέβην εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα μετὰ Βαρναβᾶ συμπαραλαβὼν καὶ Τίτον· 2ἀνέβην δὲ κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν· καὶ ἀνεθέμην αὐτοῖς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ὃ κηρύσσω ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, κατ’ ἰδίαν δὲ τοῖς δοκοῦσιν, μή πως εἰς κενὸν τρέχω ἢ ἔδραμον. 3ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ Τίτος ὁ σὺν ἐμοί, Ἕλλην ὤν, ἠναγκάσθη περιτμηθῆναι· 4διὰ δὲ τοὺς παρεισάκτους ψευδαδέλφους, οἵτινες παρεισῆλθον κατασκοπῆσαι τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἡμῶν ἣν ἔχομεν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ἵνα ἡμᾶς καταδουλώσουσιν, 5οἷς οὐδὲ πρὸς ὥραν εἴξαμεν τῇ ὑποταγῇ, ἵνα ἡ ἀλήθεια τοῦ εὐαγγελίου διαμείνῃ πρὸς ὑμᾶς.  6Ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν δοκούντων εἶναί τι,– ὁποῖοί ποτε ἦσαν οὐδέν μοι διαφέρει· πρόσωπον [ὁ] θεὸς ἀνθρώπου οὐ λαμβάνει– ἐμοὶ γὰρ οἱ δοκοῦντες οὐδὲν προσανέθεντο, 7ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἰδόντες ὅτι πεπίστευμαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς ἀκροβυστίας καθὼς Πέτρος τῆς περιτομῆς, 8ὁ γὰρ ἐνεργήσας Πέτρῳ εἰς ἀποστολὴν τῆς περιτομῆς ἐνήργησεν καὶ ἐμοὶ εἰς τὰ ἔθνη, 9καὶ γνόντες τὴν χάριν τὴν δοθεῖσάν μοι, Ἰάκωβος καὶ Κηφᾶς καὶ Ἰωάννης, οἱ δοκοῦντες στῦλοι εἶναι, δεξιὰς ἔδωκαν ἐμοὶ καὶ Βαρναβᾷ κοινωνίας, ἵνα ἡμεῖς εἰς τὰ ἔθνη, αὐτοὶ δὲ εἰς τὴν περιτομήν· 10μόνον τῶν πτωχῶν ἵνα μνημονεύωμεν, ὃ καὶ ἐσπούδασα αὐτὸ τοῦτο ποιῆσαι.

1) without complement in 2:2
2) with the complement “to be something” in the prior bit of 2:6
3) again without complement in the latter bit of 2:6, and finally
4) in most explicit form, “James and Cephas and John, reputed to be pillars” in 2:9

Just as a matter of rhetoric, it seems odd to introduce the most specific reference last, and to first use this expression in 2:2 without concrete specification.
What is going when this expression is introduced without compliment?

I'm hypothesizing that Paul was counting on the Galatians knowing what he meant by κατ’ ἰδίαν δὲ τοῖς δοκοῦσιν. So there was no need to mention specific names--James and Cephas and John--up front. This also means that they would have known immediately 1) which "James" it was who Paul named first among "the acknowledged"(I'm reading it as one of the 12, James son of Alphaeus, implying he was "first" of the three in the true Mark 10:44 sense of being "first" i.e. "servant of all" including Gentiles, and also as reflected in Acts 15), and also that 2) "James the Lord's brother" would have been excluded (I'm reading it as implying that James the Lord's brother was not so great, a view reflected gMark's epithet, "James the lesser" i.e. not the greatest in the true sense of being a servant of all, including Gentiles).
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Irish1975
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Re: οἱ δοκοῦντες: "the acknowledged ones" in Gal and Mk

Post by Irish1975 »

gryan wrote: Tue May 11, 2021 7:48 am What is going when this expression is introduced without compliment?
Good question. On the one hand we have these two complement-free uses of the expression by Paul in this immediate context—which are echoed in Mark. On the other hand, these uses of οἱ δοκοῦντες are juxtaposed by the final use (and why does it come last?) in which the all-important qualifying complement does appear.
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