Thanks for the tip! I'll remove Marcion from the equation, as he doesn't add anything useful anywaygryan wrote: ↑Fri Jul 30, 2021 5:13 am Re: "Parsimony"
When you introduced Marcion into the explanation above, you lost me--the word "Parsimony" popped into my mind. It got too complicated. I'm looking for the the simplest explanation that fits the evidence (Mark Goodacre is fond of this criterion). I agree with Goodacre that Mark is the primary synoptic gospel and that Matt and Luke follow along later.
I'll accept your translation based on Crum:
not-usually anyone Indeed ignite candlestick and he place he at ear/measure
In accepting this translation, I'm aware of going against the mainstream consensus.
Ear makes better sense than measure. So it is strange that gMark opts for the less interesting idea: μόδιος/measure. The idea of ear is lost.
gMark and Thomas agree on the basics: a candle gets lit, it normally goes on a lamp stands, don't put it in a nonsensical place.
Supposing gMark is the source for gThomas in Greek, and that Greek Thom was translated to Coptic: There is plenty of space for creativity regarding nonsensical places to put a lit candle, and thus, "you don't light a candle and put it to your ear". Ha ha (I'm not actually laughing right now, but someone could). gMark's version of nonsense-- "put it under a measure/basket" -- is boring by comparison. This way of framing what gMark says is unsettling since the idea of measure could have come from the secondary meaning of ear in Coptic (Is this underlined part a correct reflection of your hypothesis?). Ugh (I actually do have an ugh feeling right now).
It is boring indeed, isn't it? Why on earth would you cover a candle with something like a bucket, it would probably set it on fire (assuming a wooden one)
Absolutely. I'm unsure about the exact grammatical nature of the word, but here's the short version:This way of framing what gMark says is unsettling since the idea of measure could have come from the secondary meaning of ear in Coptic (Is this underlined part a correct reflection of your hypothesis?)
ⲙⲀⲀϪⲈ - ear
ⲙⲀⲀϪⲈ - a measure of grain, fruit etc.
In Crum they are two words, the first is on page 212b (https://coptot.manuscriptroom.com/crum- ... &tla=C2328)
and the second on page 213a (https://coptot.manuscriptroom.com/crum- ... &tla=C2330)
In anticipation of your next question, the preposition used in Thomas is equally ambivalent; notice the different numbers in the hyperlink:
- under, in, at
- from
- by reason of
- for, in respect of, on behalf of
- for (of price)
- against
And:
So both translations are perfectly possible, and of course all "translators" pick the one that is closest to the canonicals.
Yet the chance that Thomas meant to use "measure" and just happened to pick this word, a homonym for ear - which even is a specific measure for grain and fruits, highly unlikely to be used in a household?
https://coptic-dictionary.org/results.c ... ch=Measure
90 results, some false positives included...