Marcovich’s conjectural ἄνθρωπος in Justin Martyr’s First Apology 33.7

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Ken Olson
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Marcovich’s conjectural ἄνθρωπος in Justin Martyr’s First Apology 33.7

Post by Ken Olson »

In another thread, I pointed out that Miroslav Marcovich’s inclusion of <άνθρωπος> in the text of Justin Martyr’s First Apology 33.7 was a conjectural emendation (i.e., not found in the extant text but supplied by the editor), and that other editors and translators of the text had not found it necessary to include it.

viewtopic.php?p=131099#p131099

I’ll repost what Marcovich said here:

Marcovich - Notes on Justin - Jesus as Man .png
Marcovich - Notes on Justin - Jesus as Man .png (135.04 KiB) Viewed 1450 times
Miroslav Marcovich, ‘Notes on Justin Martyr's Apologies’, Illinois Classical Studies 17.2 (1992) 323-335, p. 326.

In my earlier post I said only that other editors and translators of the First Apology have not found it necessary to emend the text the way Marcovich does. I now think there are good reasons to reject Marcovich’s conjectural emendation of ἄνθρωπος in the text of First Apology 33.7. I do not by any means intend to suggest that Marcovich was incompetent or did not know his business. He was a great classicist, produced many critical editions of Greek texts, and was the founder and first editor of Illinois Classical Studies. I am suggesting only that he may well be mistaken in this particular case.

When I looked at the text in Migne PG 6 and the attendant Latin translation, I think the Latin translator got it right (autem … idem): what Justin was saying was that Ἰησοῦς meant Saviour in both Hebrew and Greek (not as Marcovich would have it, Man in Hebrew and Saviour in Greek):

Migne PG6 cols. 381-382 - Justin Martyr - First Apology 33.7 .png
Migne PG6 cols. 381-382 - Justin Martyr - First Apology 33.7 .png (708.79 KiB) Viewed 1450 times
Migne PG 6 cols. 381-382 (Justin Martyr First Apology 33.7)

Interestingly, I think MrMacSon translated 33.7 correctly earlier in the same thread. He included Marcovich’s conjectural <άνθρωπος> in the Greek text he gave, but did not then use it in his English translation:
MrMacSon wrote: Wed Jan 05, 2022 9:01 pm And the name Ἰησοῦς in the Hebrew language means/manifests [the same as] Σωτήρ (Saviour) in the Greek tongue - Τὸ δὲ Ἰησοῦς* ὄνομα <άνθρωπος> τῇ ἑβραΐδι φωνῇ σωτὴρ τῇ ἑλληνίδι διαλέκτῳ δηλοῖ - Wherefore, too, the angel said to the virgin, 'You shall call His name Ἰησοῦς/Iēsoús, for He shall save His people from their sins.' 
viewtopic.php?p=131036#p131036
I think this is correct: ἄνθρωπος is unnecessary, or actually intrusive, to the intended meaning of 33.7, which is that Ἰησοῦς means Saviour in both Hebrew and Greek. In the case of the Greek, Marcovich is likely correct that Justin is equating Ἰησοῦς with the Greek name Ἰάσων meaning Saviour (more literally ‘healer’) and gives several supporting citations. Also, Josephus recounts that the High Priest Jesus changed his name to Jason in Ant. 12.5.1/239 and a Jason son of Eleazar is mentioned in 1 Macc. 8.17. But Ἰησοῦς also meant something at least very much like Σωτήρ in Hebrew, at least according to Jewish folk etymologies. Philo says that Ἰησοῦς meant σωτηρία κυρίου, or ‘the salvation of the Lord’ in On the Change of Names 122.

In the larger context of 33.7, Justin is providing an exegesis of Matt 1.21, which he quotes immediately following his explanation of the meaning of Jesus name: καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν, αὐτὸς γὰρ σώσει τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν, ‘You shall call His name Ἰησοῦς/Iēsoús, for He shall save His people from their sins.' [MrMacSon’s translation]. Justin is answering an implied question: why is the fact that that he will save his people a reason to call him Jesus? And the answer is: the name Ἰησοῦς means Saviour in both Greek and Hebrew. ‘Man’ on the other hand, would be out of place as it does not help to explain the meaning of Matt 1.21.

So we have three reasons to reject Marcovich’s inclusion of ἄνθρωπος in the text of First Apology 33.7: First, of course, it’s not in the extant text; second, the extant text can be understood just as well or better without it; and third, it would actually be intrusive in the context of the exegesis of Matt 1.21.

Best,

Ken
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Re: Marcovich’s conjectural ἄνθρωπος in Justin Martyr’s First Apology 33.7

Post by Secret Alias »

Still looking for an original idea before you pass away? If you actually read the entry he points to this statement in the Second Apology:

2 Apology 6.6 “But [nomen sacrum taken to be Jesus], His name as man and Saviour, has also significance. For He was made man also, as we before said, having been conceived according to the will of God the Father, for the sake of believing men, and for the destruction of the demons”

So what's the controversy? Like really. It's like at least ordinary people just come out and say 'I don't like you.' But intellectuals are just so subterranean. Like what are we arguing about? That Justin didn't say that anthropos was the nomen sacrum taken to be Jesus. No that's not why you started this thread. You started it because you've never had an original idea and likely never will.
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Re: Marcovich’s conjectural ἄνθρωπος in Justin Martyr’s First Apology 33.7

Post by Secret Alias »

It's fucking pathetic. [ΙΣ] δὲ καὶ ἀνθρώπου καὶ σωτῆρος ὄνομα καὶ σημασίαν ἔχει

Fucking pathetic. Just be creative. Live life. Stuff will come to you. Creating little threads that pretend to be 'discussions' not helping.
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Re: Marcovich’s conjectural ἄνθρωπος in Justin Martyr’s First Apology 33.7

Post by Peter Kirby »

Ad hominem of this type is a a lot lower than any lack of creativity alleged.
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Re: Marcovich’s conjectural ἄνθρωπος in Justin Martyr’s First Apology 33.7

Post by Secret Alias »

How about this.

Marcovich lays down his justification in the fucking article. He's got some Church Fathers that say it means 'Savior' (Cyril of Jerusalem for instance) and then he has Justin saying it means man and Savior elsewhere. What does a 'serious scholar' from Duke do? He like FUCKING IGNORES all of this and develops the stupidest possible interpretation of the passage. Ken can read the Greek. Most of the people here can't. He's got to be able to see that Marcovich justifies ANTHROPOS by citing another fucking example from Justin's writings. Complete fucking waste of time. He didn't write this thread because he's interested in what Justin said or didn't say. He's mad that you as the Daddy of the forum favored one of his kids over the other. Fucking juvenile mind.
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Re: Marcovich’s conjectural ἄνθρωπος in Justin Martyr’s First Apology 33.7

Post by Secret Alias »

This has nothing to do with Justin or the Greek or this or fucking that. It's just creative sterility and what comes from creative sterility - resentment.
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Re: Marcovich’s conjectural ἄνθρωπος in Justin Martyr’s First Apology 33.7

Post by Secret Alias »

He couldn't read this:

[ΙΣ] δὲ καὶ ἀνθρώπου καὶ σωτῆρος ὄνομα καὶ σημασίαν ἔχει

Who's this by? Justin. So what's the point of arguing? Justin said it in 2 Apology but didn't think this in 1 Apology? This is what we come down to in this forum. Lower than mountainman arguments made by a Duke scholar.
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Re: Marcovich’s conjectural ἄνθρωπος in Justin Martyr’s First Apology 33.7

Post by Secret Alias »

Well whatever. Thanks for helping write the paper Peter. You're credited.
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Re: Marcovich’s conjectural ἄνθρωπος in Justin Martyr’s First Apology 33.7

Post by Secret Alias »

"My thanks to Peter Kirby for pointing out this passage to me." Second footnote.

But beware when reading ANYTHING by this guy. If he can willingly IGNORE what Marcovich himself cites as justification for this 'fix' what else does he do when he comes across evidence to the contrary of whatever he's selling ... And for what? This is what I don't get. There's a million dollars and you have to lie to get it. I get maybe lying. I wouldn't do it because I would think I'd get caught. But I get the motivation of those who do. But for THIS? Some stupid fucking footnote in an article that like less than a 100 people have ever read. To avoid citing WHY Marcovich adds the anthropos for something TOTALLY WORTHLESS. TOTALLY in the 'who cares' column. That's Biblical scholarship.
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Re: Marcovich’s conjectural ἄνθρωπος in Justin Martyr’s First Apology 33.7

Post by Secret Alias »

Petty fucking mendacity.
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