Nielsen’s Nook

The Chicago Sun Times reported that J. K. Rowling might consider extending the Harry Potter series beyond Deathly Hallows.

Translation

2 The proconsul replied, “Convince [a] the crowd, just try.”

“I considered you worthy of discussion, for we have been taught to give appropriate [b] honor [c] to leaders and authorities who are established by God so long as [d] that honor does not harm us. However, I do not regard this crowd [e] worthy that I make a defense to them,” Polycarp said in reply.

[a] πεῖσον when preceding an accusative of person is rendered convince (BAGD, 639). We take this aorist imperative as ingressive (GGBB, 719 §I.B.1) and bring out the evident mockery by placing the ingressive bits at the end of the command. The proconsul is daring St. Polycarp to live it out, intending that St. Polycarp will demonstrate that he loves his own life more than he loves Christ.

[b] κατὰ τὸ προσῆκον lit., according to what is fitting.

[c] While the infinitive “to give honor” follows just after “been taught” as one would expect in English, ἀπονέμειν (to honor) is the last word in the Greek phrase. Polycarp is stressing the fact that Christians honor the authority of their magistrates and rulers as a general rule.

[d] We take βλάπτουσαν as a circumstantial participle informing the proconsul the parameters under which he should expect Christians to honor government authorities (c.f., GGBB, p 758, §II.A.1).

[e] ἐκείνους, lit., these [people], hence the substitution for the referent δῆμον (crowd).

Translation

1 The proconsul prevailed [a] upon him again, saying “Swear an oath to the providence of Caesar!”

“If you vainly imagine [b] that I will ‘swear an oath to the providence of Caesar,’ as you say, and you pretend to be ignorant of who I am, here me plainly,” [c] Polycarp answered. “I am a Christian. So, if you desire to learn the message of Christianity, [d] name the day and give me a hearing.” [e]

[a] Ἐπιμένοντος δὲ In an attempt to clean up the English we have supplied the referent (proconsul) for the assumed actor, reflecting a more substantive, rather than temporal, flavor of the participle.

[b] κενοδοξέω hold a false opinion, vainly imagine (BAGD, 427). Used in 4 Maccabees 5:10, “It seems to me that you will do something even more senseless if, by holding a vain opinion concerning the truth, you continue to despise me to your own hurt.” (NRSV) It might also be noted that the first part (viz. κενο) of this compound word may mean empty. Hence, the idea of hollow belief.

[c] παρρησίας plainly, confidently (BAGD, 630). Here it follows μετὰ and picks up an adverbial flavor. St. Peter employs μετὰ παρρησίας in Acts 2:29 in his Pentecost sermon, ἐξὸν εἰπεῖν μετὰ παρρησίας πρὸς ὑμᾶς περὶ τοῦ πατριάρχου Δαυὶδ…. I may speak confidently to you concerning the patriarch David…(author’s translation, NA27).

[d] τὸν τοῦ χριστιανισμοῦ μαθεῖν λόγον seems to circumscribe mere doctrine.

[e] δὸς ἡμέραν καὶ ἄκουσον. lit., give a day and listen. “…give me a hearing” I have taken directly from Lightfoot’s translation.

Translation

3 But the proconsul insisted, saying “Swear the oath, and I will set you free! [a] Revile [b] Christ!”

Polycarp replied, “Eighty and six years I have serving him and he has done me no wrong. So how can I blaspheme my king who saved me?”

[a] ἀπολύω to set free, release, pardon a prisoner for example Barabas in John 18:39 but not the same idea exactly as John 8:32 that the truth will set you free ( ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐλευθερώσει ὑμᾶς).

[b] λοιδόρησον an aorist active imperative of λοιδορέω. John 9:28 records that the Pharisees reviled ( ἐλοιδόρησαν) the man born blind to which Jesus had restored sight.

Translation

2 So, when he was brought before him, the proconsul was inquiring whether he was the man.

When Polycarp [a] confessed that he was the man, the proconsul began appealing to repudiate the Christian faith [b] saying, “Have some regard [c] for old age,” and so forth [d] (as they are accustomed to say), [e] “Swear an oath to the providence [f] of Caesar, repent, say, ‘Sweep [g] the atheists [h] away!’”

But Polycarp, with dignified countenance, fixed his eyes upon the whole crowd of lawless pagans [i] which filled the stadium and he incited [j] them with his hand, sighed and then after he looked up to heaven, he said, “Sweep the atheists away!” [k]

[a] In the flurry of pronouns, we inserted the pronominal referent here (St. Polycarp) to make the prose more clear.

[b] The substance of what St. Polycarp is being asked to deny or disown is the Christian faith; we have inserted the concept that is assumed though not spelled out in our text. ἀρνεῖσθαι (ἀρνέομαι) to deny or repudiate Christ is the word’s most common usage. 1 Timothy 5:8 reminds us εἰ δέ τις τῶν ἰδίων καὶ μάλιστα οἰκείων οὐ προνοεῖ, τὴν πίστιν ἤρνηται καὶ ἔστιν ἀπίστου χείρων. And if someone does not care for his own - especially for his household, he has repudiated the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (author’s translation).

[c] αἰδέσθητί (αἰδέομαι) respect or regard. See 4 Macc 5:7, “…for I respect your age and your gray hairs,” (NRSV).

[d] τούτοις ἀκόλουθα also in §8.2.

[e] ὡς ἔθος αὐτοῖς λέγειν, see BAGD 218.

[f] τύχην (τύχη) LSJ gives us the semantic field of fortune, fate or providence. Middle Liddell gives us “the good which man obtains (τυγχάνει) by the favour of the gods.” Cited from Perseus Digital Library. Ὄμοσον τὴν Καίσαρος τύχην also in §10.1.

[g] αἶρε (αἴρω) see note on §3.2.

[h] ἀθέους see not on §3.2 regarding the usage of the term atheist to ironically refer to Christians.

[i] i.e., ἔθνοι.

[j] ἐπισείσας (ἐπισείω) to shake one’s hand in a threatening gesture (BAGD, 298); to start a riot, urge on, incite (DBL GGK2167, see Acts 14:19).

[k] This is the same phrase (Αἶρε τοὺς ἀθέους) the proconsul asked him to say. St. Polycarp notably has omitted the oath to Caesar.

Translation

1 When Polycarp entered into the stadium, a voice from heaven said to him, “Be strong Polycarp and behave like a man.” [a] No one saw the one who spoke; however, the Christians [b] who were present heard the voice. After he was finally [c] brought forward, there was a great clamor, for they had heard that Polycarp had been arrested. [d]

[a] ἀνδρίζω play the man, behave like a man, come to manhood (BAGD, 65).

[b] ἡμετέρων (ἡμέτερος) what is ours, our people. The NT employs ἡμέτερος in this way in Titus 3:14. μανθανέτωσαν δὲ καὶ οἱ ἡμέτεροι καλῶν ἔργων … - But let our people learn good works … (author’s translation). The idea of “our people” of course in the context of Paul’s epistle to Titus refers to Christians. It is the same here in §9 where Christians have come to support their beloved Polycarp.

[c] Adverbial use of λοιπός (BAGD, 480).

[d] See also §6.1 for a previous instance of συλλαμβάνω.