Fulfilling prophecy

What did Jesus say about fulfilling prophecies and the Scriptures

#biblestudy #greeknewtestament

LUKE 4:21 

In keeping with my prior post I want to point out that again Luke uses the perfect form of a verb and he's talking about prophecies!


4:21 and he begun to to speak to them

Today pepleerootai = it has been but note perfect form the writing / hee graphee  hautee the written this ... being a quote form Isaiah 61.1-2 into your ears en tois oosin humoon

Today fulfilled this writing in your hearing

Today you heard this writing has been fulfilled

Note that Jesus doesnt talk about scriptural inerrancy or the holiness of the Old Testament and note what he quoted from Isaiah

The Spirit holy is upon me

TO TAKE ACTION

he will preach gospel announce that prisoners and the oppressed will be ransomed and released and the blind recover sight

Prophecy is fulfilled by action!

Faith and works !

GEGRAPTAI - It is written

Luke and Matthew tend to use the word gegraptai to introduce Old Testament quotes though they are certainly not the only NT writers to do so.

This image will be made available on My DeviantArt Gallery when I have time to upload it 

Gegraptai is also one of those verb forms that are stronger in Greek.

This verb is the perfect passive form of GRAPHOO.

Why not just use the Aorist? Perhaps Luke is trying to stress the link between past and present? 

The quote is a written thing continuously in use. Remember the Aorist is a Complete Action but Perfect forms are not just used for past actions in Greek but also present actions for states.

IT IS WRITTEN appears in Luke 3.4  before a quote from the Prophet Isaiah then in 4.4 and 4.8 a quote from Dt 8.3,  and then in 4.10, a quote from the Psalms, and in 4.11 another Psalms quote and again in 4.12 a quote from Dt 6.16, then again in 4.11

While the famous quote from Jesus about fulfilling the laws and prophets appears in Matthew 5.17 Luke's opening chapters particularly cite prior prophecies as evidence of Jesus' special status and role and the use of the perfect passive and its repetition strengthens this link to the Old Testament.

Another reason I want you to be more aware of the Greek ... it sounds so much better in Greek than English. Compare GEGRAPTAI being used to rebuke the Devil  to the English it is written !

However remember also what Jesus said about AGAPE  being the core of the commandments. 

He didn't punish the Devil smiting him with divine fire he simply used a quote, words of power to deny temptation.

Now I must go as the local cockatoos are outside trying to tempt me to pay more attention to them than blogging. They're sitting on the railing where they know I can see and hear them. Yes I will refill your water bowl! Practical actions of agape ! 

Greek Theatre Masks One

#greektheatremasks #theatre #mask

My ailments flared up again so I'm still behind with blogging.

There will be a Greek NT post next weekend ... meanwhile since its mid week something #classical

Here we have a sculpture showing a a comic poet or possibly an actor contemplating the masks worn on stage a reminder of several aspects of Greek Theatre 

one actor might play multiple roles 

they wore masks not makeup 

dialogue was written around stock roles and characters

actors were male 

more masks next time 

Words of Authority

#luke #gospel #greeknewtestament #biblestudy #exousia #didache #expleessoo

LUKE 4:32 
"and they were astonished at his teaching 
for his word was with authority"

Let's look at 3 key words in this verse!

first a transliteration ...

kai eksepleessonto epi teei didakheei autou hoti en eksousiai een ho logos autou

and they were "outstruck" / struck at imperfect passive  of ekpleessoo
upon / by / after  epi plus dative
the teaching of him that in authority / power was the word / speech of him

Struck at sounds too strong in English yet that is what this verb means.

So one of the reasons Jesus' teaching had such an impact on the eyewitnesses Luke mentions at the beginning of his gospel is that his word had power, exousia which can be personal spiritual or political.

Those who heard it were struck by the teaching didakhee what you learn from teaching.
Didakhee became doctrina in Latin hence our doctrine but teaching is its meaning.
Not Luke emphasizes the TEACHING over PREACHING

We use for in English where Greek starts a secondary clause with hoti that as a clause marker and we would say with in English where Greek uses en.

The power was within him and coming out of him as expressed as speech.