Commentary for (Acts XIII, 13-24; John VI, 5-14; Acts XXVI, 1-5, 12-20; John X, 1-9)

Oleksandr Zhabenko 🇬🇧
Christ Is Risen!
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Since in the works published at the following links:
https://churchandsociety.org.ua/pdf/projects/zbirnyk.pdf
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/17082024.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/27112024.html
it is written that the use of prepositions is important for the correct understanding of important and actual issues, in particular the issue of power, I am writing commentaries on the use of these prepositions. As a piece of advice on how to read the text, you can read the verse in translation and/or in the original (if you have the opportunity), and then the commentary on prepositions here. Next, you need to understand which part of the verse the commentary refers to, and consider what it affirms — or less often, denies — that is essential to understanding. This thoughtful reading helps to deepen understanding and protects against the mistakes mentioned above.

Liturgy:
(Acts XIII, 13-24)
Acts XIII, 13 — ‘ἀπὸ τῆς Πάφου’ - ‘apo tes Paphou’ - ‘from Paphos’. Where from. The preposition ‘apo’ indicates that they had completely left Paphos. ‘εἰς Πέργην τῆς Παμφυλίας’ - ‘eis Pergen tes Pamphylias’ - ‘into Perga of Pamphylia’. Where to. ‘ἀπ’ αὐτῶν' - ap auton - from them. The preposition ‘apo’ in its form before the next vowel indicates that John has completely left them. ‘εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα’ - ‘eis Hierosolyma’ - ‘to Jerusalem’. Where to.

Acts XIII, 14 — ‘ἀπὸ τῆς Πέργης’ - ‘apo tes Perges’ - ‘from Perga’. Where from. The preposition ‘apo’ indicates that they had completely left Pergamum. ‘εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν τὴν Πισιδίαν’ - ‘eis Antiokheian ten Pisidian’ - ‘to Antioch of Pisidia’. Where to. ‘εἰς τὴν συναγωγὴν’ - ‘eis ten synagogen’ - ‘into the synagogue’. Where to.

Acts XIII, 15 — ‘ἐν ὑμῖν’ - ‘en hymin’ - ‘’in you‘’. In whom. Part of an unusual grammatical turn of phrase.

Acts XIII, 17 — ‘ἐν τῇ παροικίᾳ ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτου’ - ‘en te paroikia en ge Aigyptou’ - ‘while being in Egypt’. When and where. ‘αὐτοὺς ἐξ αὐτῆς’ - ‘autous ex autes’ - ‘them from it’. From whence.

Acts XIII, 18 — ‘ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ’ - ‘en te eremo’ - ‘in the wilderness’. Where.

Acts XIII, 19 — ‘ἐν γῇ Χανάαν’ - ‘en ge Khanaan’ - ‘in the land of Canaan’. Where.

Acts XIII, 21 — ‘ἄνδρα ἐκ φυλῆς Βενιαμείν’ - ‘andra ek phyles Beniamein’ - ‘a man of the tribe of Benjamin’. The preposition ‘ek’ indicates the origin of Saul.

Acts XIII, 22 — ‘εἰς βασιλέα’ - ‘eis basilea’ - ‘into a king’. The preposition ‘eis’ indicates what the Lord made David into.

Acts XIII, 23 — ‘ἀπὸ τοῦ σπέρματος’ - ‘apo tou spermatos’ - ‘of the seed’ (i.e. as a Descendant). The preposition ‘apo’ indicates here that it refers to descent through the line of the Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, since the ancient Greeks (rarely) used this preposition in this sense. Indeed, the Virgin Mary on the father's side (as ChatGPT points out, there is no such early evidence for Joachim, but later tradition holds this to be the case), Joachim's father, was from the line of King David. Thus, there is an implicit reference to the Virgin Mary and the miraculous fulfilment of Isaiah's prophecy about the Virgin and Emmanuel.

For more on the reading, please refer to the following links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/17052023.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/05062024.html

(John VI, 5-14)
John VI, 8 — ‘εἷς ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ, Ἀνδρέας ὁ ἀδελφὸς Σίμωνος Πέτρου’ - ‘heis ek ton matheton autou, Andreas ho adelphos Simonos Petrou’ - ‘one of His disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter’. The Apostle Andrew the First-Called is mentioned here by name (for the third time in this Gospel). The preposition ‘ek’ indicates that Andrew was indeed an apostle who shared the attitude and position of Jesus' disciples.

John VI, 9 — ‘εἰς τοσούτους’ - ‘eis tosoutous’ - ‘for so many’. A somewhat colloquial shortening of the phrase, it is quite possible that it is quoted verbatim from a quote that John remembered well. The preposition ‘eis’ indicates a destination.

John VI, 10 — ‘ἦν δὲ χόρτος πολὺς ἐν τῷ τόπῳ’ - ‘en de khortos polys en to topo’ - ‘there was much grass in the place (there)’. There.

John VI, 11 — ‘ἐκ τῶν ὀψαρίων’ - ‘ek ton opsarion’ - ‘of the little fishes’. The preposition ‘ek’ indicates that the fish were delicious and nutritious, so that it was good to eat them, and people were eager to eat.

John VI, 13 — ‘ἐκ τῶν πέντε ἄρτων τῶν κριθίνων’ - ‘ek ton pente arton ton krithinon’ - ‘of five barley loaves’. Similarly to verse 11, the preposition ‘ek’ here indicates that the multiplied loaves were nutritious and delicious.

John VI, 14 — ‘εἰς τὸν κόσμον’ - ‘eis ton kosmon’ - ‘into the world; for the world’. Both translations are possible.

To the Co-apostolic Saints Constantine and Helen:
(Acts XXVI, 1-5, 12-20; John X, 1-9)
Acts XXVI, 2 — ‘περὶ πάντων ὧν ἐγκαλοῦμαι ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων’ - ‘peri panton on enkaleumai hypo Ioudaion’ - ‘about all that (I) am accused of by the Jews’. The preposition ‘hypo’ is here with the genitive case and indicates the passive voice of the participle ‘am accused’.

Acts XXVI, 4 — ‘τὴν μὲν οὖν βίωσίν μου τὴν ἐκ νεότητος τὴν ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς γενομένην ἐν τῷ ἔθνει μου ἔν τε Ἱεροσολύμοις' - ‘ten men oun biosin mou ten ek neotetos ten ap arkhes genomenen en to ethnei mou en te Hierosolymois’ - ‘therefore, the true manner of my life, which from my youth, which from the beginning was among my nation in the Jerusalemites’. That is, the way Saul (the future, and at the time of his conversation with the king, the present apostle Paul) actually lived. The first preposition ‘ek’ indicates that Saul had become devout and reverent from his youth, i.e. this was a mature and adult decision at a young age. The preposition ‘apo’ in its form before the next vowel indicates the beginning of the count, i.e. it refers to Saul's conscious life, not to the period when he was a baby, which he does not remember. The prepositions ‘en’ indicate medium, society, and surroundings.

Acts XXVI, 12 — ‘Ἐν οἷς πορευόμενος εἰς τὴν Δαμασκὸν’ - ‘En hois poreuomenos eis ten Damaskon’ - ‘(When) in these (matters) (I) went to Damascus’. Where to.

Acts XXVI, 14 — ‘εἰς τὴν γῆν’ - ‘eis ten gen’ - ‘to the ground; to the earth’. Where to.

Acts XXVI, 16 — ‘εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ’ - ‘eis touto gar’ - ‘for this is why’. The preposition ‘eis’ indicates the purpose of the action.

Acts XXVI, 17 — ‘ἐξαιρούμενός σε ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἐθνῶν, εἰς οὓς ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω σε’ - ‘exairoumenos se ek tou laou kai ek ton ethnon, eis hous ego apostello se' - ’I deliver you from the people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you (as an apostle); I choose you from the people and from the nations (Gentiles) to whom I am sending you; I set you apart from the people (Jews) and from the nations (Gentiles) to whom I am sending you’. Various translations are possible, indicating both Paul's election and vocation as an apostle of the nations and the defence and salvation of Christ.

Acts XXVI, 18 — ‘ἀπὸ σκότους εἰς φῶς’ - ‘apo skotous eis phos’ - ‘’out of darkness into light; from darkness to light‘’. From (out of) where and (in)to where. The preposition ‘apo’ indicates here that one must leave the darkness completely, entirely, utterly, absolutely resolutely. ‘κλῆρον ἐν τοῖς ἡγιασμένοις’ - ‘kleron en tois egiasmenois’ - ‘lot in the sanctified’. That is, the gift of holiness and participation in the community of saints. ‘πίστει τῇ εἰς ἐμέ’ - ‘pistei te eis eme’ - ‘by faith that is into Me’. The preposition ‘eis’ indicates here that Christ is the goal and destination of the faith, it leads to Him.

Acts XXVI, 20 — ‘τοῖς ἐν Δαμασκῷ πρῶτόν τε καὶ Ἱεροσολύμοις, πᾶσάν τε τὴν χώραν τῆς Ἰουδαίας καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν’ - ‘tois en Damasko proton te kai Hierosolymois, pasan te ten khoran tes Ioudaias kai tois ethnesin' - first to those in Damascus, also to the Jerusalemites, to the whole land of the Jews and to the Gentiles. To whom the Apostle Paul preached.

For more on the reading from the Gospel, please refer to the following links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/09052025.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/28072023.html
https://www.facebook.com/Oleksandr.S.Zhabenko/posts/

For more information on the readings, please refer to the links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/09052025.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/01062023.html

Glory be to Thee, our God, glory be to Thee!