Commentary for (Acts XVII, 1-15; John XI, 47-57)

Oleksandr Zhabenko 🇬🇧
Christ Is Risen!
🌞

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 XVII, 1-15)
Acts XVII, 1 — ‘εἰς Θεσσαλονίκην’ - ‘eis Thessaloniken’ - ‘to Thessalonica’. Where to.

Acts XVII, 2 — ‘ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν’ - ‘apo ton graphon’ - ‘from the Scriptures (of the Old Testament)’. The preposition ‘apo’ here indicates that the Scriptures were viewed to some extent as something objective that could be considered and studied as a text.

Acts XVII, 3 — ‘ἀναστῆναι ἐκ νεκρῶν’ - ‘anastenai ek nekron’ - ‘to rise from the dead’. The preposition ‘ek’ indicates whence the transition took place — from the dead to the living.

Acts XVII, 4 — ‘τινες ἐξ αὐτῶν’ - ‘tines ex auton’ - ‘some of them’. The preposition ‘ek’ in its form before the next vowel indicates here that these were representatives of those Jews, i.e., before conversion they were like the others.

Acts XVII, 5 — εἰς τὸν δῆμον - ‘eis ton demon’ - ‘into the crowd; to the people; for the crowd’. That is, to please the crowd.

Acts XVII, 10 — ‘εἰς Βέροιαν’ - ‘eis Beroian’ - ‘into Berea’. Where to. ‘εἰς τὴν συναγωγὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων’ - ‘eis ten synagogen ton Ioudaion’ - ‘into the synagogue of the Jews’. Where to.

Acts XVII, 11 — ‘τῶν ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ’ - ‘ton en Thessalonike’ - ‘those in Thessalonica; the Thessalonians’.

Acts XVII, 12 — ‘πολλοὶ μὲν οὖν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐπίστευσαν’ - ‘polloi men oun ex auton episteusan’ - ‘many of them indeed then believed’. In other words, their belief was resolute and their faith was strong. The preposition ‘ek’ in its form before the next vowel indicates here that those people became representatives of that community.

Acts XVII, 13 — ‘οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης Ἰουδαῖοι’ - ‘hoi apo tes Thessalonikes Ioudaioi’ - ‘those Jews from Thessalonica’. The preposition ‘apo’ indicates either that those Jews had left Thessalonica or that Thessalonica was the city of their mothers' origin (i.e., the father was Jewish and the mother was Greek). ‘ἐν τῇ Βεροίᾳ’ - ‘en te Beroia’ - ‘in Berea’. Where. ‘κατηγγέλη ὑπὸ τοῦ Παύλου ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ’ - ‘katengele hypo tou Paulou ho logos tou theou’ - ‘the Word of God is preached openly by Paul’. The preposition ‘hypo’ indicates here that this is the passive voice of the participle, which is translated here as ‘preached openly’.

For more on the reading, please refer to the following links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/22052023.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/10062024.html

(John XI, 47-57)
John XI, 48 — ‘πάντες πιστεύσουσιν εἰς αὐτόν’ - ‘pantes pisteusousin eis auton’ - ‘all will believe in Him’. The preposition ‘eis’ indicates here that true faith leads to Christ, He is its goal and destination.

John XI, 49 — ‘εἷς δέ τις ἐξ αὐτῶν Καϊάφας’ - ‘heis de tis ex auton Kaiaphas’ - ‘one of them, Caiaphas’. The preposition ‘ek’ in its form before the following vowel indicates here that Caiaphas generally shared their common views.

John XI, 51 — ‘ἀφ’ ἑαυτοῦ' - aph heautou - from himself. The preposition ‘apo’ in its form before the following ‘he’ indicates here that these words could be seen as something independent of Caiaphas himself, as a testimony unwittingly to Christ. See more on this at the following links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/18042025.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/14052025.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/30042025.html

John XI, 52 — ‘συναγάγῃ εἰς ἕν’ - ‘synagage eis hen’ - ‘to gather together into one’. That is, to gather together to be one, in unity.

John XI, 53 — ‘ἀπ’ ἐκείνης οὖν τῆς ἡμέρας' - ap ekeines oun tes hemeras - from that day on, therefore. The preposition ‘apo’ in its form before the next vowel indicates here the beginning of the counting of time, when they moved from reasoning to malicious action.

John XI, 54 — ‘ἐν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις’ - ‘en tois Ioudaiois’ - ‘with the Jews’. Where. ‘εἰς τὴν χώραν ἐγγὺς τῆς ἐρήμου, εἰς Ἐφραὶμ λεγομένην πόλιν’ - ‘eis ten khoran engys tes eremou, eis Ephraim legomenen polin’ - ‘into the land near the desert, into the city called Ephraim'. Where to.

John XI, 55 — ‘ἀνέβησαν πολλοὶ εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα ἐκ τῆς χώρας πρὸ τοῦ πάσχα’ - ‘anebesan polloi eis Hierosolyma ek tes khoras pro tou paskha’ - ‘many from that region went up (entered) into Jerusalem before the Passover’. Where to.

John XI, 56 — ‘ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ’ - ‘en to hiero’ - ‘in the temple’. Where. ‘εἰς τὴν ἑορτήν’ - ‘eis ten eorten’ - ‘on the feast’. Where to and why.

For more on the reading from the Gospel, please refer to the following links:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/22052023.html
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/commentaries/10062024.html

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