hatsoff

Hi, all.

First of all, I want to thank Roger for his assistance in this thread. He provided me with exactly what I needed at the time. I hadn't done so back then, but I should, now.

Second, I have a question about this passage from the Catholic Encyclopedia:

A commentary [written in Greek by Didymus the Blind] on the Catholic Epistles is known to us through the Latin translation made by a certain Epiphanius [Scholasticus] for Cassiodorus. Didymus comments on II Peter, and elsewhere frequently quotes that Epistle, although in one place he declares it to be spurious (falsata — the Greek is lost).

Does anyone know where I can find the Latin (or English) of this commentary which includes the specific comments by Didymus concerning 2 Pe? I can't seem to find much on Epiphanius Scholasticus, and the table of contents for the Patrologia Latina doesn't seem to include either Didymus or Epiphanius.

Third, and lastly, I have a question about Jude 1:3 (emphasis added):

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

From what I can tell, this is a fairly literal translation. Yet some translations render "once" as "once and for all," which has a colloquial meaning of "one and only one time in the past, and never in the future." Does the original Greek word for "once" in this passage imply that it happened only one time in the past, and/or that it won't happen again in the future?

Thanks, guys!

DCHindley

hatsoff,

The phrase is hAPAX PARADOQEISHi (hapax paradotheisEi), which is literally "once having been given". "Hapax" can mean "once, one time; once for all time" and in some grammatical constructions can refer to multiple instances. "ParadotheisEi" is an aorist passive participle. Aorist verbs and participles usually indicate a single completed action in the past. The thing given in this way was "faith".

DCH

Roger Pearse

You're welcome.

The works of Didymus are in the Patrologia Graeca 39. His commentary on the seven letters is in columns 1749-1818, the bit on 2 Peter to 1771-4. A few excerpts of the Greek exist, either there or in Cramer's Catena vol. 8.

I don't know of a modern language translation, but then I'm no guide on such things after 1950.

The text consists of quotes from Didymus with commentary. Interesting reference to contemporary conditions (col. 1774D): Ac si vel maxime concedam, Ennarationem Didymi, praeterquam quod nunc aeterno fere barbarici situ ac squalore victa sepultaque jaceat, ita suo ingenio comparata esse, ....

The bit you want is in 1774A:

Non igitur ignorandum, praesentem Epistolam esse falsatam, quae licet publicetur, non tamen in canone est (89).

(89) Conferantur quae de hoc loco uberius exposui Quaest. ad. Vind. col. 1376.


Therefore (it is) requiring-to-be-not-ignorant, that the present Epistle is falsely attributed, which is allowed to be read-in-public, however it is not in the canon.(89)

(89) Compare what I have said on this place above Quaest. ad. Vind. col. 1376.

The judgement comes at the end of a paragraph discussing what 2 Peter says about the end of the world.

The footnote must be by the modern editor, but the numeral looks wrong to me. It should be 1735-6, where the commentator (C.F.Luck) is talking about the works of Didmyus.

I'm not quite certain how to render 'falsata'.

All the best,

Roger Pearse

hatsoff

Thanks, Roger! That was very helpful.

Roger Pearse

Glad to help. Isn't it a scandal that we are totally dependent on the PG for so much, 150 years after it appeared? Even the PG was the work of just one man, Abbe Migne, who diverted church funds for the purpose. Makes you wonder just what 150 years of scholarship was worth, really.

Ben C Smith

Didymus also comments:

Adversarii huius contemplationis praescribunt praesenti epistolae et Moyseos assumptioni propter eum locum ubi significatur verbum archangeli de corpore Moyseos ad diabolum factum.

Adversaries of this consideration object to the present epistle and to the Assumption of Moses on account of that passage where is given the speech made by the archangel to the devil concerning the body of Moses.

Ben.