Preface
How to Read This Monograph
At the core of this monograph are two chapters that constitute over seventy percent of the text: one on personal and place names in Luke-Acts with meanings that appear to be significant within the narrative contexts in which they appear (Chapter Two); the other on personal and place names in Luke-Acts that lend themselves to wordplays on their etymologies (Chapter Three). Names that are used in actual etymological wordplays, although “significant” in a looser sense of the term, are excluded in Chapter Two, or considered in a perfunctory fashion, as they are treated systematically in Chapter Three. The examples in each of the two chapter are arranged in the order in which they occur in the narrative of Luke-Acts. Unfortunately, an arrangement that follows the order of the narrative results in several of the most convincing and interesting examples appearing late in the monograph, so I beg readers’ patience in this matter. In fact, since the examples marshalled in both chapters do not build on one another in succession, readers are invited to read the introductions to the chapters and then to consider the examples in any order that they wish.
Translation of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew
It has been useful to include many quotations from ancient Greek sources, as well as several from Latin and Hebrew sources. In most cases I have provided a very literal English translation. These translations are my own, and they are offered here for the sake of clarity, not for literary or poetic purposes—as will become obvious to any reader.
Transliteration of Greek and Hebrew
Given that the primary audience of this monograph is New Testament students and scholars, I have retained the original Greek characters in quotations of Greek texts. There are various options for transliterating Hebrew characters into Latin letters. I use the essentially phonetic “general-purpose style” as described in the Society of Biblical Literature Handbook of Style.
Spelling of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew Names
Various spelling conventions exist for Greek, Latin, and Hebrew names. Greek names (Akhilleus) are sometimes Latinized (Achilleus) or even Anglicized (Achilles); similar variations occur among Latin and Hebrew names. In general I spell the names of little-known persons in a manner that captures the pronunciation of their names in their native language. However, I have followed the conventional spellings of names of well-known persons that have been widely Anglicized: Thucydides rather than Thoukydides, Vergil rather than Vergilius, Moses rather than Mosheh.
Abbreviations
In the footnotes titles of periodicals in the field of Classics have been abbreviated in accordance with the guidelines of L’Année philologique, titles in the field of Biblical Studies in accordance with the guidelines of the Society of Biblical Literature Handbook of Style. In the bibliography titles of periodicals have been written out in full. Ancient works have been abbreviated in accordance with the guidelines of the Society of Biblical Literature Handbook of Style. Greek and Latin works not included in this handbook have been abbreviated in accordance with H.G. Liddell and R. Scott’s Greek-English Lexicon and P.G.W. Glare’s Oxford Latin Dictionary. Editions of papyri have been abbreviated in accordance with the guidelines of J.F. Oates, et al., Checklist of Editions of Greek, Latin, Demotic and Coptic Papyri, Ostraca and Tablets 5th Edition (Oakville: American Society of Papyrologists, 2001). Editions of inscriptions have been abbreviated in accordance with the guidelines of G.H.R. Horsley and J.A.L. Lee “A Preliminary Checklist of Abbreviations of Greek Epigraphic Volumes,” Epigraphica 56 (1994) 129–169. Patrologia Graeca and Patrologia Latina refer to the editions of J.-P. Migne.
“Hebrew Bible” and/or “Old Testament”
For the English-speaking world there is no perfect term to describe the collection of sacred writings that begins with the book of Genesis. “Tanakh” and “Mikra” are terms not generally familiar outside Judaism. “Bible” is delimiting from a Christian perspective, as it excludes the part of the Bible that Christians call the “New Testament.” “Hebrew Bible” or “Hebrew Scriptures” is not quite accurate, as significant portions are in Aramaic, at least in the Masoretic Text; the terms also exclude the Greek Deuterocanonical Writings that are considered by Orthodox and Catholic Christians to be part of the canon. “Jewish Testament” or “Jewish Scriptures” implies that the collection is of relevance only to Jews. “Old Testament” defines the collection from the perspective of a “New Testament.” “First Testament” defines the collection from the perspective of a “Second Testament.” In the face of such aporia my practice in this monograph is to use the term “Hebrew Bible” when I am speaking specifically about Hebrew words, names, and passages; “Septuagint” when I am speaking specifically about Greek words, names, and passages; “Old Testament” otherwise, since this project is concerned primarily with two works, the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, that are part of what is commonly called the “New Testament.”