Translation of the Word ἐπιστὰς

Greek Learning Greek
1

Commentary on the Gospel of Luke attributed to Eusebius, extract from section “The Lord said, ‘who then is the wise and faithful steward?”: “Ταῦτα δὲ διὰ παντὸς ἐνεργεῖν, ἵνα, εἴ ποτε ἀθρόως ἐπιστὰς ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν τὴν παράληψιν ἡμῶν ποιοῖτο, εὑρεῖν ταῦτα πράττοντας ἡμᾶς, ἐπαγγελίαν τε τῷ καὶ ταῦτα κατορθοῦντι τοῦ προτέρου πολλαπλασίονα δίδωσιν. Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῷ ἐγρηγορέναι, καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ διὰ παντὸς περιμένειν παρουσίαν, ἀνακλίνειν ἐπήγγελται καὶ διακονῆσαι αὐτὸς περιζωσάμενος·”

Alex Poulos’s translation: “We must always be doing this so that if our Lord should ever suddenly come to take us, he may find us carrying this out and then assign a reward far greater than that promised earlier to the one properly carrying out his instructions. For it is on the basis of watchfulness, and a continual readiness for his coming, that he has promised that he will dress himself as a servant, make them recline and serve them himself.”

Is the word ἐπιστὰς rendered as “come” in the translation, and is it used in parallel with the word παρουσία (“coming”) in the text?

2

This is a standard use of intransitive ἐφίστημι in later Greek, meaning “come, arrive, or appear.” See Lampe. I think that there are a number of New Testament usages that are similar (but not exactly the same?).

The παρουσία is the presence or coming, and is the word used in Matthew 24 (and elsewhere).

3

I can see now that the word ἐφίστημι in the expression “εἴ ποτε ἀθρόως ἐπιστὰς ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν τὴν παράληψιν ἡμῶν ποιοῖτο” is translated as “come” and refers in the context to the same coming as the word παρουσία.

4

What happened to the aspiration of the phi in both this Eusebius passage and in Luke 21:34?

Προσέχετε δὲ ἑαυτοῖς, μήποτε βαρηθῶσιν ὑμῶν αἱ καρδίαι ἐν κραιπάλῃ καὶ μέθῃ καὶ μερίμναις βιωτικαῖς, καὶ αἰφνίδιος ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς ἐπιστῇ ἡ ἡμέρα ἐκείνη·

5

Think about it. What’s the aorist of ἵστημι?

6

Duhh! Facepalm moment. ι-σ not φ-ι.