ἔγεινε VS ἐγένετο

Greek Koine and Biblical and Medieval Greek
1

I happened to go into a used book store today in Tel Aviv, and I came across a Greek Bible (Η ΑΓΙΑ ΓΡΑΦΗ) that contains both the LXX and the NT in Koine.

When I got home, I opened it up and found some oddities. First, instead of ἦν in Genesis 1.2, it has ἦτο for “it was.” Second, instead of ἐγένετο in Genesis 1.3, it has ἔγεινε. I’ve never seen the aorist of γίγνομαι presented as ἔγεινα before, so I figured I would ask if anyone has seen this.

I did a Google search and found that this version of the text is online here, if you’re interested in looking over it. I also have an image that I shot of the text, if anyone wants it. I can upload it and connect it to this thread.

Do you know anything about the form ἔγεινα (that is, ἔγεινε in the third-person) or when ἦτο came into the Koine? What version of the LXX am I looking at here?

Thanks!

Jason

2

It seems it is the translation by Neofytos Vamvas. I’m not sure about how to call the language he uses, some kind of katharevousa I suppose ?

3

In the majority of it, it looks like Attic/Koine. Do you think he converted the NT also into his dialect?

4

Found my answer. He actually translated the NT!

John 3.16 - Διότι τόσον ἠγάπησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε ἔδωκε τὸν Υἱὸν αὑτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ, διὰ νὰ μή ἀπολεσθῇ πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτόν, ἀλλὰ νὰ ἔχῃ ζωήν αἰώνιον.

To compare:

οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε τὸν υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ ἀπόληται ἀλλ’ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον.

5

As Shenoute suggested, this is katharevousa, not koine.

6

Amazing. I had no idea.

From Wikipedia:

The Church of Greece, the Church of Cyprus, and the Greek Orthodox patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria and Jerusalem, still use > Katharevousa > in official communications.

7

Possible career opportunities for Hellenists :slight_smile:

I quickly checked Browning’s Medieval and Modern Greek, on morphological differences between Koine and Attic he writes

8

Thanks so much for the information. :slight_smile:

9

Modern Greek morphology is often simpler and more regular than Ancient. ἔγεινε appears to be analogous to μένει → ἔμεινε, as if we had a non-deponent form γένω.

Bambas’ text is largely intelligible to someone who knows Koine and provides a nice commentary to the GNT.