D. A. Bratkin On God-Fearing Nile Crocodiles (Plut., De Iside 358a) (pp. 114–122)

Author

D. A. Bratkin (Saint Petersburg State University)

Pages\n 114–122

Summary\n

Manuscript tradition in Plutarch’s De Iside 358a safely reads u(po_ tw~n krokodei/lwn h2 foboume/nwn h2 sebome/nwn dia_ th_n qeo&n, however, two notable editions are emending that. F.C. Babbitt (1936) introduced i0di&&a| instead of dia& whereas Bernardakis (1889) had followed the suggestion of M. G. Faehsius (1825) to change this into nh\ Di&&a. The article deals with two issues. First, what the reasoning of the emendators might have been. If emended, this passage would have provide an example of parallel Gentile usage of the expression used in the Acts of the Apostles to describe the ‘God-fearers’ of Acts. It is shown that both Faehsius and Bernardakis might have had in mind Sibylline Oracles 3.29 and Joseph and Aseneth 2.36 while Babbitt could add to this P. Tebt. 59. Therefore the conjecture would have been intrinsically reasoned unless there was decisive evidence against it. Second, it is demonstrated that there is no need to emend dia& away, for Plutarch’s passage in question is in fact an allusion to Plato (Laws 798ab). Still, so far as the expected parallel to Acts in this passage of Plutarch was shown irrelevant, one should note that the terminological usage of (Luke-)Acts is here mirrored by Egyptian evidence only6 which is to be acknowledged in the study of Acts.

Keywords\n

Plutarch, Plato, papyrology, the Acts of the Apostles, New Testament, early Christianity, Egypt, textual criticism.

References\n

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