Non-scholar, you're so predictable you're funny. I could have written your response for you. You're also so stupid that you don't see that when you took me to task for my brief summary by saying this:
: Alan F has also engaged in sloppy exegesis when discussing the disciple's question as recorded in the Synoptic Gospels. He does not present for careful analysis the Interlinear and the NWT translation of these three texts but simply argues his position on the basis of another translation inferior to the NWT.
You failed to realize that by failing to back up your claim with "careful analysis the Interlinear and the NWT translation of these three texts" you engaged in the same "sloppy exegesis" you accuse me of. Of course, I realize that your purpose here was not to present any facts, exegesis or anything of substance, but as usual to simply make false accusations. And readers can see that my purpose was not to give an exhaustive exegesis on the topic but only a brief summary of some relevant points.
It's easy enough to prove how parousia was used by 1st-century Greek speakers by examining the works of Josephus. Below I've extracted the instances in his works where parousia is used exclusively in the sense of "arrival". Of course, you'll never find such references in Watchtower literature. The material is taken from my much larger essay on how the article ?Jesus? Coming or Jesus? Presence?Which?? in the August 15, 1996 Watchtower magazine lies to the Jehovah's Witness community about this question.
In the following section I present the context of instances in which Josephus uses parousia in the sense of "arrival", based on the listing in Rengstorf?s Concordance to Josephus. The first part of each instance is an English translation from the Loeb Classical Library. The second part is from William Whiston's translation of the works of Josephus. The references below are taken from Josephus' works The Antiquities of the Jews and The Life of Flavius Josephus.
Each instance is marked with the name of the work in which Josephus used parousia, the number of the book (e.g., Antiquities contains ?books? numbered from 1 through 20), and the section number used in the Loeb Library. Modern printings of Whiston's translation, which are widely available, include these section numbers, so it is easy for readers not having access to the Loeb collection to follow along.
. . .
This section contains quotations where parousia takes on the meaning of ?arrival? only. In these, note that the words translated from parousia cannot sensibly be rendered in English by words having only the meaning of ?presence? or ?arrival with a subsequent presence.? In some cases there is a parallel phrase showing clearly that the focus of parousia is on ?arrival,? ?coming? or ?advent.?
Antiquities 6, 102
Saul waited awhile as the prophet had enjoined upon him; then, however, he would observe his command no longer, but when he saw that the prophet tarried and that his own soldiers were deserting him he took the victims and performed the sacrifice himself. Then, hearing that Samuel was approaching, he went out to meet him. But the prophet told him that he had not done rightly in disobeying his injunctions and anticipating his advent [parousian]: he was paying that visit in accordance with the will of the Deity?
He waited, as the prophet sent to him to do; yet did not he, however, observe the command that was given him, but when he saw that the prophet tarried longer than he expected, and that he was deserted by the soldiers, he took the sacrifices and offered them; and when he heard that Samuel was come, he went out to meet him. But the prophet said he had not done well in disobeying the injunctions he had sent to him, and had not staid till his coming [parousian], which being appointed according to the will of God?
Note the phrase where Saul ?went out to meet? Samuel. It means that Samuel was not yet present, but was on his way?he was coming and about to arrive.
Antiquities 8, 325
She reproached the prophet for having come [parousias] to her to convict her of sin.
[She] complained to him that he had come [parousias] to her to reproach her for her sins.
Antiquities 11, 328: The setting is that Alexander the Great is approaching Jerusalem:
When the high priest Jaddus heard this, he was in an agony of fear? He therefore ordered the people to make supplication, and offering sacrifice to God together with them, besought Him to shield the nation and deliver them? But, when he had gone to sleep after the sacrifice, God spoke oracularly to him in his sleep, telling him to take courage and adorn the city with wreaths and open the gates? and that they should not look to suffer any harm, for God was watching over them. Thereupon he rose from his sleep, greatly rejoicing to himself, and announced to all the revelation that had been made to him, and, after doing all the things that he had been told to do, awaited the coming [parousian] of the king.
Jaddua the high priest, when he heard that, was in an agony, and under terror? He therefore ordained that the people should make supplications, and should join with him in offering sacrifices to God, whom he besought to protect that nation, and to deliver them? whereupon God warned him in a dream, which came upon him after he had offered sacrifice, that he should take courage, and adorn the city, and open the gates? without the dread of any ill consequences, which the providence of God would prevent. Upon which, when he rose from his sleep, he greatly rejoiced; and declared to all the warning he had received from God according to which dream he acted entirely, and so waited for the coming [parousian] of the king.
Since the king was not yet present, parousia must mean ?coming.?
Antiquities 12, 86
Eleazar, the high priest, after dedicating [the gifts] to God and honouring the bearers, gave them gifts to take to the king, and sent them back to the king. And when they came [paragenomenon; paraginomai] to Alexandria, and Ptolemy heard of their arrival [parousian] and of the coming [eleluthotas; erkhomai] of the seventy elders?
When Eleazar the high priest had devoted [the gifts] to God, and had paid due respect to those that brought them, and had given them presents to be carried to the king, he dismissed them. And when they were come to Alexandria, and Ptolemy heard that they were come [parousian], and that the seventy elders were come also?
The word paraginomai means ?to be by the side of, to come, approach, arrive? (Matt. 2:1: ?astrologers from eastern parts came to Jerusalem), or ?appear, make a public appearance? (Matt. 3:1: ?John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness?). Josephus also wrote (Life; 272-3): "News of these proceedings reached me in a letter from Silas, urging me to lose no time in coming ? Responding instantly to his advice I went [paragenomenos: paraginomai] ? Jonathan and his party having, during their stay at Tiberias, induced a number of aggrieved persons to desert me, on hearing of my arrival [parousian] were alarmed about their own safety. Josephus went or came (paraginomai) to Tiberias; he arrived and became present (parousia), and the deserters became aware of his being there.
The word erkhomai means ?to come or go, arrive? (Matt. 24:30: ?they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds?; Matt. 25:10: ?the bridegroom arrived?). Here we find three parallel uses of words that illustrate their use as synonyms: the gift bearers came (paraginomai) to Alexandria; Ptolemy heard of their arrival (parousia); the seventy elders came (erkhomai) at the same time. Note that while parousia and paraginomai by themselves could conceivably mean ?presence? here, the parallel use of erkhomai with respect to the seventy elders forces the meaning of ?arrival.?
Antiquities 12, 93
[The king] promised, moreover, that he would make a special occasion of the day on which they had come [epiphane; epiphaino] to him and would celebrate it every year so long as he lived, for, he said, the day of their coming [parousias] happened to be same as that of the victory which he had gained over Antigonus in a naval battle.
[The king} promised, however, that he would make this day on which they came to him remarkable and eminent every year through the whole course of his life; for their coming [parousias] to him, and the victory which he gained over Antigonus by sea, proved to be on the very same day.
Again note the virtually synonymous use of epiphaino (epiphaneia) and parousia. Again we note the parallel use of a word which cannot mean ?presence? along with parousia, forcing the latter to mean ?coming.? The parousia of the visitors was their epiphaneia.
Antiquities 12, 352
This reverse befell them because they disobeyed the instructions of Judas not to engage anyone in battle before his arrival [parousias].
This misfortune befell them by their disobedience to what injunctions Judas had given them, not to fight with anyone before his return [parousias].
Using something like ?before his presence? would be awkward and inconsistent with the overall context.
Antiquities 13, 266
The praetor Fannius should give them money from the public treasury for their return [epanelthoien; epanerkhomai] home. Accordingly Fannius dismissed the Jewish envoys in this manner, giving them money from the public treasury and a decree of the Senate to those who were to conduct them on their way and furnish them a safe return [parousian] home.
Their praetor Fanius should give them money out of the public treasury to bear their expenses home. And thus did Fanius dismiss the Jewish ambassadors, and gave them money out of the public treasury; and gave the decree of the senate to those that were to conduct them, and to take care that they should return [parousian] home in safety.
The word epanerkhomai means ?to come back, return? (Luke 10:35: ?I will repay you when I come back here?; Luke 19:15 ?when he got back after having secured the kingly power?). Here again we find the parallel use of an unambiguous word determining the precise meaning of parousia?which is here ?return.?
Antiquities 20, 30-32
[Helena entreated the nobles] to defer their decision about putting the brothers to death until after Izates had arrived [paragenomenos; paraginomai] and given his approval. Failing to persuade her to put the brothers to death as they advised, they, for their own safety, admonished her at least to keep them in custody until his arrival [paraousias]? Helena ? set up Monobazus, her eldest son, as king ? she exhorted him to administer the kingdom until his brother's arrival [parousias]. The latter, on hearing of his father's death, quickly arrived [heke; heko] and succeeded his brother.
Helena replied to this ? [that the nobles] would however defer the execution of this slaughter of Izates's brethren till he should be there himself, and give his approbation to it. So since these men had not prevailed with her when they advised her to slay them, they exhorted her at least to keep them in bonds till he should come [parousias], and that for their own security? Helena ? set up Monobazus, the eldest son, to be king ? and exhorted him to administer the affairs of the kingdom till his brother should come [parousias]; who came suddenly upon hearing that his father was dead, and succeeded his brother.
We have already seen that paraginomai can mean ?be by the side of, come, approach, arrive.? The context alone shows that it and the two instances of parousia mean ?arrival.? The meaning is paralleled by another word, heko, which means ?to be come, have arrived.? Vine?s Expository Dictionary comments on the difference between erkhomai and heko: ?erchomai ? signifies the act, in contrast with heko ? which stresses the arrival, as, e.g., ?I am come [exerkhomai; ?to come out?] and am here [heko],? John 8:42 and Heb. 10:9.? (?I am come (heko) to do your will?). Again we find an unambiguous word, heko, determining the sense of two others, so that parousia here means ?arrival.?
Life, 90
I mustered two hundred men and marched all night long, sending a courier in advance to inform the people of Tiberias that I was coming [parousian].
I took two hundred men along with me, and traveled all night, having sent before a messenger to let the people of Tiberias know that I was coming [parousian] to them.
Since he had not yet arrived, he could not yet be present. This is an extremely clear example.
This shows that the claims that Rolf Furuli made in the quotation in the above post by Leolaia are lies, just as are the claims of the Watchtower Society that he prostitutes himself to.
AlanF
