The Usage of epi to onomati in Acts 4:17-18

As many (but not all) of you are no doubt aware, I have recently begun working with a team that is in the final stages of revising a new translation of the scriptures into Russian. My role is basically to consult with the team in the original languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek), as they carry out their final exegetical check. In case anyone wants to get a feel for the kind of questions we deal with from day to day, and the kinds of processes we use to answer them, I have traced out on paper, first, a typical exegetical question (this one from Acts 4:17-18); and second, a brief sketch of the means by which we arrived at an opinion. The question is as follows: when the Sanhedrin gave Peter and John the command not to speak or preach “epi to onomati” [upon the name] of Jesus, were they intending to forbid them to speak about the name of Jesus, as might be naturally expected, and as several translations suggest – or does the usage of the preposition epi demand a different understanding of the precise intention of the command?

Contextual Survey

Our initial reaction was that, if the preposition epi is being used with the force “about,” then it is an unusual case; and one must wonder why the more natural preposition to indicate the meaning “about,” (peri, followed by the genitive form onomatos), was not used instead. So, our first step, in attempting to determine if this unusual use is a legitimate possibility, was to examine the immediate context for contextual clues.

However, in our survey of the context, we determined the following: first, the apostles were being called before the Sanhedrin as a result of a miracle that they had done through Jesus’ name (en to onomati, see Acts 3:1-10), as well as Peter’s speech which followed. Second, in the initial questioning, the Sanhedrin asks them specifically, “with what power, or by [means of] what name” (en poio onomati) they had done this miracle. Third, in his response, Peter indicates that it is “by means of/by the power of” the name of Jesus (en to onamoti) that this man was healed, and that salvation was possible (along with the strong implication that it was by means of this name that the resurrection would occur, a teaching of particular annoyance to the High Priest and the Sadducees – see verses one and two). Fourth, in their deliberation as to what course of action to take, their chief concern seems to be that a notable and undeniable miracle had occurred, and that if more such miracles occurred, the effects would spread all the more among the people. So, summing all of this up, we determined that, given the context, the concern of the Sanhedrin was specifically that, through the power of Jesus’ name, miracles which clearly affirmed the apostles’ doctrine had been done; and that, if more such miracles should occur, the negative effects (from their perspective) would only be multiplied. So then, the sense more natural to epi, speaking “on the authority of/with the power of” the name of Jesus seems to be more in keeping with the context surrounding the Sanhedrin’s command.

Further Research

But as yet, we had not gathered sufficient evidence to warrant a firm conclusion, so, having noted, first, the usage of epi to onomati in our target verses; second the frequent usage of the similar prepositional phrase en to onomati in the surrounding context; and third, that both of these prepositions were governing the dative case, which in itself had a semantic range broad enough to include the idea of means or authority; we decided to do a search on the usage of the term to onoma (“name”) as a naked dative, as a dative governed by the preposition epi, and as a dative governed by the preposition en. Following are some results.

A quick search reveals that the dative singular onamati appears some 95 times in the Greek New Testament; of those occurrences, 33 are simply to provide someone’s name; therefore, we are left with 62 meaningful cases. Of these, we have

8 – naked dative
13 – with epi
41 – with en

Within these three categories, there appears to be considerable overlap in meaning. All three possibilities may be clearly used to indicate means: “by means of,” or “because of the authority vested in” to onamati, one is able to do acts which require a greater power than one’s own. We might tentatively take this idea of means, then, as the most fundamental intention of the dative usage of to onoma (for examples of each, see Matthew 7:22 [naked dative]; Mark 9:38 [with en]; Mark 9:39 [with epi]).

The Naked Dative

The usage with the simple dative is the least common, and, apart from a couple of times in which it carries the force of means, it is generally used only when the verb governing it demands a dative case, or else with a more typical dative force (e.g. “God undertook to take from the Gentiles a people for [the sake of/praise of] his name” – Acts 15:14).

The Dative Governed by “epi”

The usage with epi is somewhat more common, and seems to be especially favored by Luke. It certainly carries a broader range of meanings than the naked dative, but virtually all of them seem to overlap with similar usages with the preposition en. Some of these clear meanings are as follows:

Means (do a miracle by the power of/within my name…): e.g. Mark 9:39
Representation: (whoever should receive a child as my representative…) e.g. Matthew 18:5
Identification: (many will come claiming to be me…) e.g. Matthew 24:5
Authorization: (repentance will be preached as authorized by/on the authority of) e.g. Luke 24:47
As a baptismal formula (whatever precise semantical force one may give it in this context) e.g. Acts 2:38

The Dative Governed by “en”

The usage with en includes all of these possibilities (for examples of each of the five, see Luke 10:17; Mark 9:41; Matthew 21:9; John 14:13; Acts 10:48). However, there seem to be a variety of meanings with en which are unique to it, particularly in the epistles. For instance, believers may be gathered together “in acknowledgment of the Lord’s presence,” or “for the purpose of praising the name [character] of the Lord” (lit., in the name of the Lord, 1 Corinthians 5:4). The church is washed, sanctified, and justified “by virtue of her union with Jesus, whose character is displayed in his name” (in the name of Jesus). In Ephesians 5:20, believers are exhorted to give thanks to the Father “in acknowledgment of/because of their unity with Jesus, whose character is displayed in his name,” or perhaps, “on the basis of/as authorized by Jesus” [for without the authorization that comes from Jesus, one may not approach the Father even with thanksgiving] – (lit., in the name of Jesus). In Philippians 2:10 every knee will bow “to Jesus” (lit., in the name of Jesus). In 1 Peter 4:14,16, believers may be reproached because of their connection to Jesus’ name, and they may likewise bring glory to God because of their identification with that name (lit., in the name).

A Final Search

One meaning which none of the three possibilities ever seems to have is “about the name”. For that meaning, the more natural choice would be peri tou onamatos; and another quick search reveals that Luke does indeed use the phrase with that meaning in Acts 8:12. If that were really his intention in Acts 4:17-18, then, one must wonder why he did not use that phrase there, as well.

So finally, after examining the immediate context and researching the usage of the phrases under question, we determined that it would be lexically inexcusable to translate the phrases epi to onomati, in Acts 4:17 and 18, as “no longer to talk about this name”/“neither to speak nor to teach about the name of Jesus,” respectively. A much more substantiable translation would be “no longer to speak as representatives of this name,” or, “no longer to speak as authorized by this name” or else, “no longer to speak in the power of this name”.

So anyway, that is the nature of my current work. As anyone who knows me has probably guessed already, I enjoy every minute that I spend in such pursuits (although my time spent studying the Russian language is not always as satisfying – but one cannot always have everything according to his greatest preferences).

5 Responses to “The Usage of epi to onomati in Acts 4:17-18”

  1. Bob Hayton says:
    March 10, 2007 at 12:30 am

    Just starting into this post, but I see you meant Acts 4 not Luke 4. Thought I’d mention it so you can edit it.

  2. Bob Hayton says:
    March 10, 2007 at 12:41 am

    Nathan,

    Great study! Sounds fascinating. You did all that with Bible Works 7?? A tool translators of yesteryear didn’t have.

    Anyways, God bless you and your work.

    Bob

  3. pitchford says:
    March 10, 2007 at 1:05 am

    Bob,

    Thanks for the correction — I’m not sure what I was smoking, but yes, I meant Acts. At least I got the author right :).

  4. pitchford says:
    March 10, 2007 at 1:08 am

    By the way, yes it was with Bible Works that I did the searches, and it is an impressive timesaver. Short of reading through the entire NT, I wouldn’t have been able to be so thorough without it. I would definitely recommend it for its powerful search engine, in the original languages.

  5. Bob Hayton says:
    March 13, 2007 at 7:03 pm

    Nathan,

    You might have meant Luke 28… but I figured you didn’t!

    My point in #2 relates in part to the KJVO debate. They may have been brilliant translators, but they didn’t have the computing tools we have to aid them in their work.

    Blessings in Christ,

    Bob

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