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To: Grn_Lantern
I checked: Galatians is also the letter where St. Paul refers to his own writing in large letters. Douay-Rheims translates 6:11 as
See what a letter I have written to you with my own hand
The New International Version has it
See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!
The Greek original is
idete pelikois ymin grammasin egrapsa te eme cheiri
Literally,
see with what distinct (or particular) letters (I) wrote with my hand
Jerome translates
videte qualibus litteris scripsi vobis mea manu
"Grammasin" is plural. "Litteris" is plural dative of "littera" and so Paul must be referring to the particularity of the letters of the alphabet and not, as Douay has it, of the entire epistle.

On this thread earlier I checked with Douay only, but had a memory of "big letters", hence the mistaken mentioning of another Paul's letter.

1 Corinthians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians indicate that Paul wrote the farewell greeting in his own hand.

In Philemon 1:19 Paul indicates that the entire letter is written personally by him:

I Paul have written it with my own hand: I will repay it: not to say to thee that thou owest me thy own self also.

The point stands: Paul had difficulty writing, and when he did, made large letters he himself could see. He had his letters typically dictated, but one was written by him entirely and others had the prting words written by him. The high literary quality of his epistles, as well as his elevated position prior to the conversion, indicate a level of education incompatible with illiteracy, as is the fact that he could write at least a part of his letter.

154 posted on 02/17/2005 7:50:53 PM PST by annalex
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To: annalex
The high literary quality of his epistles, as well as his elevated position prior to the conversion, indicate a level of education incompatible with illiteracy, as is the fact that he could write at least a part of his letter.

People and their pet theories. This one is about as viable as the guy I met who insisted Jesus was clean shaven.

I guess ego drives these people to make an "original" contribution to every discussion. They won't be dissuaded from their folly by facts or logic.

169 posted on 02/18/2005 5:24:56 AM PST by hopespringseternal
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