Bible Lexicons

† ἐνώπιος , -ον

(< ὤψ ),

[in LXX for H6440, etc.;]

face to face, in sight (Theocr.; ἄρτοι ἐ ., Exodus 25:29): neut., ἐνώπιον , in vernacular, with force of prep. c. gen. [in LXX for H6440, H5869, etc., cf. Dalman, Words, 31 f., 209 f., and Deiss., BS., 213], in NT, most freq. in Lk, Ac, Re, never in Mt, Mk, before, in the presence of: Luke 1:19 Luke 4:7, Acts 4:10 Acts 6:5, Revelation 1:4; Revelation 2:14, al.; esp. ἐ . Κυρίου (θεοῦ ), in the sight of God, or with God as witness or as judge, Romans 14:22, 1 Corinthians 1:29, 1 Timothy 2:3, James 4:10, 1 Peter 3:4, al.

To Deissmann’s proof (BS p. 213) that this word belongs to the vernacular, and is not to be treated as a new formation of ";biblical"; Greek, much additional evidence can now be added from iii/B.C. onwards. The earliest ex. of the word known to us, P Hib I. 30.25 (before B.C. 271), is unfortunately followed by a lacuna—ἡ δίκη σου ἀναγραφήσετ [α ]ι ἐν [τῶι ἐν Ἡρ ]ακλέους πόλει δικαστηρίωι [ἐ ]νω ̣πιον [. . . ., ";the case will be drawn up against you in the court at Heracleopolis in the presence of . . ."; (Edd.). Wilcken’s translation of BGU II. 578.1 (A.D. 189) μετάδ (ος) ἐνώπι (ον), ";deliver personally"; (cited by Deissmann ut supra) finds an exact parallel in P Tebt I. 14.13 (B.C. 114) παρηγγελκότες ἐνώπι [ον, ";I gave notice in person"; (Edd.), P Flor I. 56.20 (A.D. 234) μετέδωκ (α) Αὐρηλ (ίῳ) . . ἐνώπιον ὡς καθήκει. For the prepositional use with the gen. see P Lond 35.6 (B.C. 161) (= I. p. 25) εἶπάς μοι ἐ [νόπ ]ι τοῦ Σάραπι, P Grenf I. 38.11 (ii/i B.C.) ὁ ἐνκεκλη [μ ]ένος προσπηδήσας μοι ἐ [ν ]ώπιό [ν ] τινων ἔτυπτεν κτλ., P Oxy IV. 658.8 (A.D. 250) ἐνώπιον ὑμῶν. . ἔσπεισα, and Syll 843.7 (time of Trajan) ἐνώπιον τῶν προγεγραμμένων θεῶν. In P Grenf II. 71ii. 26 (A.D. 244–8) we have ἐνόπιν αὐτοῖς, for which the editors read ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν. In Syll 588.245 (c. B.C. 180) the word is used as a substantive—ποι ]ῆσαι κεφαλὴν ἑκατέρωι ἐνωπίωι τῶν στοῶν.

A new adj. ἐνόπιος occurs in P Par 63.86 (B.C. 164) (= P Petr III. p. 20) τοσούτω [ν κ ]αὶ τηλικούτων διαστολῶν γεγονυιῶ [ν ὑμῖ ]ν καὶ ἐνοπίοις καὶ διὰ γραμμάτων, ";though so many and so extensive explanations have been given to you both face to face and in writing"; (Mahaffy), Preisigke 3925.6 (B.C. 149–8 or 137–6) παρηγγελκότε [ς ] Ταγῶτι μὲν ἐνωπίωι, Ἐσοροήρει δὲ ἀπ᾽ οἰκίας δι᾽ Ἐπωνύχου φυλακίτου : see Preisigke Fachwörter, p. 78.