Bible Lexicons

For the elative comparative in Acts 10:28 D βέλτιον ἐφίστασθε cf. Magn 105.98 (ii/A.D.) βέλτιον ὑπελάβομεν γράψαι ὑμῖν . See also P Tebt I. 27.80 (B.C. 113) αἰεὶ δέ τινος ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον προσεπινοουμένου , ";by the continual invention of further improvements"; (Edd.), and P Oxy VIII. 1148.2 (a question to the oracle—i/A.D.) εἶ [? εἰ introducing direct question, as in NT] βέλτειόν ἐστιν κτλ . A locution with β . may be noted from BGU IV. 1086ii. 2 (A.D. 160 or 183 or 215) τὴν ] δὲ πο [λ ]ειτίαν ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον καὶ εὐτ [υ ]χ ̣[έστερον . . . Note also P Leid Wxxiv. 19 (ii/iii A.D.) βέλτιον δὲ ποιεῖ ἐὰν κτλ .—this is ordinary comparative. For the superlative, which happens not to occur in NT, cf. P Magd 29.4 (B.C. 117) ἐγλεξάμενος τὸν βέλτιστον τόπον καὶ ἐξώτατον , P Fay 12.6 (c. B.C. 103) τῶν . . . οὐ ἀπὸ τοῦ β ̣ελ ̣τ ̣[ί ]στου ἀναστρεφομένων , ";of the less reputable class"; (Edd.), P Ryl II. 156.19 (i/A.D.) . . . ] ἀ ̣π ̣ὸ τοῦ βελτίστου γεγενημέν [ου , Syll 278.7 (ii/B.C.) οἱ οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ βελτίστου εἰωθότες ἀναστρέφεσθαι : the phrase looks like a cant term for the masses current among the classes. Deissmann BS, p. 93, says that (οὐκ ) ἀπὸ τοῦ β . in 2 Maccabees 14:30 [";came not of good,"; RV] can he paralleled with ";many examples"; in the Inscrr. and in Dionys. Hal. and Plutarch. It may be noted further that we have ἀγροικότερον ἐσχηκότα in the preceding clause, which suggests that here Judas Maccabaeus is observing Nicanor’s ";boorish"; rudeness towards him, οὐκ ἀ . τ . β . having the same nuance as in the papyri and inscr. just quoted. The survival of an old use of βέλτιστε in address may be observed in BGU IV. 1140.3 (B.C. 4), where ἡγεμὼ (ν ) βέλτιστε is corrected into μέγιστε , probably because the former was too familiar, as its use in Plato would suggest. The rare form βέλτατα is found P Petr II. 9(3).7 (B.C. 241–39) τὰ [β ]έλτατα πληρώματα . The verb βελτιόω occurs in the vi/A.D. P Lond 1044.22 (= III. p. 255) φιλοκαλει ̣̑ν και ̣̣ βελτιοῦν : cf. Syll 418.5 (A.D. 238) ἐν τοῖς εὐτυχεστάτοις σοῦ καιροῖς κατοικεῖσθαι καὶ βελτιοῦσθαι τὰς κώμας .