What Simon Saw

Speranza

Elsewhere, a point was being made about the Greek for Acts 8:18

ἰδὼν δὲ ὁ Σίμων ὅτι διὰ τῆς ἐπιθέσεως τῶν χειρῶν τῶν ἀποστόλων δίδοται τὸ πνεῦμα,
προσήνεγκεν αὐτοῖς χρήματα.

variously translated as per below.

It relates to what Grice has to say about 'see'. To take the first rendering:


"When Simon saw that the Spirit was given when the apostles laid their
hands on people, he offered them money to buy this power."

It may do to symbolise this.

Note that it's a "that"-clause that follows 'see': it is not, obviously, the SPIRIT that Simon saw. He saw, rather, THAT the spirit was given. There are interesting points to raise above this. How does the narrator can claim to know what Simon saw? And so on.

It all relates to a few of Grice's KEYWORDS: implicature, but also: DISIMPLICATURE, and ENTAILMENT. Enjoy!

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Speranza



"Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the
apostles’ hands, he offered them money."

"Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of
the apostles' hands, he offered them money."

"And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy
Ghost was given, he offered them money."

"Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the
apostles' hands, he offered them money."

"And when Simon saw that by laying on of the hands of the Apostles The
Spirit of Holiness was given, he brought silver to them."

"Simon saw that the Spirit was given to the Samaritans when the apostles
placed their hands on them. So he offered Peter and John money."

"And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy
Spirit was given, he offered them money."

"And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy
Ghost was given, he offered them money."

"Now when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles hands the
Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money."

"And when Simon saw, that by the imposition of the hands of the apostles,
the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money."

"But Simon, having seen that by the laying on of the hands of the apostles
the Holy Spirit was given, offered them money."

"Now when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the
Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money."

"And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy
Spirit was given, he offered them money."

"When, however, Simon saw that it was through the laying on of the
Apostles' hands that the Spirit was bestowed, he offered them money."

"Now when Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of
the apostles' hands, he offered them money."