ποταμοφόρητος (Rev 12 : 15) – from Etymology to Theologoumenon

Abstract

The paper presents a study on translations of a Greek word ποταμοφόρητος occurring in Rev 12 : 15. The Greek hapax legomenon ποταμοφόρητος is used in Rev 12 : 15. The part of the sentence containing ποταμοφόρητος is translated as: to sweep her away with the current. G. Schneider suggests a correction of the meaning of the word, concentrating on the conjectural purpose of being taken by water (drowning). In order to analyse this issue we begin with the study of etymology of the ποταμοφόρητος. It comes from the noun ποταμός and the adjective φορητός, which is a derivative of φορέω. Composita (compounds) formed with φορητός did not refer to any idea of a mortal threat. Till the turn of 19^th century ποταμοφόρητος, apart from the Bible, was only certified in the Hesychius’ Lexicon (5^th or 6^th century). The Egyptian papyri, uncovered and analysed on the turn of the 19^th and the 20^th century, in which the ποταμοφόρητος is related to the overflows of the Nile, let us doubt Schneider’s proposal, however, still do not solve the problem. The next stage of the research consisted of the analysis of the classical and antique translations of Rev (VL, Vg, Syriac and Coptic translations), as well as Latin and Greek patristic commentaries, which support one of the aforementioned interpretations. The commentators understood the river carrying the Woman as the image of Church persecution and a desire to place the Church under the command of evil forces. One of the versions of the translation of Vetus Latina (type I) suggests that the archetype of the water torrent in Rev was the Nile. In the light of classical explanations as to the reasons of the river’s floodings, as well as the parallel in Ezek 29 : 3. 6 we can assume that it was the Nile that served as the archetype of the spewing torrent for the author of the Revelation.