{Paul the aged} (Paulos presbut(8873)). Paul is called
eanias (a young man) at the stoning of Stephen ( Ac 7:58 ). He
was perhaps a bit under sixty now. Hippocrates calls a man
presbut(8873) from 49 to 56 and ger(936e) after that. The papyri use
presbut(8873) for old man as in Lu 1:18 of Zacharias and in Tit
2:2 . But in Eph 6:20 Paul says presbeu(9320)en halusei (I am an
ambassador in a chain). Hence Lightfoot holds that here
presbut(8873) = presbeut(8873) because of common confusion by the
scribes between u and eu. In the LXX four times the two words
are used interchangeably. There is some confusion also in the
papyri and the inscriptions. Undoubtedly ambassador
(presbeut(8873)) is possible here as in Eph 6:20 (presbeu(935c))
though there is no real reason why Paul should not term himself
properly "Paul the aged."
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