KΛINH / KΛINIΔION: A Note on Two Minor Agreements (Mt 9.2, 6 / Lk 5.18, 24)

Abstract

On Markan priority, Mt 9.2 and Lk 5.18 contain a famous minor agreement against Mark, with the paralytic being brought to Jesus ἐπὶ κλίνης (as opposed to Mark’s κράβαττος). As the story unfolds, Matthew sustains the use of κλίνη in Mt 9.6, while Luke switches to κλινίδιον in Lk 5.19, 24. This leads to another minor agreement, whereby κλίνη (Matthew) and κλινίδιον (Luke) sustain the joint rejection of Mark’s κράβαττος. Michael Goulder (1978, 1989, 1993) and Mark Goodacre (2002) have proposed that Luke envisioned κλίνη as a raised bed. They follow the scholars who take the diminutive suffix of κλινίδιον to refer to a small bed (stretcher, etc.). On their hypothesis, Luke mechanically copied κλίνη from Matthew in 5.18, subsequently correcting himself to κλινίδιον in 5.19, 24. Our article corrects the frequent misconception of κλινίδιον as a functional diminutive. It is shown that κλίνη and κλινίδιον were interchangeable in a number of contexts, with referents ranging from a household bed/couch to a litter. Examples of the expression ἐπὶ κλίνης in contexts similar to the story of the paralytic are provided. It is suggested that Luke committed no error in using both terms to describe the paralytic’s vehicle.