Article

2004-02-16

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Posted by Fred Pruitt 2004-02-16 10:33|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Think they do this on purpose because they know it drives us nuts? But being a "breeder", what do I know...

Posted by tu3031 2004-2-16 10:38:07 AM|| 2004-2-16 10:38:07 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Donna Brazile?

Posted by Frank G 2004-2-16 10:41:17 AM|| 2004-2-16 10:41:17 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Watch out for those trisexuals. They'll "tri" anything!

Posted by Dar 2004-2-16 10:59:06 AM|| 2004-2-16 10:59:06 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Gah! Gay community Newspeak!

Posted by Steve from Relto 2004-2-16 11:15:55 AM|| 2004-2-16 11:15:55 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 "People are now supposed to use the gender-neutral term "magi" instead. The possibility that one or more of the magi were female cannot be excluded completely," said the committee that issued the new guidelines. "

Um, No. "Magi" may be a gender-neutral term in English, but it's definitely a masculine word in the original Greek of the New Testament -- there's no gender ambiguity at all in the original text.

Posted by Aris Katsaris 2004-2-16 11:17:50 AM|| 2004-2-16 11:17:50 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 Aris--

I rather doubt that any of the magi were female, but the word in koine was "magoi" right (don't have time to check it from here at work)? Is not the masculine plural used for a mixed group? Be interested to know.

Posted by BMN 2004-2-16 11:59:01 AM|| 2004-2-16 11:59:01 AM|| Front Page Top

#7 Hmm... it *could* be so used, but that seemed to me to be seriously stretching it.

But I admit that in my mind was the traditional idea of three magi, in which case if we had two female ones and one male, or two males and one female, anyone would clarify rather than use a masculine plural as default.

But true, if we are also contemplating the possibility of a larger group, like 10 or 20, people could use the masculine plural even if there existed women among them. So I concede the point.

Mind you personally I don't believe any such magi ever existed, so for me it all goes to what the original authors of the text intended, rather than what "actually" happened.

Posted by Aris Katsaris 2004-2-16 12:41:10 PM|| 2004-2-16 12:41:10 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 Aris--

Thanks, wasn't trying to be pedantic, just wanted to know. I'm an atheist myself but I sure think the gospels are an interesting artifact--prose fiction describing rather unlikely characters ("losers" even) like publicans, tax collectors, non-heroic centurions, even Jesus himself, is thin on the ground among Greek speakers. I really don't know to what else we ought to compare them.

Posted by BMN 2004-2-16 1:07:24 PM|| 2004-2-16 1:07:24 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 Power to the transmetrosexuals!

Posted by Hyper 2004-2-16 2:24:55 PM|| 2004-2-16 2:24:55 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 I thought the magi were Zoroastrian wise men, kind of a cross between a philosopher and a mullah. Sir Percy Sykes, who's, of course, probably too dead, white, and European to be trusted, describes them as the "Levites of the Zoroastrians," who slew the sacrificial victims and were deeply versed in astrology. I can't recall ever reading anywhere that the Zoroastrians had priestesses. So I think your original opinion was correct, Aris.

Posted by Fred 2004-2-16 2:45:13 PM|| 2004-2-16 2:45:13 PM|| Front Page Top

#11 Steve: You hit the nail on the head with that comment about Newspeak.

Posted by Korora 2004-2-16 3:07:05 PM|| [http://basementburrow.blogspot.com] 2004-2-16 3:07:05 PM|| Front Page Top

#12 Honestly, it would be interesting to have Oscar Wilde's take on the omnisexual idea. Kind of gives a whole new meaning to the phase:

Marge, pass the chicken and mashed potatos when your done with them.

Posted by Super Hose 2004-2-16 4:26:17 PM|| 2004-2-16 4:26:17 PM|| Front Page Top

#13 Is it gay newspeak or is it a sign of the gay movement fracturing? Think of the Judean People's Front and the People's Front of Judea...

Posted by Robert Crawford 2004-2-16 6:29:14 PM|| [http://www.kloognome.com/] 2004-2-16 6:29:14 PM|| Front Page Top

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