Apollonius’ Canon in Mark

Rodney J. Decker, Th.D., 1995, rev. 1999

The following 175 occurrences1 of the construction involved in Apollonius’ Canon as found in Mark provide
an inductive data set against which to evaluate the validity of that canon. The construction involves two nouns
in regimen (i.e., a noun qualified by a genitive noun) and specifically the presence or absence of the article
with each term. Based on the data below, what is that relationship?2

Bibliography
Hedges, David. “Apollonius’ Canon and Anarthrous Constructions in Pauline Literature: An Hypothesis.”
M.Div. thesis, Grace Theological Seminary, 1983.3
Hull, Sanford D. “Exceptions to Apollonius’ Canon in the New Testament: A Grammatical Study.” Trinity
Journal 7 NS (1986): 3–16.
Porter, Stanley. Idioms of the Greek New Testament. Biblical Languages: Greek, 2. Sheffield: JSOT Press,
1992. (See pp. 111–12.)
Young, Richard. Intermediate New Testament Greek. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1994. (See p. 67.)
Wallace, Daniel B. Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament. Grand
Rapids: Zondervan, 1996. (See pp. 250–52.)
Also see: MHT 3:179–80 and Moule, Idiom Book, 115.

(References are to the verse in which the sentence begins [usually]; the actual occurrence may be in the next verse/s. If you don’t
find the phrase in the verse listed, keep reading and you should find it in the next verse or two.)

1:1 2:18
∆Arch; tou' eujaggelivou oiJ maqhtai; ∆Iwavnnou
uiJou' qeou' oiJ maqhtai; ∆Iwavnnou
1:3 oiJ maqhtai; tw'n Farisaivwn
th;n oJdo;n kurivou oiJ uiJoi; tou' numfw'no"
bavptisma metanoiva" 2:21
a[fesin aJmartiw'n ejpivblhma rJavkou"
1:6 2:26
trivca" kamhvlou to;n oi\kon tou' qeou'
to;n iJmavnta tw'n uJpodhmavtwn tou;" a[rtou" th'" proqevsew"
1:9 2:28
ajpo; Nazare;t th'" Galilaiva" oJ uiJo;" tou' ajnqrwvpou
1:14 3:5
to; eujaggevlion tou' qeou' th/' pwrwvsei th'" kardiva"
hJ basileiva tou' qeou' 3:11
th;n qavlassan th'" Galilaiva" oJ uiJo;" tou' qeou'
to;n ajdelfo;n Sivmwno" 3:17
aJliei'" ajnqrwvpwn. to;n ajdelfo;n tou' ∆Iakwvbou
1:28 uiJoi; bronth'"
th;n perivcwron th'" Galilaiva" 3:22
th;n oijkivan Sivmwno" tw/' a[rconti tw'n daimonivwn
hJ de; penqera; Sivmwno" 3:28
2:10 toi'" uiJoi'" tw'n ajnqrwvpwn
oJ uiJo;" tou' ajnqrwvpou 3:35
2:16 to; qevlhma tou' qeou'
oiJ grammatei'" tw'n Farisaivwn 4:5
bavqo" gh'":
4:11
th'" basileiva" tou' qeou'
4:19 7:27 2
aiJ mevrimnai tou' aijw'no" to;n a[rton tw'n tevknwn
hJ ajpavth tou' plouvtou tw'n yicivwn tw'n paidivwn.
4:26 7:31
hJ basileiva tou' qeou' tw'n oJrivwn Tuvrou
4:30 th;n qavlassan th'" Galilaiva"
th;n basileivan tou' qeou' ajna; mevson tw'n oJrivwn Dekapovlew"
kovkkw/ sinavpew" 7:35
ta; peteina; tou' oujranou' oJ desmo;" th'" glwvssh"
5:7 8:8
uiJe; tou' qeou' perisseuvmata klasmavtwn
5:11 8:10
ajgevlh coivrwn ta; mevrh Dalmanouqav.
5:25 8:15
rJuvsei ai{mato" th'" zuvmh" tw'n Farisaivwn
5:29 th'" zuvmh" ÔHrw/dv ou
hJ phgh; tou' ai{mato" 8:19
5:37 kofivnou" klasmavtwn
to;n oi\kon tou' ajrcisunagwvgou spurivdwn … klasmavtwn
5:40 8:27
to;n patevra tou' paidivou ta;" kwvma" Kaisareiva" th'" Filivppou
th'" ceiro;" tou' paidivou 8:31
6:3 to;n uiJo;n tou' ajnqrwvpou
oJ uiJo;" th'" Mariva" 8:37
ajdelfo;" ∆Iakwvbou ajntavllagma th'" yuch'" aujtou (?)
6:7 oJ uiJo;" tou' ajnqrwvpou
ejxousivan tw'n pneumavtwn (?) th/' dovxh/ tou' patro;"
6:17 9:1
th;n gunai'ka Filivppou th;n basileivan tou' qeou'
th;n gunai'ka tou' ajdelfou' 9:9
6:24 oJ uiJo;" tou' ajnqrwvpou
th;n kefalh;n ∆Iwavnnou 9:12
th;n kefalh;n ∆Iwavnnou to;n uiJo;n tou' ajnqrwvpou
6:47 9:24
ejn mevsw/ th'" qalavssh" oJ path;r tou' paidivou
peri; tetavrthn fulakh;n th'" nukto;" 9:31
6:56 oJ uiJo;" tou' ajnqrwvpou
tou' kraspevdou tou' iJmativou cei'ra" ajnqrwvpwn
7:3 9:41
th;n paravdosin tw'n presbutevrwn pothvrion u{dato"
baptismou;" pothrivwn 9:47
th;n paravdosin tw'n presbutevrwn th;n basileivan tou' qeou'
7:7 10:1
th;n ejntolh;n tou' qeou' ta; o{ria th'" ∆Ioudaiva"
th;n paravdosin tw'n ajnqrwvpwn 10:4
th;n ejntolh;n tou' qeou biblivon ajpostasivou
7:13 10:6
to;n lovgon tou' qeou' ajrch'" ktivsew"
7:21 10:14
th'" kardiva" tw'n ajnqrwvpwn hJ basileiva tou' qeou'
7:24 th;n basileivan tou' qeou'
ta; o{ria Tuvrou
10:23 13:14 3
th;n basileivan tou' qeou' to; bdevlugma th'" ejrhmwvsew"
th;n basileivan tou' qeou' 13:19
dia; ªth'"º trumalia'" ªth'"º rJafivdo" ajrch'" ktivsew"
th;n basileivan tou' qeou' 13:26
10:33 to;n uiJo;n tou' ajnqrwvpou
oJ uiJo;" tou' ajnqrwvpou a[krou gh'"
10:35 a[krou oujranou'
oiJ uiJoi; Zebedaivou 13:35
10:45 oJ kuvrio" th'" oijkiva"
oJ uiJo;" tou' ajnqrwvpou 14:2
oJ uiJo"
; Timaivou qovrubo" tou' laou'
uiJe; Daui;d th/' oijkiva/ Sivmwno" tou' leprou'
uiJe; Dauivd ajlavbastron muvrou navrdou
11:1 hJ ajpwvleia … tou' muvrou
to; o[ro" tw'n ejlaiw'n 14:12
11:9 th/' prwvth/ hJmevra/ tw'n ajzuvmwn
ojnovmati kurivou keravmion u{dato"
hJ … basileiva tou' patro;" 14:21
11:15 oJ me;n uiJo;" tou' ajnqrwvpou
ta;" trapevza" tw'n kollubistw'n oJ uiJo"
; tou' ajnqrwvpou
11:17 14:24
oi\ko" proseuch'" to; ai|mav mou th'" diaqhvkh"
sphvlaion lh/stw'n tou' genhvmato" th'" ajmpevlou
11:22 th/' basileiva/ tou' qeou'
pivstin qeou' to; o[ro" tw'n ejlaiw'n
11:30 to; bavptisma to; ∆Iwavnnou 14:41
12:2 oJ uiJo;" tou' ajnqrwvpou
tw'n karpw'n tou' ajmpelw'no" ta;" cei'ra" tw'n aJmartwlw'n
12:9 14:47
oJ kuvrio" tou' ajmpelw'no" to;n dou'lon tou' ajrcierevw"
kefalh;n gwniva" 14:54
12:14 th;n aujlh;n tou' ajrcierevw"
provswpon ajnqrwvpwn 14:62
th;n oJdo;n tou' qeou' to;n uiJo;n tou' ajnqrwvpou
12:24 tw'n nefelw'n tou' oujranou'
th;n duvnamin tou' qeou' 14:66
12:26 tw'n paidiskw'n tou' ajrcierevw"
th/' bivblw/ Mwu>sevw" 15:21
oJ qeo;" ∆Abraa;m kai; ªoJº qeo;" ∆Isaa;k kai; ªoJº to;n patevra ∆Alexavndrou
qeo;" ∆Iakwvb 15:26
12:34 hJ ejpigrafh; th'" aijtiva"
th'" basileiva" tou' qeou' 15:32
uiJo;" Dauivd oJ basileu;" ∆Israh;l
12:40 15:36
ta;" oijkiva" tw'n chrw'n spovggon o[xou"
13:3 15:38
to; o[ro" tw'n ejlaiw'n to; katapevtasma tou' naou'
13:7 uiJo;" qeou'
ajkoa;" polevmwn 15:43
ajrch; wjdivnwn th;n basileivan tou' qeou'
to; sw'ma tou' ∆Ihsou'
15:46 16:3 th'" quvra" tou' mnhmeivou 4
th;n quvran tou' mnhmeivou
Accordance search construct used for the preceding data:

Description of construct:
Apollonius'Canon
OK

WITHIN WITHIN
INTER 3

AGREE
Adj. Adv. INTER

Art. Conj. Verb

Impr. Inter.
Noun Part.
Preposition
Prep. Pron.
Verb
Conjunction
LEX
INFLECT Particle
PLACE
NOT

NOUN NOUN
genitive

Technical terms the grammars use to describe Apollonius’ Canon:

in regimen:
word of truth
logo" ajlhqeia"
noun noungen
governing noun governed noun
nomen regens nomen rectum
(pl. = nomina regenda)
head noun genitive noun

1 Not counting several “double constructions” involving genitive chains that include at least two such relationships.
2 “In general two nouns in regimen (a noun qualified by a genitive noun) will both have articles or both be without them.…
This rule holds true more than eighty percent of the time. There are two basic modifications that will explain most exceptions: (1)
the head noun may be anarthrous while the genitive qualifier is articular, especially if the head noun is the object of a preposition,
a predicate nominative, or vocative; (2) either may be anarthrous if it is a proper name (including kuvrio") even though the other
may be articular.” (Young, 67)
3 Hedges thesis proposes what is known as Apollonius’ Corollary: “when both nouns are anarthrous, both will usually have
the same semantic force. That is, both will be, for example, definite (D-D), the most commonly shared semantic force. Somewhat
less common is qualitative-qualitative (Q-Q). The least likely semantic force is indefinite-indefinite (I-I)” (cited by Wallace,
GGBB, 250).