θηριομαχέω

θηριομαχέω (s. θηρίον, μάχομαι) 1 aor. ἐθηριομάχησα

① be forced to fight with wild animals as a punishment, fight with wild animals (Diod S 3, 43, 7; Artem. 2, 54; 5, 49; Ptolem., Apotel. 4, 9, 10; Vett. Val. 129, 33; 130, 21; Jos., Bell. 7, 38) IEph 1:2; ITr 10; ἐπισήμως θ. MPol 3, 1. For 1 Cor 15:32 s. 2.

② to be in a position of having to contend with adversaries, struggle with, contend with. It is uncertain whether θ. is used lit. or fig. in 1 Cor 15:32. It is quite unlikely that Paul could have engaged in a real struggle w. wild animals (but. s. Bowen below). He says nothing about such an experience in 2 Cor 11:23–29, and Ac does not mention it (but Ac is silent about many matters). Also the apostle could not have been sentenced ‘ad bestias’ without losing his Roman citizenship, which he still held at a later date, and which formed the basis for his appeal to the emperor. If, nevertheless, the verb is to be taken as lit., the expr. is to be considered (w. JWeiss on 1 Cor 15:32 and WMichaelis, Die Gefangenschaft d. Paulus in Ephesus 1925, 118ff) a contrary to fact (unreal) conditional sentence: ‘if I had fought w. wild animals’ (against this JSchmid, Zeit u. Ort d. paul. Gefangenschaftsbr. ’31, 39–60; WKümmel, Hdb. ’49). But the expr. can also be fig. (freq. in Cynic-Stoic diatribe; AMalherbe, JBL 87, ’68, 71–80), as it certainly is in IRo 5:1 ἀπὸ Συρίας μέχρι Ῥώμης θηριομαχῶ … δεδεμένος δέκα λεοπάρδοις, ὅ ἐστι στρατιωτικὸν τάγμα from Syria to Rome I am fighting with wild animals, bound to ten leopards, that is, a detachment of soldiers (cp. OGI 201, 16 ἐπολέμησα ἀπὸ Π. ἕως Τ.); here Ign. describes the sufferings of his journey as a prisoner with a word that suggests a struggle w. wild animals (cp. Appian, Bell. Civ. 2, 61 §252, where Pompey says in sim. fig. language: οἵοις θηρίοις μαχόμεθα; Philo, Mos. 1, 43f. Ignatius longed to have actual wild beasts consume him IRo 4:1f; 5:2.). In AcPl Ha 3, 9; 4, 8; 5, 13 actual fights with wild beasts (Lat. venationes) are meant.—CBowen, JBL 42, 1923, 59–68; CCoffin, ibid. 43, 1924, 172–76; JHunkin, ET 39, 1928, 281f; R Osborne, JBL 85, ’66, 225–30; lit. s.v. ἀγών.—DELG s.v. θήρ. M-M.