αὑτοῦ

αὑτῆς, αὑτοῦ, of himself, herself, itself, equivalent to ἑαυττου, which see It is very common in the editions of the N. T. by the Elzevirs, Griesbach, Knapp, others; but Bengel, Matthaei, Lachmann, Tdf., Trg. have everywhere substituted αὐτοῦ, αὐτῷ, etc. for αὑτοῦ, αὑτῷ, etc. "For I have observed that the former are used almost constantly (not always then? Grimm) not only in uncial manuscripts of the 8th, 9th, and 10th centuries, but also in many others (and not N. T. manuscripts alone). That this is the correct mode of writing is proved also by numerous examples where the pronoun is joined to prepositions; for these last are often found written not ἐφ', ἀφ', μεθ', καθ', ἀνθ', etc., but ἐπ', ἀπ', μετ', κατ', ἀντ'." Tischendorf, Proleg. ad N. T., edition 2, p. 26 (ed. 8, p. 126); cf. his Proleg. ad Sept., edition 1, p. 70 (ed. 4, p. 33 (not in edition 6)). Bleek entertains the same opinion and sets it forth at length in his note on Heb 1:3, vol. ii. 1, p. 67ff The question is hard to decide, not only because the breathings and accents are lacking in the oldest manuscripts, but also because it often depends upon the mere preference of the writer or speaker whether he will speak in his own person, or according to the thought of the person spoken of. Certainly in the large majority of the passages in the N. T. αὐτοῦ is correctly restored; but apparently we ought to write δἰ αὑτοῦ (Rec. ἑαυυτου (so L marginal reading T WH)), Rom 14:14 (L text Tr δἰ αὐτοῦ); εἰς αὑτόν, Col 1:20 (others, εἰς αὐτόν); αὐτός περί αὑτοῦ (T Tr text WH ἑαυτοῦ), Jn 9:21. Cf. Winers Grammar, 151 (143); (Buttmann, 111f (97f); Lightfoot on Col. l. c, and see especially Hort in Westcott and Hort's Greek New Testament, Appendix, p. 144f; these editors have introduced the aspirated form into their text nearly twenty times (e. g. Mt 6:34; Lk 12:17, Lk 12:21; Lk 23:12; Lk 24:12; Jn 2:24; Jn 13:32; Jn 19:17; Jn 20:10; Acts 14:17; Rom 1:27; 2 Cor 3:5; Eph 2:15; Phm 3:21; 1 Jn 5:10; Rev 8:6, etc.). Cf. Rutherford, New Phryn., p. 432).
G848a: αὐτόφωρος
, ἀυτοφωρον (αὐτός and φώρ a thief, φωρά a theft) (from Sophocles down); properly, caught in the act of theft; then universally, caught in the act of perpetrating any other crime; very often in the phrases ἐπ' αὐτοφώρῳ (as one word ἐπαυτοφώρῳ) τινα λαμβάνειν, passive λαμβάνεσθαι, καταλαμβάνεσθαι, ἁλίσκεσθαι, (from Herodotus 6, 72 on), the crime being specified by a participle: μοιχευομένη, Jn 8:4 (R G), as in Aelian nat. an. 11, 15; Plutarch, mor. vi., p. 446, Tauchn. edition (x., p. 723, Reiske edition, cf. Nicias 4, 5; Eumen. 2, 2); Sextus Empiricus, adverb Rhet. 65 (p. 151, Fabric. edition).