JohnHurt wrote:The article you listed did note that the "first day of the week" in Mark 16:9 was different, for here the word translated as "first" is not "mia", but "protos", meaning "foremost", and not just "one" or "first". So in this case, we have "foremost week". I would be interested in your interpretation of this verse.
I don't see any real difference between these two phrases based on the choice of words.
I think you're confused about the meaning of protos. Consider Hebrews 10, surely Jesus is foremost, superior to the Law, and his sacrifice on the cross is also foremost, but it came after the Law in time. The word protos is translated first here. Jesus is second - but not in rank, only in time.
Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”
When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Here are some definitions, which might help clarify:
Mounce wrote:first in time, order, etc., Mt. 10:2; 26:17; first in dignity, importance, etc., chief, principal, most important, Mk. 6:21; Lk. 19:47; Acts 13:50; 16:12; as an equivalent to the compar. πρότερος (G4754), prior, Jn. 1:5, 30; 15:18; Mt. 27:64; adverbially, first, Jn. 1:42; 5:4; 8:7
Abbott-Smith wrote:πρότερος, and πρῶτος, compar. and superl. from πρό, opp. to ὕστερος, ὕστατος.
[NT: 11x] A. Compar., πρότερος, -α, -ον, [in LXX for רִאשׁוֹן ,לִפָנִים, etc. ;]
before, of time, place, rank, etc.; in NT always of Time, before, former: Eph 4:22. Adverbially, πρότερον, before, aforetime, formerly: Jo 7:50, II Co 1:15, He 4:6; opp. to ἔπειτα, He 7:27; τὸ π., Jo 6:62 9:8, Ga 4:13, I Ti 1:13; αἱ π. ἡμέραι, He 10:32; αἱ π. ἐπιθυμίαι, I Pe 1:14.†
[NT: 154x] B. Superl., πρῶτος, -η, -ον, [in LXX chiefly for רִאשׁוֹן, also for אֶחַד, etc. ;]
first,
1. of Time or Place;
(a) absol., as subst., ὁ π.., Lk 14:18, Jo 19:32, I Co 14:30; ὁ π. καὶ ὁ ἔσχατος, Re 1:17 2:8 22:13; neut., τὸ π., opp. to τ. δεύτερον, He 10:9; τὰ π., opp. to τ. ἔσχατα, Mt 12:45, Lk 11:26, II Pe 2:20; anarth., Mt 10:2; pl., Mt 19:30, Mk 10:31, Lk 13:30; ἐν πρώτοις (EV, first of all), I Co 15:3;
(b) as adj.: πρώτῃ; (sc. ἡμέρᾳ) σαββάτου, Mk 16:[9]; φυλακή, opp. to δευτέρα, Ac 12:10; equiv. to adv. in English, Jo 8:[7] 20:4, 8 Ac 27:43, Ro 10:19, I Ti 1:16, I Jo 4:19; = πρότερος (v. infr.; cf. [p. 390] M, Pr., 79; Bl, §11, 5; Thackeray, Gr., 183f.): c. gen., π. μου ἦν (my chief: Abbott, Jg., 509ff.; but cf. M, Pr., 245), Jo 1:15, 30; c. art., Mk 14:12, Ac 1:1, al.; seq. ὁ δεύτερος, etc., Mt 22:25, Mk 12:20, al.
2. Of Rank or Dignity, chief, principal: Mt 20:27 22:38, Mk 9:35, Eph 6:2, al.; c. gen., Mk 12:28, 29 al.; πόλις (Field, Notes, 124), Ac 16:12; c. art., Lk 15:22 19:47, Ac 13:50, al.
3. Neut., πρῶτον, as adv., first, at the first;
(a) of Time: Mt 8:21, Mk 4:28, al.; τὸ π., Jo 10:40, al.;
(b) of Order: Ro 3:2, I Co 11:18, al.
As for the other text, the word 'μιᾷ' is the feminine dative for 'one', the dative is a "dative of time". In your English transliteration, you can't see that because you can't see the difference between μιᾷ and μία. The word for 'one' is declined in Greek, which is really confusing for English speakers. How do you say 'one'? Well, there are 12 possibilities ... all languages are weird, Greek is a language, you have to learn a language to understand it.
Which is why most of us should use translations.
Is it biblical? Is it Christlike? Is it loving? Is it true? How can I find out?