We are finally able to provide the published text of the article on the “cry of dereliction” from the Brill volume, The Language Environment of First Century Judaea, Randall Buth and R Steven Notley edd., (Brill, 2014, ISBN 9789004263406). The PDF of Randall Buth, “The Riddle of Jesus’ Cry from the Cross: the Meaning of ηλι ηλι λαμα σαβαχθανι (Matthew 27:46) and the Literary Function of ελωι ελωι λειμα σαβαχθανι (Mark 15:34)” is avaiable below.
The language data, textual issues, and literary issues are quite refined and assume that a tri-lingual background for first-century Jerusalem and Galilee has been studied. The articles in the Brill Volume by Guido Baltes, and the article on EBRAISTI would be good background. (The last article is available on this blog, April 2014, as “So what, in fact, does ἑβραϊστί mean?”)
Here is the link for the PDF on the Cry from the Cross:
Interesting, but from a physical perspective, calling out in a loud voice alone after being suspended or crucified for a long period of time would have been a super-human act.
When the arms are spread above the head, the human body is forced into nearly constant inspiration – a fact which was probably known to captors, executioners, and guards – and used to induce asphyxiation in their victims.
Mustering enough breath to call out in a loud voice (to say anything) after being held for a long time as such is an improbable act for a mere human.
[…] The Language Background and Literary Function of the Cry from the Cross Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 […]
[…] into exclusivity, either one language or the other. This reaches the most problematic point on the words of the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46, Mark 15:34). It is probable that […]