ἀποστάσιον, -ov, τό, very seldom in native Grk. writ., defection, of a freedman from his patron, Dem. 35, 48 [940, 16]; in the Bible 1. divorce, repudiation: Mt. xix. 7; Mk. x. 4 (βιβλίον ἀποστασίου, equiv. to DD nid book or bill of divorce, Deut. xxiv. 1, 3; [Is. 1. ie Jer. iii. 8]). 2. α bill of divorce: Mt.v. 31. Grotius ad loc. and Lightfoot, Horae Hebr. ad loc., give a copy of one.* :

ἀποστάσιον apostasion 3x

defection, desertion, as of a freedman from a patron; in NT the act of putting away a wife, repudiation, divorce, Mt. 19:7; Mk. 10:4; meton. a bill of repudiation, deed of divorce, Mt. 5:31*

ἀποστάσιον, -ου, τό

(< ἀφίστημι), [in LXX; De 24:1, 3, Je 3:8, Is 50:1 (כְּרִיתֻת, כְּרִיתוּת)*;]

in cl., only in phrase ἀποστασίου δίκη, an action against a freedman for forsaking his προστάτης (Dem.).

In LXX, βιβλίον ἀποστασίου, a bill of divorce: Mt 19:7, Mk 10:4; in same sense ἀ. alone (MM, s.v.), Mt 5:31 (for other late exx., v. MM, s.v.; Kennedy, Sources, 121).†

ἀποστάσιον. BGU IV. τοο ᾽ν (B.c. 55, a copy of a demotic bill of sale “ἐ μεθηρμηνευμένης κατὰ τὸ δυνατόν ) has ἀποστασίου συνγραφή, ‘“‘bond of relinquishing” (the sold property). The phrase is found as early as B.C. 258 in P Hib I. 96°, “*a contract of renunciation” between two military settlers, one of whom at least was a Jew. ““This expression has hitherto always been found in connexion with the translations of demotic deeds concerning the renunciation of rights of ownership, the (συγγραφὴ) ἀποστασίου being contrasted with the πρᾶσις, the contract concerning the receipt of the purchase-price; cf. Wilcken, Archiv ili. p. 143 and pp. 388-9” [and now iv. p. 183]. This note does not seem to cover the passage in P Grenf I. 1119 (p.c. 157) kal ἀποστασίου ἐγράψατο τῶι Ilavai μὴ ἐπελεύσεσθαι, μήθ᾽ ἄλλον μηθένα τῶν παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ, ‘he had a bill of ejectment drawn against Panas, that neither he nor any person connected with him should trespass on the property.” We may add P Ryl II. 1609 (a. Ὁ. 28-9) mpa[ojts καὶ ἀπωστα[σίου] μέρη (/. μερῶν) KTA, ‘sale and cession of two parts out of five” (Edd.).—so other documents in this set : also P Tebt IT. 561 (early i/A.D.) πρᾶ]σις καὶ ἀποστασίου δούλου . ., and Preisigke 995 (B.C. 245-4) συνγραφή, ἣν ἐποιήσατο Kams Ἰαστῖτι ἀποστασίου περὶ ὧν ἐν[εκά]λει αὐτῆι. In Ρ Giss I. 3651 (ii/B.c.) we have καὶ ἀνενη]νόχατε συγγρα(φὰς) ὠνῆς kal ἀποστασίου kar’ αὐτῶν, and in BGU III. 919%8 (ii/A.p.) we have ἀκολ[ο͵]ύθως ᾧ π|α]ρεθ[ἐ]μ(ην) tpilv ἀϊντιγρίάφῳ) ἀποστασίου τοῦ πα]τρός pov Ὄνησικράτους κληρον[όμου τ]ῶν προγεγραίμμένων) μου ἀδελφῶν τετ[ελ(ευτηκότων)]. In this last instance ἀποστασίου may be short for συγγραφῆς ἀποστασίου, or it may be the gen. of ἀποστάσιον used as in Mt 5%, an abbreviation of the fuller phrase. (It might even be conjectured that in Mt ὁ c. the original reading was ἀποστασίου and not -ov: in its presumed original, Deut 241, βιβλίον was expressed.) A good parallel for this kind of abbreviation is ἡ ἀπερίσπαστος in P Oxy VI. 89818 (a.p. 123), for what is called in 15 γράμματα ἀπερ[ισπΊ]άστου ; it is ‘a deed of indemnification, distinguished by the formula ἀπερίσπαστον παρέξεσθαι or an equivalent phrase” (Edd.)—just as we talk of zzs¢ preus actions. The specializing of this term for divorce is not paralleled in our documents, but it was clearly the nearest word to use to represent the Hebrew phrase. See also Wilcken Archiv iv. p. 456. It may be added that in Coftic Ostraca 72 (ed. Crum), as translated on p. 13, we find an abbreviation of ἀποστάσιον used with reference to ‘‘a deed of divorce” in an episcopal circular. The editors remark,

ἀποστάσιον (apostasion) — divorce. Included with: ἀπο-στᾰσίου δίκη action against a freedman for having forsaken his προστάτης and chosen another, ἀ. ὀφλεῖν[Refs 4th c.BC+]

II. ἀποστασίου βιβλίον writing or bill of divorce, [LXX+NT]

III. ἀποστασίου συγγραφή deed of cession, conveyance, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; ἀντίγραφονίου[Refs 2nd c.AD+]; with συγγραφή omitted, especially in phrase πρᾶσις καὶ ἀποστασίου[Refs 1st c.AD+]