1Cor. 9:23 and συγκοινωνὸς

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Scott Lawson
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1Cor. 9:23 and συγκοινωνὸς

Post by Scott Lawson »

1 Cor. 9:23 πάντα δὲ ποιῶ διὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, ἵνα συγκοινωνὸς αὐτοῦ γένωμαι.

It would seem that even though the verb συγκοινωνεω upon which the participle συγκοινωνος is derived can have the two different meanings (partaking or sharer in the sense of giving), the participle does not. It would seem that the participle is only used with the meaning of being a fellow partaker. Is that correct?
Scott Lawson
Scott Lawson
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Re: 1Cor. 9:23 and συγκοινωνὸς

Post by Scott Lawson »

Συγκοινωνεω in BDAG under entry (2) has: "to give a portion of what one has to another, share τί τινι something with someone..."
It points to Didache 4:8 for the above meaning. I found a translation of D 4:8 that seems to be more in line with the idea of "sharing in something with someone" rather than just "sharing something with someone".

http://www.zdziarski.com/blog/wp-conten ... iarski.pdf

8Do not abandon those in need, but share in all things with your brothers in Christ. Moreover, do not call anything your own, for if you are partakers in that which is incorruptible, how much more in that which is corruptible? - Translated by Jonathan A. Zdziarski from the Funk/Bihlmeyer 1924 Greek critical text

What I'm getting at is this: can it be that Paul is saying that he does all things for the sake of the good news in order to become a sharer of it (sense #2) with others.?
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Re: 1Cor. 9:23 and συγκοινωνὸς

Post by cwconrad »

Scott Lawson wrote:1 Cor. 9:23 πάντα δὲ ποιῶ διὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, ἵνα συγκοινωνὸς αὐτοῦ γένωμαι.

It would seem that even though the verb συγκοινωνεω upon which the participle συγκοινωνος is derived can have the two different meanings (partaking or sharer in the sense of giving), the participle does not. It would seem that the participle is only used with the meaning of being a fellow partaker. Is that correct?
συγκοινωνος here is not a participle of συγκοινεῖν but rather the noun from which the denominative verb συγκοινωνεῖν derives. I should think that investigation of usage should start with the noun rather than with the verb:
BDAG wrote:συγκοινωνός, οῦ, ὁ participant, partner (PBilabel 19, 2 [110 AD]; PCairMasp 158, 11 of business partners οἱ συγκοινωνοί μου) w. gen. of the thing in which one shares (Stephan. of Athens, in Hippocr. 1, 76 Dietz [1834] συγκοινωνὸς τῆς βασιλείας μου) Ro 11:17. ἵνα συγκ. αὐτοῦ (i.e. τοῦ εὐαγγελίου) γένωμαι that I might jointly share in it (i.e. in the benefits promised by the gospel; difft. EMolland, D. paul. Euangelion ’34, 53f: ‘fellow-worker in the gospel [Mitarbeiter des Evan.]’) 1 Cor 9:23. συγκοινωνοί μου τῆς χάριτος sharers of the same grace as myself Phil 1:7. Also συγκ. τινος ἔν τινι sharer with someone in someth. Rv 1:9 (ViJer 15 [p. 42, 2 Sch.] s. Μωϋσέως).—MPol 17:3 v.l.—DELG s.v. κοινός. M-M s.v. συνκοινωνός. TW.
The noun συγκοινωνος appears 4x in the GNT:
Rom 11:17 ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ συγκοινωνὸς τῆς ῥίζης τῆς
1 Cor 9:23 εὐαγγέλιον, ἵνα συγκοινωνὸς αὐτοῦ γένωμαι.
Phil 1:7 βεβαιώσει τοῦ εὐαγγελίου συγκοινωνούς μου τῆς χάριτος
Rev 1:9 ἀδελφὸς ὑμῶν καὶ συγκοινωνὸς ἐν τῇ θλίψει
οὔτοι ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς πάντα θεοὶ θνητοῖς ὑπέδειξαν,
ἀλλὰ χρόνῳ ζητέοντες ἐφευρίσκουσιν ἄμεινον. (Xenophanes, Fragment 16)

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
Scott Lawson
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Re: 1Cor. 9:23 and συγκοινωνὸς

Post by Scott Lawson »

Carl! The fact that συγκοινωνος is a noun was staring me in face and I still stupidly mis-identified it! Thank you for pointing that out!
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Stephen Hughes
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Re: 1Cor. 9:23 and συγκοινωνὸς

Post by Stephen Hughes »

cf. μέτοχος
Γελᾷ δ' ὁ μωρός, κἄν τι μὴ γέλοιον ᾖ
(Menander, Γνῶμαι μονόστιχοι 108)
Scott Lawson
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Re: 1Cor. 9:23 and συγκοινωνὸς

Post by Scott Lawson »

Stephen,

Or even συμμετοχος. I was looking over related words yesterday. Do you have an insight to share?
Scott Lawson
Stephen Hughes
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cf. μέτοχος --> συμμέτοχος

Post by Stephen Hughes »

I suggest you take this line of inquiry:
Try to identify the change that we get in going from μέτοχος to συμμέτοχος and see if you think it is the same as the change from κοινωνός to συγκοινωνός. You'll need to go deeper than comparing English glosses.

One of the questions that might get answered along the way is whether the συγ- got added to the noun and verb together - the same sense in both cases, or independently (different senses).
Γελᾷ δ' ὁ μωρός, κἄν τι μὴ γέλοιον ᾖ
(Menander, Γνῶμαι μονόστιχοι 108)
Scott Lawson
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Re: 1Cor. 9:23 and συγκοινωνὸς

Post by Scott Lawson »

Thanks Stephen!
Scott Lawson
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