1 Peter 2:2/Pure Milk of the Word

Jonathan Robie jonathan at texcel.no
Wed Jul 15 20:24:37 EDT 1998


At 02:53 PM 7/15/98 -0700, Ron Rhoades wrote:
 
>There are several reasons many translators render it as simply "word."
>First of course is the tie to LOGOS as reason/speech/word. 

Yes, but just because an adjective is etymologically related to a noun
doesn't mean that it invokes that noun when it is used. The phrase "wordy
sermon" does not mean a sermon which is based on the Word. If you did not
already know the meaning of "wordy", you probably would have no idea what
the phrase *does* mean - you have to look at how the adjective is used to
see what it means.

>Another
>reason is because of the agreement they see with the GEGENNHMENOI
>through LOGOU ZWNTOS QEOU in 1:23, TO RHMA KURIOU in 1:25 and the
>contrast with those disobedient to TW LOGW in 2:8.

I would be rather reluctant to look at uses of "word" to determine what
"wordy" means.

It's interesting that LSJ does not mention the meanings "pure" or "spiritual":

  http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/lexindex?lookup=logiko/s&lang=Greek
 
BAGD bridges the classical meaning "rational" and the proposed New
Testament meaning "spiritual":

"Most likely TO LOGIKON ADOLON GALA 1 Pt 2:2 is to be taken in the same way
"pure spiritual milk; it is to be borne in mind that LOGIKON means
"spiritual" not only in the sense of PNEUMATIKOS, but also in contrast to
'literal' w. the mng. 'metaphorical' (cf. Pel-Leg. p. 20: the bishop is the
shepherd TWN LOGIKWN PROBATWN TOU CRISTOU; Euseb., H.E. 1, 1, 4 EK LOGIKWN
LEIMWNWN) -- Gerh Kittel, TW IV 145-7."

After seeing that, I looked up LOGIKOS in Littel Kittel, which says this:

LOGIKOS. This means either (a) "belonging to speech" or (b) "belonging to
reason." Sense a. does not occur in the NT but we find sense (b) in 1 Pet
2:2 ("spiritual"). Perhaps LOGIKOS is used here rather than PNEUMATIKOS
(cf. v. 5) because, like milk, it is a familiar term in philosophy and
mysticism. Parallels show that it may express the spiritualizing of the
cultic, and this is its function in Rom. 12:1, where our bodies are to be
offered, not in immolation, but in spiritual worship (cf. 1 Pet 2:5). In
Judaism, too, one finds moral spiritualizing of the cultus. In Paul,
however, this is christological as well as ethical. It is based on the
mercies of God in Christ (Rom 12:1), and the norm of conformity to the
LOGOS lies in the Spirit of Jesus Christ".

Well, that's enough typing for one message!

Jonathan
___________________________________________________________________________

Jonathan Robie		jwrobie at mindspring.com

Little Greek Home Page: http://sunsite.unc.edu/koine
Little Greek 101:       http://sunsite.unc.edu/koine/greek/lessons
B-Greek Home Page:      http://sunsite.unc.edu/bgreek
B-Greek Archives:       http://sunsite.unc.edu/bgreek/archives



More information about the B-Greek mailing list