EPI PASH TH MNEIA hUMON - Philippians 1:3

Carl Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Tue Aug 10 20:47:24 EDT 1999


On 08/10/99, ""Joseph Brian Tucker" <music at riverviewcog.org>" wrote:
> Greetings

I came across a rather simple construction in Philippians, that I soon 
realized required some attention. EPI PASH TH MNEIA hUMON means, "in all 
the [my]remembrance of you." Is this phrase a subjective genitive "for all
your remembrance [of me]." This seems contextually possible (4:10). This 
requires a causal sense of EPI in verses 3 and 5 - and a parallel 
prepositional clause understanding, as well. (verse 5 EPI THi KOINWNIAi 
hUMWN).

No; MNEIAi, of course, depends upon EPI, but hUMWN depends upon MNEIAi and 
here should, I think, be seen as an "objective" genitive: "at every mention 
of you" = "every time I mention you." It's true that in verse 5 the hUMWN 
ought rather to be seen as subjective: "your sharing" = "the fact that you 
share."

Does this conflict with Paul's normal usage of MNEIA? In Romans, 1 
Thessalonians, the reference is to Paul's remembrance of his addressees. 
Because of the normal epistolary structure of Paul's writings, should EPI
PASHi THi MNEIAi hUMWN be taken as an objective genitive?

I think the instances of MNEIA in the letters of Paul are all with an 
objective genitive, i.e., the genitive represents an object of 
"remembrance" or "mentioning."

Gordon Fee opts for, "everytime I remember you." As does Silva.
O'Brien opts for, "because of your remembrance of me."

I think Fee and Silva are right here; I think that MNEIA more normally 
means "bringing to consciousness," "calling to mind," or "mentioning" than 
it does "remembrance" in the sense of "thinking graciously about" (a person 
or persons).



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