Ignatius to the Ephesians XIV.1

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Tue Feb 22 08:44:08 EST 2000


At 8:27 AM -0600 2/22/00, Jason Hare wrote:
>ARCH MEN PISTIS, TELOS DE AGAPH.  TA DE DUO EN hENOTHTI GENOMENA QEOS
>ESTIN, TA DE ALLA PANTA EIS KALOKAGAQIAN AKOLOUQA ESTIN.
>
>What type is QEOS in the above statement.  "The two in unity having become
>are God."

What "type"? On my screen it's in "Mishiwaka" font, which is Eudora'
default; but that's probably not what you meant.

>Just curious.

A lot of curiosity this morning! But this is interesting; it reminds me of
the old Stoic proverb Gilbert Murray used to cite: DEUS EST HOMINEM HOMINI
AUXILIUM FERRE (something like: "God is a human being helping (another)
human being").

In the passage cited above I think I'd understand the phrase EN hENOTHTI
GENOMENA as "when made one" or "when unified"; I think GINOMAI can function
very much like FIERI in Latin as an auxiliary for a passive notion, as in,
for example, QERMON EPOIHSAMEN TON KHRON --> QERMOS EGENETO hO KHROS ("We
heated the wax --> the wax got hot").

I would assume that Ignatius' statement is not really a theological one,
although it surely has some theological implications.




Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics/Washington University
One Brookings Drive/St. Louis, MO, USA 63130/(314) 935-4018
Home: 7222 Colgate Ave./St. Louis, MO 63130/(314) 726-5649
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu 



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