Tit 1:1-2
Brian Swedburg
brian at discoveryhills.org
Tue Jan 25 13:25:25 EST 2000
"Carl W. Conrad" wrote:
>
> Well, you have to admit asking what we think! And you may well find that we don't all think the same way or with the same results.
Your knowledgable response is always gracious, so, I am glad for the critical exchange!
> For my part, I have always preferred, where it is possible, to understand KATA with the accusative in the sense of "in accordance with" or "following the course of" (like Latin SECUNDUM, which was a preposition deriving from a participial form of SEQUOR, "follow"; I don't mean to suggest that the meaning of Koine KATA with acc. derives from Latin usage, but I think that in the Latin Bible KATA + acc. most regularly is translated by Latin SECUNDUM + acc.). And I think that would work in this passage also:
> "in keeping with/in accordance with God's saints' faith and knowledge of the truth (that is) in keeping with reverence ..."
This is one of the reasons I love this list! Though BAGD itself proposes the function of KATA being purpose, and it fits nicely with my view of the letter, I was skeptical of my own translation from the start.
I also like the woodeness of some literal translations, yet I still don't think I full grasp the intent of the author in using KATA in the sense of "in accordance with". Trying to grasp the visual image of the preposition, "partnering with" (ie. standing beside) is about as close as I can get. Perhaps part of my problem is that I am not sure how Paul's apostleship must accord with the faith, though I can grasp it's partnership to or functioning for the purpose of, as I have already suggested.(Obviously I have
tipped my hat on my identity of the author...)
Can you help me grasp this "in accordance with" function?
> Secondly, although EPI with the dative is capable of quite a number of different nuances in practice, I like to start out with EPI as "upon" and a locative type of dative (e.g. EPI THi CWRAi = "on the spot") and then work outwards toward metaphorical extensions of the locative dative notion; one of the more common metaphorical extensions is that wherein the dative noun is a "basis" upon which the proposition or action to which the EPI phrase refers is to be understood. So here: "on the basis of hope of eternal life."
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> That yields:
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> "Paul, a servant of God and apostle of Jesus Christ in keeping with/following (the) faith of the chosen of God and in keeping with/following (the) knowledge of truth--knowledge, that is, which is in keeping with reverence based on (the) hope of eternal life ... "
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> Actually, though I spoke of EPI as causal, I think I meant "on the basis of". So thanks for the clarification here.
My wrestling with KATA continues as I consider how "The knowledge of the truth/ or true knowledge" accords with EUSEBEIAN, instead of the other way around.
Once again, what do you think?
Brian
Western Sem Student
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