poetic Paul?

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Sun Mar 12 07:37:38 EST 2000


At 6:03 AM -0600 3/12/00, Eric S. Weiss wrote:
>Romans 2:9-10
>
>QLIYIS KAI STENOCWRIA EPI PASAN YUCHN ANQRWPOU TOU KATERGAZOMENOU TO KAKON,
>IOUDAIOU TE PRWTON KAI hELLHNOS* DOXA DE KAI TIMH KAI EIRHNH PANTI TWi
>ERGAZOMENWi TO AGAQON, IOUDAIWi TE PRWTON KAI hELLHNI
>
>Does Paul possibly use KATERGAZOMENOU with KAKON and ERGAZOMENWi with
>AGAQON - rather than KAT. or ERG. in both clauses - for "poetic" effect?
>I.e., KAT. with KAKON because they both begin with "K", and ERG. with
>AGAQON because they both begin with vowels?

My immediate reaction on reading this was caution and suspicion that there
is an intended difference in meaning between KATERGAZOMAI and ERGAZOMAI in
this sequence. But after reading L&N, and in particular this item, I am
more inclined to think they are synonymous:

90.47 ERGAZOMAI;KATERGAZOMAI: markers of an agent relation with numerable
events, with the probable implication of comprehensiveness - 'to do, to
make, to perform.' hO FOBOUMENOS AUTON KAI ERGAZOMENOS DIKAIOSUNHN 'who
reveres him and does what is right' Ac 10:35. ARSENES EN ARSESIN THN
ASCHMOSUNHN KATERGAZOMENOI
 'men with men doing shameless deeds' Ro 1:27; EPI PASAN YUCHN ANQRWPOU TOU
KATERGAZOMENOU TO KAKON 'on everyone who does evil' Ro 2:9.

>If so, are there other such examples that come to mind?

I guess this is an instance of assonance, and it would not surprise me that
when Paul is eloquent, as he often enough is, he will do this sort of
thing. I suspect list-members will be offering some more examples of this
sort of thing.

-- 

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
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/
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