1 Cor 1:24

Polycarp66 at aol.com Polycarp66 at aol.com
Mon Mar 27 06:55:30 EST 2000


In a message dated 3/26/2000 8:09:46 PM Central Standard Time, 
phos at prodigy.net writes:

<< 
 DR>Could you tell me if CRISTON QEOU DUNAMIN KAI QEOU SOFIAN [1Cor 1:24] is
 to be translated as "[We preach] Messiah the power of God, and the wisdom
 of God" or "Messiah as the power of Cod etc.">
 
 I would read Paul's argument in the passage as follows:  
 
 The salvation sought by both Jews and gentiles is a temporal salvation. 
 From that temporal perspective the crucifixion of the messiah is foolish
 (as a strategy) and powerless (as a tactic) to save mankind from his
 temporal problems.  But the truly necessary salvation is an eternal
 salvation (from the wrath/judgment of a holy God in the resurrection, cf.
 Rom 2:5).  From that eternal perspective the crucifixion of the messiah is
 both wise and powerful in the extreme.
 
 Following the flow of the argument in that way, dunamis and sophia would
 refer specifically to the crucifixion rather than to the messiah
 personally.  That is, the crucifixion was both a powerful act and a wise
 act by God.  So the sense of 1 Cor 1:23-24 might be rendered as follows:
 
 
 "We on the other hand proclaim the crucifixion of the messiah: to the Jews
 a stumbling block, to the gentiles foolishness; but to those of the Jews
 and gentiles who are called, the powerful and wise act of God."
  >>

1.20 POU SOFOS; POU GRAMMATEUS; POU SUZHTHS TOU AIWNOS TOUTOU; OUXI EMWRANEN 
hO QEOS THN SOFIAN TOU KOS MOU;
21 EPEIDH GAR EN THi SWFIAi TOU QEOU OUK EGNW hO KOSMOS DIA THS SOFIAS TON 
QEON, EUDOKHSEN hO QEOS DIA THS MWRIAS TOU KHRUGMATOS SWSAI TOUS PISTEUONTAS 
22 EPEIDH KAI IOUDAIOI SHMEIA AITOUSIN KAI hELLHNES SWFIAN ZHTOUSIN
23 hHMEIS DE KHRUSSOMEN XRISTON ESTAURWMENON, IOUDIAOIS MEN SKANDALON EQNESIN 
DE MWRIAN
24 AUTOIS DE TOIS KLHTOIS IOUDAIOIS TE KAI hELLHNESIN, XRISTON QEOU  DUNAMIN 
KAI QEOU SWFIAN
25 hOTI TO MWRON TOU QEOU SOFWTERON TWN ANQRWPWN ESTIN KAI TO ARSENES TOU 
QEOU ISXUROTERON TWN ANQRWPWN.

I would translate as

1 Co 1:20
Where is the wise? Where is the scribe (academic)? Where is the disputer 
(philosopher) of this age?  Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
21 For since in God’s wisdom the world did not know God through wisdom, God 
determined to save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching.
22 For although the Jews seek a sign and the Greeks seek wisdom,
23 we preach Christ who was crucified -- a scandal to the Jews, and 
foolishness to the gentiles, 

24 But to those who are called (both Jews and Greeks) Christ is God’s power 
and God’s wisdom 

25 because God’s foolishness is wiser than human [wisdom] and God’s weakness 
is stronger than human [strength].

gfsomsel



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