1 Peter 3:20: APEIQHSASIN

John Barach jbarach at telusplanet.net
Mon May 1 18:49:44 EDT 2000


Fellow B-Greeks:

I'm working ahead on my exegesis of 1 Peter and I've come to one of the
stickiest passages in the Bible, I suspect: 1 Peter 3:18ff.  While I'd
appreciate any help you can offer on the difficulties of this passage,
I'm particularly interested in the participle APEIQHSASIN in 3:20.

Here it is in context:

EN hWi KAI TOIS EN FULAKHi PNEUMASIN POREUQEIS EKHRUXEN, APEIQHSASIN
POTE hOTE APEXEDECETO hH TOU QEUO MAKROQUMIA EN hHMERAIS NWE
KATASKEUAZOMENHS KIBWTOU ...

Most translations and commentaries render APEIQHSASIN adjectivally: "to
the spirits in prison, *who* were disobedient...."  APEIQHSASIN,
however, is anarthrous, and Turner (3:153) comments that the lack of an
article with this adjectival participle is "unclassical."  Elsewhere, he
says it isn't "good Greek" (4:129).

Wayne Grudem, however, argues that APEIQHSASIN isn't adjectival at all. 
He cites BDF, section 270, where the basic "rule" is stated: an
attributive adjective used with arthrous substantives when in
postposition *must* have its own article -- unless it's one of many
adjectives between the article and the noun (Sec. 269) or it's a
supplementary participle following a verb of perception or cognition
(Sec. 416).

He notes that there are no other examples of adjectival anarthrous
participles with arthrous antecedents.  The passages usually listed as
exceptions usually have the anarthrous participle immediately following
its antecedent, not separated from it as in 1 Peter 3.

(Grudem argues that in Luke 2:5; 16:14; Acts 24:24; and 1 Pet. 4:12 the
participles function adverbially, though they are usually translated
loosely as adjectives.)

Grudem then argues that APEIQHSASIN should be taken averbially and
circumstantially -- e.g., "preached to the spirits in prison *when* they
formerly disobeyed."  The subsequent time reference ("when God's
patience waited") doesn't invalidate this interpretation, since there
are two or more time references in a row in passages such as Col. 3:7.

No other commentator that I've seen takes this position, however.  Your
evaluation would be greatly appreciated.  If you think APEIQHSASIN
should be taken adjectivally, could you please explain why you think
that.

Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

John


%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
John Barach (403) 317-1950
Pastor, Trinity Reformed Church (URCNA)
113 Stafford Blvd. N.
Lethbridge, AB
T1H 6E3



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