2 Cor 8:24

Iver Larsen iver_larsen at sil.org
Tue Dec 11 07:28:08 EST 2001


Looking at this text I prefer an alternative analysis than what appears to
be the commonly accepted one. I would like some feedback whether such an
alternative is better or worse than the common one.

THN OUN ENDEIXIN THS AGAPHS hUMWN KAI hHMWN KAUCHSEWS hUPER hUMWN EIS AUTOIS
ENDEIKNUMENOI EIS PROSWPON TWN EKKLHSIWN

The background is that Paul is sending several co-workers to Corinth to help
them go ahead with the collection of money as a gift for the poor in
Jerusalem. As they arrive, Paul is urging the Corinthians to show their
love, in part by giving of their surplus to those who have less. Paul has
also been boasting about the Corinthians to Titus as shown in 7:14.

The question is what the last prepositional phrase - EIS PROSWPON TWN
EKKLHSIWN - is to be connected with. All the translations I have checked
seem to take it with THN ENDEIXIN ... ENDEIKNUMENOI "(be) displaying the
display of your love before the churches".
My alternative is to see two parallel objects (objective genitives) for
making a display, that is, there are two things Paul has said about them
that they need to demonstrate are true. One is the simple nounphrase THS
AGAPHS hUMWN. The other is a cluster of NPs: hHMWN KAUCHSEWS hUPER hUMWN EIS
AUTOIS EIS PROSWPON TWN EKKLHSIWN.


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