PASAN THN PISTIN

Ben Crick ben.crick at argonet.co.uk
Tue Jan 16 07:24:31 EST 2001


On Tue 16 Jan 2001 (04:40:45), emory2oo2 at hotmail.com wrote:
> How would you understand PASAN THN PISTIN in 1 Cor 13:2?
> 
> "all categories of faith..."
> 
> "all levels/degrees of faith..."

 Dear Mark,
 
 KAI EAN ECW (1)  PROFHTEIAN KAI EIDW TA MUSTHRIA PANTA KAI PASAN THN GNWSIN
 KAI EAN ECW (2)  PASAN THN PISTIN hWSTE ORH MEQISTANAI
             (3)  AGAPAN DE MH ECW
 OUQEN EIMI.

 Verse 2 continues the /structure/ of verse 1, but with a more complicated
 protasis.

 The Faith to move mountains is an obvious allusion to Matthew 17:20, 21:21,
 well-known LOGIA of Jesus. Matthew 21:21-22 has
 21 EAN ECHTE PISTIN KAI MH DIAKRIQHTE
 [OU MONON TO THS SUKHS POIHSETE ALLA KAN]
 TWi OREI TOUTWi EIPHTE  ARQHTI KAI BLHQHTI EIS THN QALASSAN,
 GENHSETAI.
 22 KAI *PANTA* hOSA AN AITHSHTE EN THi PROSEUCHi *PISTEUONTES* LHMYESQE.

 So in my opinion, PASAN THN PISTIN in 1 Cor 13:2 means "all faith and no
 doubt", necessary if you wish to wither a figtree or move mountains. There
 may be a further allusion to Zechariah 4:6-7, which Paul would have known
 better in the Hebrew than in the LXX. "What are you, O mighty mountain?
 Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground" (NIV). LXX has TIS EI SU
 TO OROS TO MEGA TO PROSWPOU ZOROBABEL TOU KATORQWSEI; - not quite the same.
 But the grounds of the removal of the great mountain facing Zerubbabel are
 OUK EN DUNAMEI MEGALHi, OUDE EN ISCUI, ALLA EN PNEUMATI MOU, LEGEI KURIOS
 PANTOKRATWR.

 IMHO this is the PASAN THN PISTIN, the faith given by the gift of the Holy
 Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:9), which is the kind of "all faith" that is needed
 in order to remove great mountains. 

 ERRWSQE
 Ben
-- 
 Revd Ben Crick, BA CF
 <ben.crick at argonet.co.uk>
 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK)
 http://www.cnetwork.co.uk/crick.htm






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