Rev 3:14

One of the McKays musicke at ozemail.com.au
Thu Jan 25 18:40:22 EST 2001


Tim wrote:
> This is my first message to the list, so please pardon any ineptitude on
> my part
Most ept, Tim!

It seems to me that the
> discussions of H ARCH in Rev. 3:14 have overlooked the two most important
> texts in determinig its usage here, namely the only two other occurences
> of the word in the Revelation (21:6, 22:13).  21:6 reads, EGW TO ALFA KAI
> TO W, H ARCH KAI TO TELOS.  22:13 reads similarly, EGW TO ALFA KAI TO W, O
> PRWTOS KAI O ESCATOS, H ARCH KAI TO TELOS.  The first is a statement by
> God about himself.  The second refers either to God or to Christ.  The
> context favors Christ in the second text.  In both ARCH means "beginning"
> but certainly not in the sense of first created but in the sense of the
> beginner of creation.  This is confirmed by its opposite pair which does
> not mean the last thing created but rather the one who brings creation to
> its proper end or conclusion.  That the or a sense in which Christ is H
> ARCH is specified by the genitive in 3:14 does not seem to me to alter the
> sense of ARCH in the passage.

Good on yer, mate! [Well, it is Australia Day]
David McKay
musicke at ozemail.com.au




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