Chiasmus in Col. 1:16: Where Does It Stop?

Warren Fulton warren at inlingua.at
Mon Mar 12 03:46:59 EST 2001


 Edgar Foster wrote:

> The apostle Paul presents an interesting chiastic arrangement in Col. 1:16. 
> It could be presented as follows: 
> 
> hOTI EN AUTWi EKTISQH TA PANTA EN TOIS OURANOIS 
> 
> KAI EPI THS GHS 
> 
> TA hORATA 
> 
> KAI TA AORATA. 

What you have quoted seems to be the first two lines of a 4-line
stanza extending through all of v. 16 and matching the passage in vv.
19 and 20. Both of these stanzas begin with the phrase hOTI EN AUTWi.
I see a chiastic pattern in the second line of what you have quoted:

EN TOIS OURANOIS - - - - - KAI TA AORATA. 

        KAI EPI THS GHS - TA hORATA 

> Does the chiasm end here, or does it continue with the words: EITE QRONOI 
> EITE KURIOTHTES EITE ARXAI EITE EXOUSIAI? If it does not continue, which 
> seems likely, is it impossible to take hORATA and AORATA with the latter part 
> of 1:16?

The whole stanza contained in verse 16 is chiastic, framed by 

hOTI EN AUTWi EKTISQH - - - - - DI AUTOU KAI EIS AUTON EKTISTAI

        TA PANTA - TA PANTA .

hORATA and AORATA resonate both backward to EN TOIS OURANOIS/KAI EPI
THS GHS (as part of the mini-chiasm in line 2) and forward to the
orders of created things QRONOI - KURIOTHTES, ARXAI - EXOUSIAI (as
part of the overarching chiasm of the stanza).

Best,

Warren Fulton
Inlingua School of Languages
Vienna, Austria



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