hWSTE in 1 Cor 5.1--epexegetical?
Steven R. Lo Vullo
slovullo at mac.com
Tue Dec 24 16:07:56 EST 2002
On Tuesday, December 24, 2002, at 01:50 AM, Iver Larsen wrote:
> An excellent question, Steven, because it puts a spotlight on the use
> and
> function of hWSTE in the GNT that I don't think is widely recognized.
> hWSTE is commonly used with an (accusative and) infinitive following,
> according to my count 50 times with infinitive out of a total of 83
> occurrences of hWSTE in the NT.
> hWSTE has considerable overlap with hINA, in that both are consecutive
> markers which may indicate either purpose or result. hINA is much
> wider in
> function and use, though. hWSTE more commonly indicates result than
> purpose.
>
> However, the interesting thing about hWSTE is that it is mainly used in
> situations which are in one way or another described as extraordinary,
> beyond normal expectation. When I looked at those 50 occurrences I
> found in
> the preceding clause words like MEGAS, LIAN, POSOS, POLLOS, TOSOUTOS,
> POLUS,
> MALLON, etc. Also words for "amazing" were very common in the context.
>
> I would invite you and others to look at all the occurrences of hWSTE
> and
> analyse the context in terms of extraordinarity. Let me quote the
> first two
> examples in the NT as samples:
> Matt 8:24 KAI IDOU SEISMOS MEGAS EGENETO EN THi QALASSHi hWSTE TO
> PLOION
> KALUPTESQAI
> Matt 8:28 CALEPOI LIAN hWSTE MH ISCUEIN TINA PARELQEIN
>
> The tendency for hWSTE to be used with unexpected, extraordinary
> result and
> hINA for normal result is most pronounced in John's Gospel. John uses
> hINA
> regularly for result, but hWSTE is only used once in the whole gospel
> in a
> verse that it is fitting to quote on this Christmas Eve: "For God
> loved the
> world SO MUCH that (hWSTE) he gave his only Son..."
>
> It is because of this regular focus on the extraordinary that the
> distinction between result and epexegetical use is somewhat blurred.
> Take
> John 3:16 again. Did God give his Son as a result of his love? Or does
> the
> giving of his Son further explain the extraordinary amount of love he
> showed? Or both?
>
> In 1 Cor 5:1 the hWSTE is then to be taken with KAI TOIAUTH PRONEIA -
> even
> such an immorality. It was this extraordinary kind of PORNEIA that was
> not
> EVEN found among the Greeks in Corinth who were known for their
> PORNEIA.
First, thank you Carlton, Carl, and Iver for your responses. They are
greatly appreciated.
Iver, your examples do seem to fit the force of hWSTE in 1 Cor 5.1. In
particular, I think Matt 8.28 is a good parallel. It seems that, like
in 1 Cor 5.1, hWSTE is used epexegetically with the adjective, in this
case CALEPOI, with the idea, "so extremely violent that no one was able
to pass by that way." In other words, it fills out the adjectival idea.
I think the same thing is at work in 1 Cor 5.1. The hWSTE clause fills
out the adjectival idea of TOIAUTH, so that the idea is that the sexual
immorality is "of such a kind that someone has his father's wife." I
think your idea that hWSTE introduces something extraordinary holds
true in this clause, so much so that it deserves an exclamation point
at the end, as in NKJV and TEV.
> Enjoy your Christmas in the great love of God, shown through the
> giving of
> his Son,
> Iver Larsen
And you as well, and all the other B-Greekers.
============
Steven R. Lo Vullo
Madison, WI
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