2 Timothy 4:10 - TON NUN AIWNA

Mike Sangrey msangrey at BlueFeltHat.org
Thu Dec 26 16:28:16 EST 2002


On Thu, 2002-12-26 at 15:53, Clwinbery at aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 12/26/02 2:01:06 PM, msangrey at BlueFeltHat.org writes:
> 
> >The complete clause is:
> >    DHMAS GAR ME EGKATELIPEN AGAPHSAS TON NUN AIWNA
> >
> >The phrase I'm specifically interested in is:
> >    AGAPHSAS TON NUN AIWNA
> >
> >Could this simply mean:
> >    being short-sighted?
> >
> >In other words, Demas didn't have a long term outlook on what Paul and
> >the other fellow workers were accomplishing.  The pressure was on, so
> >Demas left Paul (essentially) alone.
> >

> Mike, I would take AIWNA (AIWN) as a synonym of KOSMOS. Louw & Nida seem to 
> support this in the article given below. It would refer to the "world" as the 
> present world of human society with its comforts, etc.
> 
<snipped the L&N citation>

Thanks Carlton.  I looked up AIWN in L&N before posting and wanted to
poke at it a little bit.  What I'm hoping for is someone knowing of
another place where TON NUN AIWNA occurs.

If I understand NUN AIWNA as synonymous with KOSMOS, my mind immediately
goes to 1 John 2:15ff.  The problem I have with that is that Paul
doesn't group Demas with Alexander.  The Greek pretty clearly groups
Demas with Crescens and Titus.  In fact, I first wasn't altogether sure
whether Paul was saying that all three up and left.  Paul appears to be
quite thankful that Luke stuck around.  He doesn't appear to me to make
a strong distinction between Demas and the others.  However, with
Alexander, it's quite distinct.

Also, I noticed that the paragraph is chiastic.

Do your best to come
    Demas took off for a specific reason, as did a couple of others
        Luke, alone is with me
    Get Mark (the one who left before), he's really helpful (now)
When you come, bring stuff

Now, I'll grant you there's an assumption about Timothy knowing about
Mark.  However, Paul and Silas meet up with Timothy not long after Mark
and Barnabas split from Paul and Silas (cf Acts 15:36ff)

-- 
Mike Sangrey
msangrey at BlueFeltHat.org
Landisburg, Pa.
                        "The first one last wins."
            "A net of highly cohesive details reveals the truth."




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