ZHLOUTE (I Cor 12:31)

Jesse Joel Bartz jsbartz at juno.com
Fri Nov 1 13:20:28 EST 2002


[Moderator's note:  There are significant differences in perspectives and 
assumptions whereby 1 Cor 12-14 are approached, some of them of critical to 
commitments held by list-members.  Could we keep responses to these questions 
focused on the Greek text and how it may legitimately be understood, please? 
Thanks. cwc]

Thank you, Steve, for your quick reply.
I have another question that touches upon the ZHLOUTE question. Is there
any particular reason that our English translations consistently translate
both PNEUMATIKA and CARISMATA (in their various forms) as "spiritual
gifts" or "gifts"?
These questions have been born out of a recent study that I have done
through the book of I Corinthians.  As I studied through chapter 12, it
seemed to me that Paul wanted to make several thiongs clear regarding the
gifts. One thing was that the gifts were sovereignly bestowed by the Holy
Spirit for the good of the body, the church (12:7). It also seemed that
Paul spoke against the attitude of one member wanting to have another gift
of prominence since God had placed the various members into the body as He
pleased (12:12-27). He did list the gifts seemingly in order of
importance, but still when I got to verse 31, it didn't seem to make
sense. Why was Paul telling them to desire certain gifts at all when God
Himself gave the gifts for the good of the body, and Paul had seemingly
already spoke against such a desire? Also confusing to me was how the
first sentence of 12:31 would be fused with the second if ZHLOUTE was
indeed imperative. The two don't seem to "gel" very well.

It seemed to me that perhaps Paul was saying to the Corinthians, "You
desire the showy gifts for personal gain, but I will show you the more
excellent way of using them for love."

You mentioned the use of ZHLOUTE in 14:1 and the internal evidence of that
particular passage which would render the term in the imperative. You also
mentioned the correlation between the two passages (12:31 & 14:1). This is
what prompted my second inquiry into the matter. Of course, in 12:31 the
term translated as "gifts" is CARISMATA. The term used in 14:1 is
PNEUMATIKA. English translations will translate CARISMATA as "spiritual
gifts". Yet many English translations render PNEUMATIKA as "spiritual
gifts" with "gifts" in italics, generally denoting a word that is not in
the original but is placed in the English text for readability, among
other things.

What I am now wondering is whether CARISMATA  refers to the actual gifts,
while PNEUMATIKA refers to the spiritual in general, of which the
spiritual gifts would be but a part.

Am I way off, or is this a viable understanding of the matter? Please
advise me on this matter, and disabuse me of any corny notions that I may
have here mentioned.

With thanks,

Rev. Jesse Bartz
Utopia, Ontario, Canada



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