2 Peter 1:4

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Sun Nov 24 06:18:09 EST 2002


At 6:27 PM +1100 11/24/02, Jonathan Burke wrote:
>2 Peter 1:4
>
>DI WN TA MEGISTA HMIN KAI TIMIA EPAGGELAMATA DEDWRHTAI INA DIA TOUTWN
>GENHSTHE THEIAS DOINOWNOI FUSEWS APOFUGNTES THS EN KOSMOW EN EPIQMIA FQORAS.
>
>What is the sense of INA DIA TOUTWN GENHSTHE THEIAS DOINOWNOI FUSEWS?  Is it
>speaking of something which they now have, or something which is yet future?
>It seems to me to be speaking of something yet future, but I stand to be
>corrected.

First let's correct the transcription, which is not legible in its
transcription above:

DI' hWN TA TIMIA KAI MEGISTA hHMIN EPAGGELMATA DEDWRHTAI, hINA DIA TOUTWN
GENHSQE QEIAS KOINWNOI FUSEWS APOFUGONTES THS EN TWi KOSMWi EN EPIQUMIAi
FQORAS.

And the phrase in question, hINA DIA TOUTWN QEIAS GENHSQE KOINWNOI FUSEWS ...

I'd English GENHSQE as "come to be" and I'd understand it in the sense of
finally achieving the fullness of participation toward which the initial
steps of faith-commitment and spiritual growth have set one's course. In
one of the not uncommon eschatological formulations (such as also refers to
the assertions that the believer "has died and been raised with Christ"),
this is a matter of "already and not yet." The process has begun but isn't
expected to be completed until "the day of Christ." So it's not a matter of
EITHER they now have OR they will have in the future, but rather they BOTH
have now (in part) AND will have (fully) in the future.
-- 

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu OR cwconrad at ioa.com
WWW: http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/



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