Thinking in the NT Kardia

Larry Baker lbaker at accs.edu
Thu Oct 3 10:26:10 EDT 2002


Regarding the NT kardia and thinking, unlike how many modern western
languages a distinguish between thinking in the mind and emotion in the
heart, both the NT Greek and OT Hebrew understood the kardia as the
thinking/pondering part of a person's being [where the nous was a
staging area for perception and understanding].  Thus kardia so used by
Paul in 1 Cor. 2:9 "conceives" [NIV], in 1 Cor. 7:37 "decides", and in
Eph. 1:18 has "eyes for enlightening" [NKJV - "understanding.]  

Although it is not all this simplistic, there is a bit of a contrast
between our modern English semantic domains of mind-heart-emotion than
that of NT Greek and OT Hebrew which themselves are closer to one
another than to ours.  

A similar situation is seen with their "spirit/wind" combination word.

Larry N. Baker
American Christian College and Seminary, OKC




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