Development of Greek Terms in the NT
kentdclarke at hotmail.com
kentdclarke at hotmail.com
Sat Sep 21 00:19:05 EDT 2002
Dear Colleagues:
I was discussing with my students yesterday the author of Mark and his
particular use of the Greek language. This lead into a discussion of
grammatical etymology (and particularly the "etymological fallacy"), where
we also touched upon the idea that, at times, the New Testament authors (and
the early church fathers for that matter) use Greek terms in new contexts
and often with differing nuances from past usages; the idea being that
languages develop and change over time. The ancillary idea being that the
writings of the biblical authors (and the author's themselves) were, in many
ways, products of a culture (or cultures) and language (this being a primary
argument of much of Deissmann's work--especially his "Light from the Ancient
East"; and I believe Moulton's research on vocabulary within non-biblical
papyri).
My actual question pertains to this development of languages. Can any one
think off the top of their heads of any instances where the New Testament
authors "coin a new phrase" or develop new terminology? I believe that Paul,
at least, does this in several places (especially where he is developing a
theological thought or concept) but I am unable to put my finger on any of
these instances. Failing this, can any one think of examples where a Greek
term is used in the New Testament but in a relatively new sense without
earlier precedent? My interest here is not to show any type of "inspired"
development of a "sanctified language"; but rather to display the fluidity
of the Greek language and, in some manner, the innovation of the biblical
authors. I would be pleased to learn of any specific Greek New Testament
examples you might be able to bring to light; and if any one knew of any
monographs, book chapters, or journal articles dealing with such issues, I
would be grateful.
Warm Regards;
Kent D. Clarke (Ph.D. Bristol)
Trinity Western University
7600 Glover Road
Langley, British Columbia
Canada
V2Y 1Y1
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