[B-Greek] PAROUSIA

Chuck Tripp ctripp at ptialaska.net
Fri Apr 11 00:07:00 EDT 2003


I mostly lurk on this list and have been away for a few days and found this
discussion regarding PAROUSIA.

It was the question of the meaning of the word PAROUSIA among others that
prompted me to learn Greek.  It is also one of the reasons that most of my
Greek reading is in extra-biblical texts (Herodotus, Arrian on the life of
Alexander).  I like to see how the language is used outside the bible in
ordinary situations and read about interesting subjects.  As I read I try to
keep an eye out for important biblical words.

I have found PAROUSIA and its related word PAREIMI a fairly common word
which allows one to get a fairly definite idea the range of meaning of the
word.  One could also include the word PARAGINOMAI in this discussion.

To start off, I'd say to that to ask whether PAREIMI means to arrive or to
be present is a somewhat artificial distinction.  PAREIMI means PAREIMI.  I
think if you asked a ancient greek speaker whether PAREIMI meant to arrive
or to be present, I bet at first he would not understand the question
because both concepts are contained in PAREIMI, the ancient greek speaker
probably did not even realize that there were two shades of meaning unless
he really thought about it.

I can think if a couple of examples between English and French.  In English
you have the word 'time.'  In French you have the word, 'temps.'  However,
in knowing the French word 'temps,' you still don't have enough vocabulary
to express all the thoughts you would use the English word time to express.
'Temps' refers to time as a concept but not as a specific moment in time.
You could say, 'J'ai pas assez de temps' and that would be fine, but you
could not say, 'c'est le temps a manger,' rather you would say 'c'est
l'heure a manger.'  The average English speaker probably does not realize
that there is a distinction without having thought about it.  There are
other examples, 'encore' in French comes out 'yet' and 'again' in English
and I had a difficult time explaining the difference between the two english
words to a French exchange student I got to know a year ago.  Another
example is ser/estar in Spanish versus 'to be' in English.

So having said that, I'd almost go so far as to say that PAREIMI means both
but where the emphasis shifts depending on the context.  As someone else
pointed out, from a literal standpoint, PAREIMI means to be beside.  So it's
most literal English counterpart would be to be present.  However, in terms
of usage, it frequently is used when say a messenger shows up to deliver a
message, when an army shows up in a certain location.  I see this a lot.  So
from a usage standpoint, its English counterpart would be 'to arrive.'

But the reason I say it means both is this: what happens when a person
arrives?  He becomes present.  You can shift the emphasis a little bit (i.e.
a moment or two forward in time) and simply say that the person is present.
That's why I say a Greek speaker might ask 'what's the difference?  He's
here isn't he?'

So to my mind, the difference between PAROUSIA in Matthew 24 and other such
passages meaning 'coming' and 'presence' is about two seconds.

Chuck Tripp
Kodiak, Alaska





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