[B-Greek] PAROUSIA
furuli at online.no
furuli at online.no
Fri Apr 11 11:53:24 EDT 2003
Dear Dan,
See my comments below.
>Rolf:
>
>I apologize if I was unclear... I'm not advocating the rendering of
>PAROUSIA as 'coming'. In fact, I agree with you--from my very
>limited knowledge of Greek--that 'presence' is probably the correct
>translation. However, as you are undoubtedly aware, making an
>argument about the meaning of a Greek word merely based on its
>closest English equivalent would be the height of folly.
Agree on your last point
>
>So staying within the realm of Greek, there are three lexical issues here:
>
>1. What is the literal meaning of PAROUSIA? Undoubtedly, it means
>'presence', plain and simple. I take it we agree on that.
>
>2. What other connotations did PAROUSIA have in the first century?
>Ann Nyland has given evidence to show that it referred to a person's
>arrival. This is not necessarily punctilliar. A person's arrival,
>after all, would be followed by their presence. That is why the word
>PAROUSIA is used. The person's entire presence is being referred
>to... but the /emphasis/ is on their arrival.
Ann has *not* demonstrated that the side of the concept PAROUSIA that
one or more Classical authors wanted to make visible for their
readers (i.e. which side of the concept that was stressed) was
"arrival". She has given some references with the claim that
"arrival" was the sense that was focused upon, but she has not wanted
to demonstrate on the basis of the context that "arrival" rather than
"presence" was the sense. Only when this is done there is a good case
for "arrival". A person who "is present" did at some time "arrive",
but the crux of the discussion about PAROUSIA is whether it in any
passage of the NT signals anything but a state (presence) and whether
it did so in a Classical context. I do not deny that "coming/arrival"
can be what is stressed in a Classical passage. But I have never seen
a passage where "presence" is not a possible rendering as well, so I
am curious to see one.
>
>3. What meaning did PAROUSIA have to the first-century congregation?
>This can only be determined by a study of the word's usage in the
>NT; and since it's very difficult to keep that separate from
>theology, I'll e-mail you about it off-list.
>
>Just to address a couple of your more relevant arguments on-list:
>
>>Do they ask for a sign *before* the PAROUSIA (to the effect that it
>>is best rendered "coming"), or do they ask for a sign indicating
>>that the PAROUSIA has begun (to the effect that it is best
>>rendered "presence")?
>
>I'm afraid that you are conflating the translational and
>interpretive issues here. Even if the correct rendering is
>'presence', the disciples could still be asking for a sign that the
>presence was imminent.
No! Leaving theology aside, the *linguistic* question is about states
versus actions. The verb EIMI signals a state, and etymologically
speaking, the substantive PAROUSIA signals a state as well ("being
beside"). The concepts signaled by words may change through time, so
PAROUSIA could very well cease to signal a state and rather signal
the action of arrival at some time and among some Greek-speaking
people. However, such a diachronic change should be demonstrated. As
for the NT, the sense "presence" is demanded in some instances, the
sense "arrival" is never demanded (by the context).
The substantive PAROUSIA, if it has the sense "presence" is equal to
the verbal expression "to have come and being here". So PAROUSIA in
this sense is resultative (the end of the action "arrival/coming" is
passed and the resultant state holds). We cannot understand Greek by
the help of English idiom, as you say. But my "feeling" of the Greek
mind is that the native Greeks would understand "What is the sign of
your PAROUSIA?" (given "presence" as the sense) exactly as the
English speaker would understand, "what is the sign indicating that
you have arrived?" You do not ask the last question if you are
interested in the sign *before* someone arrives.
snip
>
>Christian Regards,
>Dan Glick
>
>---
Best regards
Rolf Furuli
University of Oslo
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