[B-Greek] Mt 11:19 the works and the wisdom
Brion Brooks
bjbrooks at gmnp.net
Thu Aug 14 11:55:26 EDT 2003
Its funny how often one can read a verse and look past all that it has to
offer. Thank you for pointing out this interesting verse and the interesting
issues it brings with it.
I've only had a year of Greek, and I'm new to this listserve, but I'd like
to take a stab at an answer.
"Which/whose wisdom?"
I don't think the reference is to any one person's wisdom, but wisdom itself
(herself). From what I've seen, the Jewish tradition of the time frequently
personified wisdom as a creature of God's making. This is frequently seen in
the Book of Sirach. Look also at Proverbs 8:12-16 for a succinct
illustration of Wisdom personified. Kittel (TDNT) addresses this them in
depth.
I'm not sure that the personification of wisdom should be taken too
literally (i.e., don't create a new religion of sofia). We personify
abstract ideas all the time. In my profession, an old saying is that "The
law is a jealous mistress." Other examples are too numerous to get into.
"Who justifies by doing what?"
Your using "justifies" actively, but the text uses the verb passively. That
is, Jesus says that wisdom 'is justified' (EDKAIWQH) by her acts. In this
usage, I think the passage means that wisdom's actions vindicate themselves.
Just as we frequently say that an action "speaks for itself." By using the
passive, the verse is focusing on the recipient of the verb, not the actor.
"What works?"
I'm not sure I know what you mean. The passage in the Greek is ERGWN AUTHS.
The AUTHS is the singular feminine genitive meaning "her." The pronoun
"her" seems to relate back to the SOFIA (wisdom) which is a singular
feminine noun. Thus, "her (wisdom's) works."
"Can APO mean 'away from'?"
Yes, but I don't think so here. Bauer's Greek-English Lexicon notes that
"APO" frequently takes the place of "UPO" when used with a passive verb.
Such is the case here, with the passive use of EDKAIWQH. So, I think the
stronger interpretation is that wisdom is justified/vindicated BY her
actions/deeds.
SUMMARY for the man on the street:
First, Jesus' reference to wisdom as a woman is no different than how we
still talk today. Shakespeare referred to fortune as a whore. Musicals refer
to "lady luck." Songs speak of "old man river" and meteorologists warn about
"old man winter." I already used the idea of justice as a woman. You get the
idea.
Second, Jesus is talking about wisdom's deeds as vindicating herself. (In
Jewish tradition, only the righteous are truly vindicated.) Thus, Wisdom's
innate righteousness is demonstrated by looking at her works. Again, this is
not an uncommon idea still today. Baseball coaches ask their players, "What
have you done for me recently?" When we are feeling particularly
self-righteous (or judgmental) we may remind someone that "actions speak
louder than words."
Jesus is effectively saying the same thing here: Don't judge John or myself
based on the trappings of what we eat or who we associate with; rather we
are found righteous because of what we have done and are doing (with,
implicitly, the proper rationale).
May the same be said of us.
Brion Brooks
Brion Brooks
Gruel, Mills, Nims & Pylman
50 Monroe Place, Ste 700W
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
616-235-5500
bjbrooks at gmnp.net
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Wieland Willker [mailto:willker at chemie.uni-bremen.de]
> Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2003 10:24 AM
> To: B-Greek
> Subject: [B-Greek] Mt 11:19 the works and the wisdom
>
>
> Matthew 11:19
> KAI EDIKAIWQH H SOFIA APO TWN ERGWN AUTHS.
>
> 1. Which/whose wisdom?
> 2. Who justifies by doing what?
> 3. What works?
> 4. Can APO mean "away from"?
>
> Explain to the man on the street what is meant here.
>
>
> Best wishes
> Wieland
> <><
> ------------------------------------------------
> Wieland Willker, Bremen, Germany mailto:willker at chemie.uni-bremen.de
> http://www.uni-bremen.de/~wie
> Textcritical commentary: http://www.uni-bremen.de/~wie/TCG/index.html
>
>
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