[B-Greek] Re: Trench on MAKROQUMIA, hUPOMONH and ANOCH

Iver Larsen iver_larsen at sil.org
Thu Feb 20 12:14:21 EST 2003


>
> Without having a concordance to do further studies, would I Corinthians
> 13:4,7, which colocates MAKROQUMIA, hUPOMONH and describes them both as
> characteristics of AGAPH, support Trench, or actually argue against the
> distinctions that Trench seeks to make?

Trench has looked at all the occurrences in the NT, LXX plus other Greek
authors available to him. It is on that basis that he came to his
conclusion. He offers many more reasons that I can quote here. He does say
that "MAKROQUMIA belongs to a later stage of the Greek language. It occurs
in the LXX, though neither there nor elsewhere exactly in the sense which in
the NT it bears... and as little is it that of Plutarch." (p. 196)

On hUPOMONH he says among other things: "But hUPOMONH - BASILIS TWN ARETWN
Chrysostom calls it - is that virtue which in heathen ethics would be called
more often by the name of KARTERIA  or KARTERHSIS, and which Clement of
Alexandria ... describes as the knowledge of what things are to be borne and
what are not..."

So, one cannot draw conclusions from one instance only. For 1 Cor 13:4,7 it
seems to me that it supports Trench. In v. 4, the love that is MAKROQUMIA is
also kind. One is kind to people, not to things, so it fits that M. here is
patience, forbearance with people when they wrong you or do not do what is
expected of them.
In v. 7 it is the last of three verbs which are all constructed with PANTA
as object. With an attitude of love, it is possible to persevere, to endure
everything, including persecutions and abuse of various kinds.

It would be interesting to see whether the papyrus mss that Trench did not
have access to, support his conclusion or not, but I don't have easy access
to those, either.

Iver Larsen



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