[B-Greek] APO in 2 Thess 1:9
Mark Lama
markosl80 at yahoo.com
Tue Nov 25 17:24:21 EST 2003
Polycarp66 at aol.com wrote:
In a message dated 11/25/2003 11:37:47 AM Eastern Standard Time,
dhoxworth at charter.net writes:
what is the best way to understand APO here? is it better
understand as 'from' as a reference to source or is it
'away from' as a reference to separation? or are there
other ways to understand this preposition?
hOITINES DIKHN TISOUSIN OLEQRON AIWNION APO PROSWPOU TOU KURIOU KAI APO THS
DOCHS THS ISXUOS AUTOU
APO PROSWPOU appears 6 times in the NT (326 times in 210 passages in the LXXâ
but I'm not going there). In each instance it appears that it signifies
separation from the presence of . . . whomever. In Acts 5.4, e.g. it says
hOI MEN OUN EPOREUONTO XAIRONTES APO PROSWPOU TOU SUNEDRIOU . . .
I think that the fact that this is said in regard to their relationship to a
group (viz., the Sanhedrin) makes it abundantly apparent that the idea is
separation rather than source.
gfsomsel
---
[Mark]
I think you are better off viewing APO PROSWPOU as a simple "from" (in imitation of Septuagint Greek? -- where it translates MPNY, which certainly cannot be said to stress separation). Looking at the verse, I think the idea is fairly clear. Where is this OLEQRON AIWNION coming from? The person of the Lord, and the DOXA THS ISCUOS AUTOU. When you have a word like "destruction" involved, I think that APO carries a sense of causality, i.e., that it is the glory and power of the Lord that brings everlasting ruin on his enemies. Note that in your example from Acts, separation is no more stressed than is source. APO PROSWPOU TOU SUNEDRIOU could equally be taken as answering the question "Whence are the disciples going?" as "Where are the disciples going?" "From" works fine.
CARIS KAI EIRHNH,
Mark Lama
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