[B-Greek] James 1:25 KATENOHSEN GAR hEAUTON

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Thu Sep 11 10:17:30 EDT 2003


At 7:02 AM -0400 9/11/03, Jonathan Robie wrote:
>I have a question about the phrase KATENOHSEN GAR hEAUTON in James 1:25.
>The word KATANOEW can mean "to look at in a reflective manner", 'consider',
>'contemplate', and seems to be translated this way in some translations -
>"he regards himself", "he looked carefully at himself", etc.
>
>However, in this context, it seems that (1) KATENOHSEN is in the Aorist,
>(2) the mirrors of the time were made of polished metal, and gave a much
>less distinct image, and (3) this man goes away and immediately forgets
>what he looks like.
>
>I'm inclined to say the force of this phrase is something like: "he glanced
>at himself". Am I wrong? If I'm not clearly wrong, am I clearly right?


The text is preceded by: hOTI EI TIS AKROATHS LOGOU ESTIN KAI OU POIHTHS,
hOUTOS EOIKEN ANDRI KATANOOUNTI TO PROSWPON AUTOU EN ESOPTRWi", which I
take to mean, "For anyone who hears the word and does not do it is like a
man who looks in the mirror at the face he was born with," and the text
then goes on: KATENOHSEN GAR hEAUTON KAI APELHLUQEN KAI EUQEWS EPELAQETO
hOPOIOS HN. "he looked at himself and went away and immediately forgot what
he looked like."

I think that the simile is to be understood literally, and then its
implications are to be considered: The guy doesn't know who he is, doesn't
grasp his authentic identity; that means, I think, that he is "play-acting"
the role of one who has said "yes" to the gospel proclamation. I guess the
question is more precisely: how is the simile to be understood in terms of
that original proposition stated in verse 23, of "being a hearer of the
word and not a doer."
-- 

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
WWW: http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/



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