[B-Greek] Re: Semantic Domain of SARX

Doug Hoxworth doughoxworth at yahoo.com
Thu Dec 2 13:29:34 EST 2004


><Ken>
>My point is not to argue here about the specific
meaning of SARX in a given passage.  My point is that
I have yet to be convinced that if you asked a person
in Rome in the middle of the first century, "What does
SARX refer to?", they might point to a body, they
might point to a beef roast, they might use a SWMA as
a synonym, but  they would not say SARX = (AMARTOLOS
FUSIJ, or some other metaphorical idea.  That is
simply not how SARX is used in Greek literature that I
can see.

<doug>
i understand your concern. but the answer to your
question may be entirely different for different
contexts. which, from what i understand, many of the
lexicons (esp. luow & nida) cover (the usages or
glosses of the word in different contexts. so i guess
it depends on what you're looking for. i think the
greeks could have had a number of things come into
mind when hearing the word SARX. each idea would
depend on the context in which it was used.

think of the term pig in english, for example. if i
say, "he's a pig." the term "pig" may conjur up a
number of thoughts or ideas each which depends on the
context in which the word is used.

><Ken>
>Therefore, a  lexicon should offer options for what
the word meant to ancient Greek speakers and leave it
to commentators if they wish to say that SARX is used
by Paul to point to something metaphorical that goes
well beyond the word's meaning.

<doug>
but it may not go "well beyond the word's meaning." it
depends on its usage in context. as i said above, it
depends on what you're looking for a lexicon to do for
you. from what i understand, lexicons give an idea of
the semantic range of a term. and this is derived from
its usage in various contexts. what exactly are you
expecting from the lexicons? what would you personally
like to see under an entry for SARX in a lexicon?

Doug Hoxworth
Luther Rice Seminary


		
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