[B-Greek] AGGELOS in 2 Cor 12:7

George F. Somsel gfsomsel at juno.com
Sun May 23 17:50:29 EDT 2004


Bert,

Note that SKOLOY is nom ms as is AGGELOS.  This would suggest that
AGGELOS SATANA is in apposition.  Unless we wish to consider the (not to
be automatically eliminated) option that this is viewed as a concept
related to demonic possession, it would need to be impersonal.  Since
Jesus and even the disciples are said to have cast out demons, it would
seem that such a concept was operative during the NT though we would not
ascribe mental or physical illness to demonic possession today.  Thus, I
would suppose you could understand it as either  personal or impersonal. 
I apologize that my response is beyond strict linguistic grounds, but
some things cannot be answered simply by linguistics.

gfsomsel
________

On Sun, 23 May 2004 16:54:43 -0400 <bertdehaan at gosympatico.ca> writes:
> 2 Cor.12:7b-8
> (7B)EDOQH MOI SKOLOY THi SARKI, AGGELOS SATANA, hINA ME KOLAFIZHi, 
> hINA MH hUPERAIRWMAI.(8)hUPER TOUTOU TRIS TON KURION PAREKALESA, 
> hINA APOSTHi AP EMOU.
> 
> In every English translation that I checked AGGELOS here is 
> considered something impersonal. It is commonly explained as a 
> physical problem. In verse 8, hINA APOSTHi AP EMOU is then 
> translated as -that it might depart from me-. The Dutch translations 
> have -that he might depart from me-.
> 
> According to Trenchard the word AGGELOS occurs 175 times in the GNT. 
> Using a concordance, I checked out a selection of them (I don't have 
> a Greek concordance so I can't be exhaustive.)  I could not find 
> another instance where AGGELOS was translated as impersonal.
> Would it be more likely that Paul was plagued by a person as a 
> messenger of Satan, rather than some sort of physical ailment?
> Thank you.
> Bert de Haan.
> (Ps. I now receive the digest so please Cc any replies to me.)
> 
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