[B-Greek] 1 Thes.1:3
gfsomsel at juno.com
gfsomsel at juno.com
Thu Nov 4 22:18:57 EST 2004
On Thu, 4 Nov 2004 21:54:56 +0000 ben.crick at argonet.co.uk (Ben Crick)
writes:
> On Thu 4 Nov 2004 (11:47:08), rduggin at comcast.net wrote:
> > I'm wondering about the expression EMPROSQEN TOU QEOU KAI PATROS
> hHMWN
> > in 1 Thes.1:3:
> >
> > MNHMONEUONTES hUMWN TOU ERGOU THS PISTEWS KAI TOU KOPOU THS
> AGAPHS KAI
> > THS hUPOMONHS THS ELPIDOS TOU KURIOU hHMWN IHSOU XRISTOU EMPROSQEN
> TOU
> > QEOU KAI PATROS hHMWN
> >
> > Though several translations (including NET) make the phrase go
> with
> > MNHMONEUONTES, this seems to me a little tenuous because it is so
> far
> > removed by other words in the sentence. [The note in NET does
> allow
> > for the possibility that the phrase goes with TOU KURIOU hHMWN
> IHSOU
> > XRISTOU.] It seems more natural to me that both final phrases
> go
> > with ELPIDOS, making it a hope that waits for the coming of Jesus,
> at
> > which time we will stand before God in judgment. Interestingly,
> > EMPROSQEN occurs three more times in 1 Thes., at least two of
> which
> > pertain to the Lord's coming and judgment (2:19 and 3:13); perhaps
> 3:9
> > is not as clear.
>
> Many English versions make EMPROSQEN TOU QEOU KAI PATROS hUMWN go
> with
> MNHMONEUONTES. Then the work of Faith, the labour of Love and the
> endurance
> of Hope are all due to our Lord Jesus Christ.
>
> EMPROSQEN is a Hebraism, rendering the very common LiP:NeY ("before
> the face
> of...") in the O.T. When Christ returns we shall indeed stand
> "before his
> face".
>
> Faith Love and Hope are the cardinal virtues. Faith has a Content;
> Love has
> an Object; Hope has a Prospect. That prospect is of seeing the Lord
> face to
> face; so IMHO it is the ELPIDOS that goes with TOU KURIOU hHMWN
> IHSOU
> CRISTOU.
>
> Remembering [something] before our God and Father is another way of
> saying
> "mentioning it in our prayers". Paul often begins his letters by
> giving
> thanks to God for his readers' strong points before criticising
> their
> weaknesses. Their strengths are their Faith, their Love, and their
> Hope; and
> their works, labours and endurance that issue from these.
>
> ERRWSQE
>
> Ben
> --
Just to emphasize or illustrate what Ben has just written, you should
take a look at Re 8.3 where this is pictorially represented.
george
gfsomsel
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