[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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