[B-Greek] Gal 2.4: ellipsis or anacoluthon?

Steven Lo Vullo themelios at charter.net
Sun Nov 28 15:46:14 EST 2004


Hi all:

Gal 2.3-5 reads as follows:

3 ALL' OUDE TITOS hO SUN EMOI, hELLHN WN, HNAGKASQH PERITMHQHNAI; 4 DIA 
DE TOUS PAREISAKTOUS YEUDADELFOUS, hOITINES PAREISHLQON KATASKOPHSAI 
THN ELEUQERIAN hHMWN hHN ECOMEN EN CRISTWi IHSOU, hINA hHMAS 
KATADOULWSOUSIN, 5 hOIS OUDE PROS hWRAN EIXAMEN THi hUPOTAGHi, hINA hH 
ALHQEIA TOU EUAGGELIOU DIAMEINHi PROS hUMAS.

My initial inclination was to take the first clause of v. 4 as 
elliptical, with an understood TOUTO EGENETO or something similar. This 
understanding is reflected in translations such as that of the NET 
Bible:

"Now **this matter arose** because of the false brothers with false 
pretenses who slipped in unnoticed to spy on our freedom that we have 
in Christ Jesus, to make us slaves."

However, other translations seem to be based on an understanding that 
there is a syntactical incoherence here. Note, e.g., the NRSV:

"4 But because of false believers secretly brought in, who slipped in 
to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might 
enslave us--5 we did not submit to them even for a moment, so that the 
truth of the gospel might always remain with you."

Then there is this in the ESV:

"4 Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in--who slipped in to 
spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might 
bring us into slavery--5 to them we did not yield in submission even 
for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for 
you."

So which seems more probable in the Greek, elliptical or anacoluthic?
============

Steven Lo Vullo
Madison, WI




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