[B-Greek] 1 cor 3:9

Rion Reece rionreece at hotmail.com
Fri Apr 15 22:15:29 EDT 2005


>At 9:59 AM +0900 4/16/05, Rion Reece wrote:
> >QEOU GAR ESMEN SUNERGOI, QEOU GEWRGION, QEOU OIKODOMH ESTE.

Rion wrote:
> >In this verse, the middle phrase 'QEOU GEWRGION'  is generally construed
> >with the second verb.  Why?  Is there a rule that governs this?  The 
>context
> >would seem to allow it to go with either the ESMEN or the ESTE.

Carl Conrad wrote:
>The logical context doesn't allow it: Paul here distinguishes the
>evangelists as farmers and builders from the congregation that is the sown
>field and the building. Yes, theoretically QEOU GEWRGION could be the
>predicate of ESMEN, but that would confound the metaphorical contrasts that
>Paul is developing here.


Would it?  The building is a fruit of men's (God's?) labor, while a farm 
field is something that God uses to produce fruit.  If Paul is making his 
cadre the field, he could be toning down his (arrogant-seeming?) assertion 
of being God's fellow worker, while maintaining a difference between his 
group and that of his recipients.  It could be much the same as in Romans  
1:11,12 where Paul plainly states that he wants to impart something to them 
an then in a seeming concilliatory gesture says, "or rather so that we may 
be mutually encouraged..."



By the way, thank you so much for taking time to reply.

Rion





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