[B-Greek] 1 Tim 3:4 What does dignity go with?
Carl W. Conrad
cwconrad at ioa.com
Sat Dec 3 15:43:31 EST 2005
On Dec 3, 2005, at 12:08 PM, Mike Sangrey wrote:
> 1 Tim 3:4
> τέκνα ἔχοντα ἐν ὑποταγῇ μετὰ
> πάσης σεμνότητος
>
> TEKNA ECONTA EN hUPOTAGHi META PASHS SEMNOTHTOS
>
> To what does the META prepositional phrase connect?
I would say that it construes with the entire participial phrase
TEKNA ECONTA EN hUPOTAGHi; properly speaking I think that the
prepositional phrase ought to function adverbially rather than
adjectivally to the TEKNA.
> Is it describing the children and therefore the children are to be
> submissive and supportive of the EPISKOPH and do so in a dignified and
> highly respectful manner?
My sense is that it's not describing the EPISKOPOS or his office so
much as the character of the man upon whom such an office should be
bestowed, one who (among other things) keeps a firm disciplinary hold
over his children.
> Or, is it describing the EPISKOPH who is to maintain the children in a
> submissive and supportive role and to do so in a dignified manner.
> That
> is, the potential EPISKOPH doesn't throw hissie-fits to get the
> children
> under control.
>
> It seems to me that the word SEMNOTHS doesn't appear to make a lot of
> sense to apply to children. The use of PAS makes that possibility
> even
> more odd. I mention this since I think this somewhat exegetical
> question really boils down to a lexical semantic one. And that's
> where
> I'd like the help (unless someone sees a different pathway to a
> solution).
SEMNOTHS is indeed an interesting word; in older Greek (I'm thinking
particularly of the Hippolytus of Euripides) it is hinted that
SEMNOTHS is appropriate to a God but not to a human being, inasmuch
as the inherent conception in that root SEB- is the kind of reverence
that is owed to a god and not to a human being. BDAG has several
instances, however, of the term as applied to human beings. I woud
understand META SEMNOTHTOS here in the sense "in such a manner that
he is held in reverence by his children."
I am curious to hear other opinions on this question.
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad2 at mac.com
WWW: http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/
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