[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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