[B-Greek] 1 Tim 3:4 What does dignity go with?
Yancy Smith
Y.W.Smith at tcu.edu
Sat Dec 3 20:11:31 EST 2005
MIke,
1 Tim. 3:1-7 details the character of candidates to the episcopate.
3:1 is the heading. 3:2-3 represents the general moral character of
the candidate. 3:4-5 details his character as a manager/leader of his
household, 3:6 refers to his status within the Church, stipulating
that he cannot be a new convert and gives the reason why, while 3:7
stipulates that outsiders must have a good opinion of him and gives
the reason why. It seems to me that the phrase META PASHS SEMNOTHTOS
(μετὰ πάσης σεμνότητος) in this context is best
understood as an adverbial phrase of manner modifying PROISTAMENON,
which should be read either as a modal participle "he should lead" or
as a complementary participle, functioning in the same way an
infinitive would, as subject of DEI (cf. ECEIN in v. 7). The
adverbial phrase of manner "with all seriousness" then refers to the
way the EPISKOPOS (v. 2) should manage his own household. The
parenthetical statement gives the reason why the EPISKOPOS should be
serious about leading his own house well, "If someone does not know
how to lead his own household, how will he care for the church of
God?" This rhetorical question repeats essentially the language of
3:4a. Phrased to show the relationships, the verses look like this
TOU IDIOU OIKOU KALWS PROISTAMENOS
TEKNA ECONTA EN hUPOTAGH
META PASHS SEMNOTHTOS
(EI DE TIS TOU IDIOU OIKOU PROSTHNAI OUK OIDEN
PWS EKKLHSIAS QEOU EPIMELHSETAI;
Yancy Smith
Y.W.Smith at tcu.edu
Brite Divinity School
Texas Christian University
More information about the B-Greek
mailing list