[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






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