[B-Greek] 1 Peter 1:15
Mitch Larramore
mitchlarramore at yahoo.com
Tue Jan 11 12:47:11 EST 2005
--- Charles Rempel wrote:
> GENHQHTE
>
> Hebrews 5:5 So also Christ did not glorify Himself
> so as to become a high
> priest, but He who said to Him, "YOU ARE MY SON,
> TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU";
>
> O XRISTOS OUX EAUTON EDOXZASEN GENHQHNAI ARXIEREA
> aorist passive
> infinitive
>
> I believe the essence of the passage is that Christ
> was not the one who made
> himself high priest. This remains a passive concept.
>
> For those who fuss at my reflexive comparison, stop
> and think about it. If
> Christ is the one doing the acting and He is the one
> who becomes high
> priest, it inherently has reflexive connotations. To
> say that he is becoming
> high priest, but he is not becoming high priest
> himself would appear to me
> to be an oxymoron.
No, I think very definitely Christ made himself high
priest, but not in the reflexive Middle sense.
I provide this response in hopes of having my
understanding corrected or confirmed.
What I think you've insisted upon is that Christ
DIRECTLY must act (physically??) upon HIMSELF. You've
limited the Middle voice to the Subject DIRECTLY
acting upon itself (reflexive). Like in Greek 101, "I
physically washed myself." If you begin with this
restriction, then the QH forms will be likewise
restricted to the Passive, since the reflexive Middle
is rare to begin with, and wont make any sense.
But if you allow the Greek Middle to function more
broadly, as I think many others have been urging you
to consider, then you will find that more contexts
allow for the Greek Middle sense, and perhaps make
better sense than a Passive.
Perhaps in verse 9 (just a few verses down from your
passage) of Hebrews 5 the Passive will naturally give
way to the Middle:
5:8 KAIPER WN hUIOS EMAQEN AF hWN EPAQEN THN hUPAKOHN
5:9 KAI TELEIWQEIS EGENETO PASIN TOIS hUPAKOUOUSIN
AUTWi AITIOS SWTHRIAS AIWNIOU
The NET Bible translates it as Passive:
5:9 And by being perfected in this way, he became the
source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,
Obviously this is a legitimate sense. But the Greek
Middle (not your restrictive reflexive sense) is
equally optional:
5:9 And by bringing about this perfection in this way
(by being obedient), he (thereby) became (by his
obedience) the source of eternal salvation to all who
obey him.
I did not translate this: And by perfecting himself...
(reflexive), since that would make little to no sense.
But to capture the Greek sense, I borrowed, I think,
from the English Active (by bringing about this
perfection) to convey the Greek Middle (this
perfection was the result of his obedience).
Note that Christ was not being obedient ON HIMSELF.
But Christ was acting in an obedient manner
(throughout his life), and by so doing, personally
brings about (is responsible for) the consequences of
his obedience; his obedience is even the indirect
cause (similiar to the causative Active, I think??...
and that is perhaps why there are Passive senses with
the Active of GINOMAI) of the subsequent Passive event
of the Father appointing him to this office.
That's my stab at it.
=====
Mitch Larramore
Spring Branch, Texas
Student/Memorial High School
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