[B-Greek] KAQWS

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at ioa.com
Fri Jun 10 21:22:12 EDT 2005


Date: Fri, 10 Jun 2005 17:46:38 -0700 (PDT)
Forwarded for: Richard Richmond <rickr2889 at yahoo.com>

ARCH TOU EUAGGELIOU IHSOU CRISTOU hUIOU QEOU  KAQWS GEGRAPTAI EN TWi  
HSA TWi PROFHTHi IDOU APOSTELLW TON AGGELON MOU PRO PROSWPOU SOU hOS  
KATASKEUASEI THN hODON SOU

Most translators present the text as though KAQWS were intended to  
introducea quotation. My position is that it is not so intended but  
rather compares the good news about Jesus Christ Son of God with the  
good news found in the prophesy of Isaiah.

Beginning, the gospel of Jesus Christ as it stands written in Isaiah  
the prophet

These are the reasons I translate KAQWS opening lines of Mark as I  
did in the earlier post. My evidence comes only from the text of Mark  
itself. I learned long ago that one must look at grammar first and  
foremost in the document in question. In manuscript work you first  
have to recreate and record the alphabet of the document as it  
appears in the hand of the writer before you can begin to work with  
the text. How anyone else in any other document forms letters or  
positions words and phrases is of no use whatever. You also have to  
catalog the various forms and habits used by the scribe. Likewise in  
a broader scope one must concentrate on the grammar of the writer  
within the context of his work. It is precisely that sort of frame of  
reference out of which I discuss Mark’s use of  the compound  
conjunction KAQWS and also of emphatic words and phrases.
I can demonstrate his methods over the course of his document not  
just in one instance with one verse. I would argue that how  
conjunctions are used elsewhere in the New Testament have little  
bearing on how Mark uses them.

I am saying that within the Gospel of Mark there is no other use
for KAQWS than to compare one thing with another. See
  for yourself:

Mar 4:33

KAI TOIAUTAIS PARABOLAIS POLLAIS ELALEI AUTOIS TON LOGON KAQWS  
HDUNANTO AKOUEIN

Mar 9:13
   ALLA LEGW hUMIN hOTI KAI HLIAS ELHLUQEN KAI EPOIHSAN AUTWi hOSA  
HQELON KAQWS GEGRAPTAI EP AUTON

Mar 11:6
hOI DE EIPAN AUTOIS KAQWS EIPEN hO IHSOUS KAI AFHKAN AUTOUS

Mar 14:16
KAI EXHLQON hOI MAQHTAI KAI HLQON EIS THN POLIN KAI hEURON KAQWS  
EIPEN AUTOIS KAI hHTOIMASAN TO PASCA

Mar 14:21
hOTI hO MEN hUIOS TOU ANQRWPOU hUPAGEI KAQWS GEGRAPTAI PERI AUTOU  
OUAI DE TWi ANQRWPWi EKEINWi DI hOU hO hUIOS TOU ANQRWPOU PARADIDOTAI  
KALON AUTWi EI OUK EGENNHQH hO ANQRWPOS EKEINOS

Mar 15:8
KAI ANABAS hO OCLOS HRXATO AITEISQAI KAQWS EPOIEI AUTOIS

Mar 16:7
  ALLA hUPAGETE EIPATE TOIS MAQHTAIS AUTOU KAI TWi PETRWi hOTI  
PROAGEI hUMAS EIS THN GALILAIAN EKEI AUTON OYESQE KAQWS EIPEN hUMIN


What sort of argument stands up against the internal evidence of the  
text of Mark? I can’t think of any that might cause me to think  
differently on this issue and over many years I have tried.

Now there does happen to be a instance where the same prophet is  
actually quoted in Mark.


Most translators present the text as though KAQWS were intended to  
introduce
a quotation in the opening lines of Mark. My position is that it is  
not so intended but rather compares the good news about Jesus Christ  
Son of God with the good news found in the prophesy of Isaiah.


Lets look at a text where Mark actually does cite a passage from Isaiah:
hO  DE  EIPEN  AUTOIS  KALWS  EPROFHTEUSEN  HSA  PERI  hUMWN  TWN   
hUPOKRITWN
And he said to them       well      prophesied  Isaiah  concerning  
you the hypocrites,
hWS  GEGRAPTAI  hOTI  hOUTOS hO  LAOS  TOIS CEILESIN  ME  TIMAi  hH   
DE  KARDIA
as it has been written [that] this people with the lips honors me but  
the heart
AUTWN  PORRW  APECEI  AP  EMOU
Of them is far away from me
As you see, when the writer is actually introducing a quotation he  
uses hWS.
To go further into that issue one can say that for Mark, the first  
part of the compound conjunction  KAQWS or kata  signals the  
progression from the first item of comparison to the second item.   
When there is no first item, there is not compound comparative  
conjunction. Again this conclusion bears out when one examines the  
other occurrences of KAQWS in Mark. I do not want to minimize your  
right to believe otherwise conserning the text, I merely want to  
present my case and let the evidence speak for itself. I want to say  
thank you to all who have participated in this disc ussion concerning  
the opening lines of the Gospel of Mark.


Rev. Rick Richmond
26652 Osmun,
Madison Heights MI 48701
Rickr2889 at yahoo.com
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com









More information about the B-Greek mailing list