[B-Greek] hUPOSTASIS and OUSIA in Adversus Haereses
George F Somsel
gfsomsel at juno.com
Wed Nov 30 21:45:08 EST 2005
On Wed, 30 Nov 2005 17:50:01 -0200 Octavio Rodriguez
<octaviors at gmail.com> writes:
> Dear Sir:
>
> I have a question about the use of hUPOSTASIS and OUSIA in
> Adversus
> Haereses of Ireneo.
>
> I ´ll quote these:
><BIG SNIP>
>
> In this three quotes , the meanings are differents. The first
> hUPOSTASIS
> perhpaps means essence like OUSIA. The second hUPOSTASIS means
> individual
> being .
>
> I see in all the cases that hUPOSTASIS and OUSIA was translated
> substantia,
> in latin.
>
> I would like to know why the latin translator couldn´t stablish
> the
> difference of this two words.
>
> Best Regards
>
> Octavio Rodriguez
_____________
If you really want to know why the Latin translator followed this
practice, you will need to resurrect the translator to ask him.
Substantia was used by Jerome to translate hUPOSTASIS in 2 Cor 9.4
MH PWS EAN ELQWSIN SUN EMOI MAKEDONES KAI hERWSIN hUMAS APARASKEUASTOUS
KATAISXUNQWMEN hHMEIS, hINA MH LEGW hUMEIS, *** EN THi hUPOSTASEI TAUTHi
***
?ne cum venerint mecum Macedones et invenerint vos inparatos erubescamus
nos ut non dicamus vos *** in hac substantia ***
and 2 Cor 11.17
hO LALW, OU KATA KURION LALW ALL' hWS EN AFROSUNHi, *** EN TAUTHi THi
hUPOSTASEI THS KAUXHSEWS ***.
?quod loquor non loquor secundum Dominum sed quasi in insipientia *** in
hac substantia gloriae ***
as well as Heb 3.14
METOXOI GAR TOU XRISTOU GEGONAMEN, EANPER *** THN ARXHN THS hUPOSTASEWS
*** MEXRI TELOUS BEBAIAN KATASXWMEN
?participes enim Christi effecti sumus si tamen *** initium substantiae
*** usque ad finem firmum retineamus
In all of these cases, however, the word hUPOSTASIS seems to intend
"confidence." In Heb 1.3 we have a different case. Here hUPOSTASIS
comes closer to being "nature" or "essence" yet Jerome translated it with
"substantia."
hOS WN APAUGASMA THS DOCHS KAI *** XARAKTHR THS hUPOSTASEWS AUTOU ***,
FERWN TE TA PANTA TWi hRHMATI THS DUNAMEWS AUTOU, KAQARISMON TWN
hAMARTIWN POIHSAMENOS EKAQISEN EN DECIAi THS MEGALWSUNHS EN hUYHLOIS
?qui cum sit splendor gloriae et *** figura substantiae eius ***
portansque omnia verbo virtutis suae purgationem peccatorum faciens sedit
ad dexteram Maiestatis in excelsis
At Lk 15.12, 13 we read
12 KAI EIPEN hO NEWTEROS AUTWN TWi PATRI, PATER, DOS MOI TO EPIBALLON
MEROS *** THS OUSIAS ***. hO DE DIEILEN AUTOIS TON BION.
13 KAI MET' OU POLLAS hHMERAS SUNAGAGWN PANTA hO NEWTEROS hUIOS
APEDHMHSEN EIS XWRAN MAKRAN KAI EKEI DIESKORPISEN *** THN OUSIAN AUTOU
*** ZWN ASWTWS.
12 ?et dixit adulescentior ex illis patri pater da mihi portionem ***
substantiae *** quae me contingit et divisit illis substantiam
13 ?et non post multos dies congregatis omnibus adulescentior filius
peregre profectus est in regionem longinquam et ibi dissipavit ***
substantiam suam *** vivendo luxuriose
Thus, while the Grk here is OUSIA, the Latin is STILL "substantia."
It would seem that the Latin translator of Irenaeus was in good company.
george
gfsomsel
___________
More information about the B-Greek
mailing list