[B-Greek] Titus 1:6, not in accusation of what?

Jeff Smelser jeffsmelser at ntgreek.net
Sat Sep 10 10:19:04 EDT 2005


Malcolm,

You have understood my question exactly. Thanks for the references. I'm 
eager to have a look at them, but it will be a few days before I'll have 
access to them. EN KATHGORIAi FONOU ACRI KRISEWS looks especially 
interesting.

Jeff Smelser



malcolm robertson wrote:

>Dear Jeff,
> 
>Your point is well posed.  In light of the other occurences of KATHGORIA in the NT (Jn 18:9; 1 Tim 5:19) it would appear that KATHGORIA is a general unbiased term that may or may not be groundless.  The term BLASFHMIA is generally groundless - but not exclusively cf Jude 9 KRISIN ...BLASFHMIAS.
> 
>I think 1 Tim 5:19 requires some sort of reliable substantiated proof of any KATHGORIA.  Zerwick may be pressing the point too far here grammatically - although the caution and care that is required to take necessary precautions to avoid any pitfalls that KATHGORIA might entail are wholesome examples of prudent Christian conduct.
> 
>Paul may have had in mind what developed into a later semantic sense (in addition to the sense of accusation) when he used EN KATHGORIAi.  This will have to be determined both by a synchronic and diachronic analysis of the use of the word.
> 
>A search of Thesaurus linguae graecae (TLG) produced a number of results for EN KATHGORIAi.  I have listed a few below.
> 
>Demosthenes Orat.  Pro Megalopolitanis  sect. 19.3
> 
>EN KATHGORIAS MEREI POIEISQAI
> 
>Plato Phil.  Phaedrus (Stephanus) pg 267 sect a line 2
> 
>EN KATHGORIAi TE KAI APOLOGIAi
> 
>Julius Pollux Gramm.  Onomasticon Bk 8 sect 66 line 7
> 
>EN KATHGORIAi FONOU ACRI KRISEWS
> 
>Later writers and commentators use and understood KATHGORIA as *a category.*  Hence such examples as EN KATHGORIAi TIQETAI or OUDE TIQETAI EN KATHGORIA ORQWS.
> 
>Joannes Chrysostomus wrote in Greek and produced comments on 1 Cor and Titus.  You might profit from a perview there and how he understood Paul.
> 
>Cordially in Jesus,
> 
>Malcolm Robertson
>___________________________
>   
>
>Jeff Smelser <jeffsmelser at ntgreek.net> wrote:
>Thanks for the comments, Malcom. While your point about the overall 
>thrust of Paul's remark is certainly on target, what I'm really 
>interested in at this point is the precise significance of EN KATHGORIAi 
>(ἐν κατηγορίᾳ). Is it this construction in particular that warrants 
>Zerwick's notion of being liable to an accusation as opposed to being 
>merely the target of an accusation?
>
>Looking at the uses cited in LSJ (at least those to which I have 
>access), I don't find another example of the preposition EN with 
>KATHGORIAi. While Zerwick's comment certainly seems to make sense in the 
>context of Titus 1:5ff, I'd like to see a more compelling case made than 
>the mere fact that it seems unfair to me for a man to be disqualified by 
>any accusation at all against his children, with or without merit.
>
>What I'd really like to know is simply if anyone on the list can verify 
>that when it is said someone was EN KATHGORIAi of something, did that 
>indicate the KATHGORIA had some credibility, that a man who is said to 
>be EN KATHGORIAi of something is more clearly indicated to be open to an 
>accusation than a man who is merely said to have been the object of a 
>KATHGORIA?
>
>To put it another way, we say someone "stands accused" of something. But 
>we don't generally say that if the consensus is that the accusation is 
>baseless. The expression "stands accused" suggests the verdict remains 
>an open question. What I'm wondering is if "EN KATHGORIAi of something" 
>carried a similar import.
>
>Jeff Smelser
>www.ntgreek.net
>www.centrevillechurchofchrist.org
>
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