[B-Greek] AGAPAW, FILEW, etc. in the GNT

Daniel Nordlund res90sx5 at verizon.net
Wed Feb 15 11:08:16 EST 2006


> -----Original Message-----
> From: b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org] On
> Behalf Of Carl W. Conrad
> Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2006 4:40 AM
> To: B-Greek B-Greek
> Subject: [B-Greek] AGAPAW, FILEW, etc. in the GNT
> 
> I think that many B-Greekers might find illuminating the very careful
> examination of NT words for love in Brandon Wason's blog:
> 
> 	http://www.novumtestamentum.com/2006/02/love-in-new-testament.php
> 
> Inasmuch as this discussion -- quite a lengthy one for a St.
> Valentine's Day blog! -- involves judgments that are hermeneutical
> and theological as well as philological, it's not really open to
> discussion here except insofar as it concerns the lexicographical
> concerns. But it is, IMHO, a well-thought-out discussion of the
> philological questions and treats well our forum's recurrent question
> of the alternation of AGAPAW and FILEW in the celebrated exchange
> between the risen Christ and Peter in John 21.
> 
> Carl W. Conrad
> Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
> 1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
> cwconrad2 at mac.com
> WWW: http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/


Carl (or others),

I read the referenced blog and found it interesting.  I do have a question about the Greek of Rev 2:4 which was referenced in the blog.  The text is:

ALLA ECW KATA SOU THN AGAPHN SOU THN PRWTHN AFHKES

Brandon Wason takes this to mean that the church at Ephesus did not love God or others like they did at first (i.e. at the beginning).  I notice that the NLT translates Rev 2:4 this way.  I have always understood this as an attributive construction, "your first (or primary) love" rather than "your love at the beginning."  Does the Greek legitimately support either interpretation?

Daniel Nordlund
Bothell, WA





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