[B-Greek] Col 2:17

George F Somsel gfsomsel at juno.com
Sat Jan 28 12:13:50 EST 2006


On Sat, 28 Jan 2006 10:08:07 -0500 Mike Sangrey
<MSangrey at BlueFeltHat.org> writes:
>         ? ?st?? s??? t?? ?e????t?? t? 
> d? s??a t?? ???st??
>         
>         hA ESTIN SKIA TWN MELLONTWN, TO DE SWMA TOU CRISTOU
> 
> I'm interested in the function that the second phrase does in this
> sentence.  What I'm specifically wondering is could TO DE SWMA TOU
> CRISTOU be epexegetic of MELLONTWN.  To make this explicit, could 
> Paul
> be saying that the "body of Christ" (ie the church) is the referent 
> of
> "what is coming into being"?
> 
> FWIW:  This appears to me to be how Paul further develops his 
> thoughts
> in the rest of the letter.  That is, he is dismissing the problem of
> dealing with sin by throwing external rules at it, and, instead,
> replaces that modus operandi with how the church is to function 
> (which
> involves rules, too; but they are internally driven (cf 3:12ff)).
> 
> Thanks ahead of time for your help.
> 
> -- 
> Mike Sangrey                               (msangrey AT 
> BlueFeltHat.org)
> Exegetitor.blogspot.com
> Landisburg, Pa.
____________

Whenever is see the postpositive DE the first thing that comes to mind is
some kind of contrast.  It may not be much of a contrast -- or may not
really be a contrast -- but that is generally what it signals.  In the
case of this verse I see SKIA in the one clause and SWMA in the
following.  One of the uses of SWMA is to refer to the reality of a thing
so I think we have a situation somewhat similar to that in Plato's
_Republic_ where one is looking at the shadow of objects on the cave
wall.  What is necessary to to turn around and look at the IDEIA, the
Ding an Sich. 
I'm not suggesting that Paul was a Platonist, but that he is using such
imagery.  So, if by epexegetic you intend that the clause is an
appositive as I would normally expect to be intended by the term, I would
say, "No."

george
gfsomsel
___________



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