[B-Greek] The use of EN in 2 Cor 8:7

Chet Creider creider at uwo.ca
Thu Jul 27 07:59:03 EDT 2006


This is a question about how the Greek in 2 Cor 8:7 is to be construed.  The
question is followed by a brief appendix on the history of the understanding
of the Greek as evidenced in selected translations.  It is not a question,
however, about the translation of the Greek -- once the Greek is understood,
the way it may be translated is not of any particular interest.

The passage: ALL' hWSPER EN PANTI PERISSEUETE, PISTEI KAI LOGWi KAI GNWSEI
KAI PASHi SPOUDHi KAI THi EX hHMWN EN hUMIN AGAPHi, hINA KAI EN TAUTHi THi
CARITI PERISSEUHTE

It is THi EX hHMWN EN hUMIN AGAPHi which is the subject of my question,
and more specificically EN hUMIN.  There are two possible readings here,
one "dative/accusative" and one locative.  (I write "dative/accusative" 
because what is meant here is the sense in which hUMIN is the object of 
love and I do not know whether the dative is simply the default for this 
noun or if there would be another way of expressing the object sense 
(another preposition, the genitive case); compare English "love of 
you"/"love for you".)

(1) and (in) the love (which is) from us (pl.) (which is) to/for/of you 
(pl.)
(2) and (in) the love (which is) from us (pl.) (which is) in you (pl.)

I would be grateful for any thoughts/evidence on which construal seems 
the most likely.  Evidence might take the form of a tabulation of the 
frequency of  occurrence of sense (1) vs. sense (2) in the epistles of 
Paul with EN.

Appendix on the history of the translation of this phrase:

It will be very clear from what follows that this has been an 
extraordinarily
difficult passage to deal with.  First let me note that there is no 
agreement
as to what the original text was.  There are four variants:
(a) EX hHMWN EN hUMIN
(b) EX hUMWN EN hHMIN
(c) EX hUMWN EN hUMIN
(d) EX hHMWN EN hHMIN
There are very few mss. with (c) and (d) but about equally many (including
equally early) mss. for (a) and (b).  The Textus Receptus has (b) but most
modern editions have (a) (my earliest modern edition, the 1958 BFBS 2nd
edition, has it).  In his _Textual Commentary_ Bruce Metzger wrote that
the committee felt that there was a slight preference for (a) because it was
the more difficult reading.  For (b) he wrote that it was "superficially
more appropriate".  

I. the AV > RSV > NRVS tradition
The AV (KJV) takes the (a) variant and interestingly translates not from the
Greek but from the Latin Vulgate.  Wordsworth-White, the Stuttgart Vulgate,
the Clementina Vulgate, etc. all have:

et caritate(ablative) vestra(ablative) in nos(accusative) "and (with respect
to) your (pl.) love to/for us" (only sense (1) is possible with the 
accusative)

This is translated by the AV as: "Therefore, as ye abound in every 
_thing_, ...
and in your love to us, ...".  The RVS has "Now as you excel in 
everything, ...
and in your love for us, ...".  The NRVS is asleep on this one as they 
accept
the modern version of the Greek text and translate by simply changing "your"
to "our" and "us" to "you", producing nonsense: "Now as you excel in 
everything,
... and in our love for you".

II. modern examples
At least a couple of able modern translators/translations choose sense 
(2).  
Thus Ralph Kilpatrick in the BFBS's diglot (1964) gives, "in the love which
we have awakened in you", and the NASB has "in the love we inspired in you".

The Nova Vulgata changes the Latin to match the Greek: et 
carite(ablative) ex nobis(ablative/dative) in vobis(ablative/dative).  
Due to the syncretism of the ablative and the dative in the plural, this 
Latin translation perhaps will allow for either sense (1) 
("dative/accusative") or sense (2) (locative).  (My source is the 1986 
version given in Nestle-Aland, Novum Testamentum Latine.)

Chet Creider

P.S.  The only significant discussion of this passage which I could find 
in the B-Greek archives was made in passing by Iver Larsen ("use of EK 
in 1 John 4.13 and EN in v16", 24 Feb 2003).  Iver doesn't discuss the 
locative meaning but, assuming the "accusative" meaning, notes that Paul 
uses EIS 5 times to express this meaning and EN 1 time (in the passage 
under consideration here).




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