[B-Greek] Ephesians 1:3-4
George F Somsel
gfsomsel at yahoo.com
Fri Jul 28 14:42:14 EDT 2006
3. EULOGHTOS hO QEOS KAI PATHR TOU KURIOU hMWN IHSOU XRISTOU, hO EULOGHSAS hHMAS EN PASHi EULOGIAi PNEUMATIKHi EN TOIS EPOURANTIOIS EN XRISTWi.
4. KAQWS ECELECATO hHMAS EN AUTWi PRO KATABOLHS KOSMOU EINAI hAGIOUS KAI AMWMOUS KATENWPION AUTOU EN AGAPHi.
At times we seem to be entirely too analytical in asking whether something is X OR Y when the fact of the matter is that it could be both. I recall Dan Wallace's comment on Re 1.1 (_Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics_, pp. 120-21). The question there is regarding the nature of the genitive IHSOU XRISTOU. Is the revelation from Christ or is it about Christ, i.e. is it a genitive of source or is it a subjective genitive? Wallace opts for what he calls a "plenary" genitive. By this he means that it is both. This is not an uncommon type of situation with regard to our categories of Greek syntax. To the Greek there was a certain ambiguity regarding what was meant and either option could be chosen.
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Joe Hightower <boeinguy2 at yahoo.com> wrote:
I am wrestling with an issue involving the word kathos (KAQWS for those who use the B-Greek system). There are several definitions for this including 'just as', according to' or 'basis', which can be applied. Wallace describes the use as either showing correlation or cause. BAGD uses this as an example of cause.
Given these definitions, the idea of election is related to the idea of blessing as:
1) we are blessed in the same way that we are chosen
2) we are blessed based on the fact that we are chosen
3) we are blessed based according to the fact that we are chosen
Now for the issue. Several commentators (Hoehner, O'Brien, Hendrikson, and Bob Diffenbaugh's write up at Bible .org) take the election to be not just related to the blessing but one of the blessings. Two commentators (Salmond and Martin-Lloyd Jones) take the idea to be the basis of the blessing, making the blessings undefined in this passage.
I am stumped. It seems that the 'plain reading' makes the blessing dependent on the election, but to be undefined in this context. How do those who take the other position justify seeing both cause of and definition of in the same phrase?
Help Please!
Joe Hightower
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george
gfsomsel
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