[B-Greek] 1 Cor. 15:23-24

Iver Larsen iver at larsen.dk
Mon May 1 03:22:10 EDT 2006


> Glenn,
> I'm not sure if this addresses your problem, but here it is
> In 1 Cor 15.23-24 we have
> 23 hEKASTO DE EN TWi IDIWi TAGMATI: APARXH XRISTOS, EPEITA hOI TOU XRISTOU EN THi PAROUSIAi AUTOU,
> 24 EITA TO TELOS, hOTAN . . .The sequence is
> 1. APARXH, first
> 2. EPEITA, then or next
> 3. EITA, then or next

> It would thus seem to me that both EPEITA and EITA mean virtually the same thing and simply denote sequence.  TO 
> TELOS, however, is not a part of TAGMATI since it is not a person which would seem to be implied in TWi IDIWi, XRISTOS 
> and hOI TOU XRISTOU.
>
> george

It is interesting to me that there is no finite verb in v. 24. There are two subordinate clauses, both starting with 
hOTAN, and they talk about the very end when Christ will hand over all rulership to the Father and when all other 
rulership will be abolished.
If there is not a finite verb, then TO TELOS must refer so some implicit event carried over from the previous context. 
The structure is: Then, at the end (something will happen), when...
V. 22-23 is a parenthetical unit, introduced with GAR, and it talks about the similarity between the first Adam and his 
"children" on the one hand, and Christ and his "children" on the other hand. Just as death came to the sons and 
daughters of Adam through Adam, so new life come to the sons and daughters of Christ thought Christ. Just as Adam was 
the pioneer of death, so was Christ the pioneer of resurrection.
Because of this structure, I take TO TELOS to refer back to the ANASTASIS NEKRWN at the end of v. 21, jumping over the 
parenthetical explanation. Paul is apparently saying that there will be a final raising from death at the very end at 
the final abolishment of all other authority. For more details, we would have to check out Rev. 20.

Iver Larsen 




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