[B-Greek] Re (2): The function of MESOU in Col 2:14

Harold R. Holmyard III hholmyard at ont.com
Tue May 30 16:30:16 EDT 2006


Dear Thomas,

>What's your opinion about this statement?


HH: I don't think it is the best scholarship available. He wrote in 
1856, but the scholarly community still doesn't agree with him. B. W. 
Newton evidently made some strong statements from which he had to 
backtrack when shown the passage from Aeschines. But he was still 
trying to defend his concept, now admitting the possibility of the 
other view. Yet BAGD continues to support the other view. Look under 
GINOMAI at I. 4. c. (Greek letter beth), where BAGD says the meaning 
of GINOMAI EK MESOU is "be removed, Lat. e medio tolli." They cite 
not only the Aeschines passage that Newton mentioned, but also two 
other texts (Plut., Timol. 5, 3; Achilles Tat. 2, 27, 2). They also 
cite an article by H. W. Fulford (ET 23 1912, pp. 40f.) that 
translates the phrase as "leave the scene."

HH: So Newton seems to have been insufficiently aware of a particular 
Greek idiom.

HH: A good argument in my opinion is that the Greek phrase EN MESWi 
EINAI means to be in the way in the sense of being a hindrance. So 
the phrase in 2 Thess 2:7 naturally can suggest the removal of such 
activity.

HH: I don't really see much difference in the actual implications of 
Newton's interpretation anyway. He takes the words differently but 
comes out with much the same reality: the Restrainer restrains until 
some point when lawlessness is fully exposed for what it is.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard

>
>"It has been proposed, in rendering the next clause of this passage 
>(2.Thess 2:7),
>to alter the punctuation and the translation thus - "For the mystery 
>of lawlessness
>doth already work (only there is at present One that restraineth) 
>[and will continue
>so to work] until it be developed out of the midst " -
>TO GAR MUSTHRION HDH ENERGEITAI THS ANOMIAS (MONON hO KATECWN ARTI) 
>hEWS EK MESOU GENHTAI.
>In this case the words "mystery of lawlessness" becomes the 
>nominative to GENHTAI, and not hO KATECWN.



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