[B-Greek] QEOS in Dialogue with Heraclides

James Ernest j.d.ernest at bc.edu
Tue Apr 17 22:33:18 EDT 2007


Octavio,

The neuter article TO is being used as a marker of a word-as-word; we
would use quotation marks. The discussion in the Dialogue has been
about twos that are one: the man and the woman are one SARX in
Genesis; the righteous person who cleaves to Christ is one PNEUMA. But
the right word for that which is one between the Lord/Savior and the
Father/God is not SARX or PNEUMA but QEOS. That's why the Sources
Chretiennes editor actually puts quotation marks in the Greek text: of
course there are no quotation marks in the ancient Greek manuscripts,
so TO is used instead.

(The neuter demonstrative adjective "illud" can be used similarly in Latin.)

So just add quotation marks to George's translation, delete "the"
before spirit (because that TO is also a quotation mark--it would be
TO even if PNEUMA were not neuter), and I think you've got it:

"The appellation is not 'flesh' or 'Spirit' but, what is more precious, 'God.'"

James Ernest





On 4/12/07, Octavio Rodriguez <octaviors at gmail.com> wrote:
> In his Dialogue with Heraclides Origen said:
>
> "For when human beings are joined to each other, the appropiate word is
> "flesh", and when the just person is united to Christ, the word is "spirit";
> and when Christ is united to the Father OU SARX, OU TO PNEUMA  ONOMA, ALLA
> TOUTWN TIMIWTERON TO QEOS. "
>
> The first question is about the neuter article TO. It seems that it is
> related to QEOS which is however male in gender. If i am right, the
> translation could be:
>
> "Not flesh and  spirit, but which is much more precious, the god nature".
>
> I think that QEOS here seems to be a mass noun rather than a definite noun,
> due to the neuter article, and what "flesh" and "spirit" are grammaticaly.
>
> I would appreciate other translation.
>
>
>
> Regards
>
> Octavio Rodriguez
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