[B-Greek] poneros & related words

Steve Wade swadie at zipworld.com.au
Wed Aug 8 20:15:38 EDT 2007


I wonder if you can help me understand the meaning of poneros with a
practical example?  If I have correctly understood these other words and
their application: how does poneros relate to them?

 

Hamartia: Trying to get it right, but falling short

Kakos: the stench of evil, loathsome

(Heb) Pesha: transgression - a deliberate crossing of a moral boundary -
Greek Paraptoma?

Adikia (Heb Avon?) - our natural inclination towards evil(?)

 

I'm asking from a pastoral point of view - I'd see that each of these has
different implications.

 

If I've understood it, poneros is to do with aligning my will with evil -
along the lines of convincing myself that evil is good, and good evil -
essentially the essence of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit - and quite a
dangerous position to be in, given that I'm loving / nurturing my neurotic /
flesh side.  My current understanding is that it's like that scene in "The
Last Battle" where, if you know the scene, the dwarves are sitting in
paradise, but have convinced themselves they are sitting in muck, and that
Aslan is just a roaring lion: so it is impossible to reach them, hope is
filtered out by their view of the world around them.

 

Seems to me that hamartia is a different thing from that - I have good
intentions, but fall short - but am likely disturbed by that and wanting to
get it right.

 

I think I understand kakos to be what Paul was talking about in Romans 7 -
no matter what I do, everything is tainted by my flesh nature.

 

Adikia I understand to be original sin, which in practice is my natural
inclination towards sin - the direction I will go in unless I engage my will
towards good.  Eg I won't naturally be generous, or connect with God - I
have to choose to.  My natural inclination is selfishness.

 

I wonder, is there a difference between Pesha (gk: Paraptoma?) and Poneros?

 

Is there a possible slide from Adikia / Avon, to a moment of deliberate
crossing boundaries, Is there then a further step of actually saying that
the sin is better / a wiser way of living?

 

Feel free to correct me on any of these understandings - in fact, I'd love
to be :)

 

Cheers,

Steve

 

  _____  

Steve Wade

Team Leader

Fusion Australia Ltd (Sydney North)

Ph) +61 2 9477 1110

M) +61 412 724 042

www.fusion.org.au <http://www.fusion.org.au/> 

 

 




More information about the B-Greek mailing list