[B-Greek] 2 Cor 1:12, EN hAPLOTHTI KAI EILIKRINEIAi TOU QEOU

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Fri Aug 10 15:12:16 EDT 2007


On Aug 10, 2007, at 2:18 PM, Paul Toseland wrote:

> hH GAR KAUCHSIS hHMWN hAUTH ESTIN, TO MARTURION TOU SUNEIDHSEWS hHMWN,
> hOTI EN hAPLOTHTI KAI EILIKRINEIAi TOU QEOU, KAI OUK EN SOFIAi  
> SARKIKHi
> ALL' EN CARITI QEOU, ANESTRAFHMEN EN KOSMWi, PERISSOTERWS DE PROS  
> hUMAS.
>
> In the phrase EN hAPLOTHTI KAI EILIKRINEIAi TOU QEOU, does TOU QEOU
> qualify EILIKRINEIAi alone, or hAPLOTHTI KAI EILIKRINEIAi?

I would say that it construes with both, since there is no article;  
but as the text stands, the more significant question is how the  
genitive TOU QEOU is related to either or -- more likely -- both  
nouns. I am inclined to think that NET has it right, "with pure  
motives and sincerity which are from God"; hAPLOTHS is want of  
duplicity rather than "simplicity" in the more common sense of the  
English word. These must be God-given qualities of character as  
opposed to being self-derived. I would even surmise that EN CARITI  
QEOU clarifies the phrase EN hAPLOTHTI KAI EILIKRINEIAi TOU QEOU.

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad2 at mac.com
WWW: http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/





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