[B-Greek] Reference of the demonstrative in 2 Pet. 1:4

yancywsmith yancywsmith at sbcglobal.net
Wed May 2 00:53:14 EDT 2007


Webb,
     Other than old the saw that the antecedent is either the most  
prominent or the most recently mentioned matter (both of which can  
lead to ambiguity such as in the present case), I am unaware of any  
iron clad rule. In this case, of course, gender marking is of no  
help: the feminine and neuter endings are not differentiated.
     Most interpreters including AB (Bo Reicke), Exposistor's GT  
(Strachan), Hb (Hiebert), HNTC (J.N.D. Kelly) , ICC (Bigg) , NTC  
(Kistemacker), TG (Bratcher), TH (Arichea) , WBC (Baucham) ; NET  
Bible, NLT, REB, TEV, TNT assume that the antecedent is TA EPANGELMATA.
     The minority opinion, on the other hand, of Lenski and the TNTC  
(M. Green) takes TOUTWN as a resuming reference to DI hWN, which in  
turn refers probably to IDIAi DOXHi KAI ARETHi.
     Since 2 Peter had a rocky entry into the canon, commentaries on  
2 Peter do not show up early among patristic exegetes. But scattered  
comments and allusions are not rare. Origen, In Rufinus' Latin  
translation of the Peri Archon, may have assumed IDIAi DOXHi KAI  
ARETHi as the antecedent. He urges believers to follow the example of  
Christ, so that 'by this means we may as far as is possible become,  
through our imitation of him, partakers of the divine nature' (ut si  
forte per hoc in quantum fieri potest per imitationem eius participes  
efficiamur divinae naturae.) 2Pet 1:4 became controversial text in  
Christological discussion as well as a foundational text in "eastern"  
soteriology. The western "Hippolytus" of Rome (author of the  
Refutatio) seems to understand this text in the same vein as Origen  
(or vice-versa) (if 2 Pet 1:4 lies behind the closing words of book  
10.30 (TLG 33), "For Christ is God above all (cf Rom 9:5), and He has  
arranged to wash away sin from human beings, rendering regenerate the  
old man. And God called man His 'image' from the beginning, and has  
evinced in a 'likeness' His love towards you. And provided you obey  
His solemn injunctions, and become a faithful follower of Him who is  
good, you will resemble Him, inasmuch as you will have honor  
(TIMHQEIS) conferred upon you by Him. For the Deity, (by  
condescension,) does not diminish aught of the divinity of His divine  
perfection; he will make you God as well unto His glory (KAI SE QEON  
POIHSEI EIS DOXAN AUTOU)!

An excellent discussion of 2 Pet 1:4 text in the later patristic  
tradition can be found in Norman Russell "Partakers of the Divine  
Nature" (2 Peter 1:4) in the Byzantine Tradition http:// 
www.myriobiblos.gr/texts/english/Russell_partakers.html#6_top

Yancy W. Smith
student at
Brite Divinity School

consultant with
World Bible Translation Center

Webb <webb at selftest.net> wrote:
> 3 hWS PANTA hHMIN THS QEIAS DUNAMEWS AUTOU TA PROS ZWHN KAI EUSEBEIAN
> DEDWRHMENHS
> DIA THS EPIGNWSEWS TOU KALESANTOS hHMAS IDIAi DOXHi KAI ARETHi
> 4 DI hWN TA TIMIA KAI MEGISTA hHMIN EPAGGELMATA DEDWRHTAI
> hINA DIA TOUTWN GENHSQE QEIAS KOINWNOI FUSEWS (2 Pet. 1:3-4)
>
> My question is, is it dictated by the principles of Greek grammar  
> that the
> TOUTWN in the last line of v. 4 should be understood as referring  
> to TA
> EPAGGELMATA ("the promises"), and not further back to Christ's DOXH  
> KAI
> ARETH (glory and virtue/goodness")?
>
> Webb Mealy
>
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