[B-Greek] Is ECWN a solecism in Revelation 21:14?

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Fri Aug 22 15:27:30 EDT 2008


Rev. 21:14 καὶ τὸ τεῖχος τῆς πόλεως ἔχων  
θεμελίους δώδεκα καὶ ἐπ᾿ αὐτῶν  
δώδεκα ὀνόματα τῶν δώδεκα  
ἀποστόλων τοῦ ἀρνίου.
KAI TO TEICOS THS POLEWS ECWN QEMELIOUS DWDEKA KAI EP' AUTWN DWDEKA  
ONOMATA TWN DWDEKA APOSTOLWN TOU ARNIA.

Quite clearly ECWN is to be understood with TEICOS.

On Aug 22, 2008, at 1:38 PM, Webb Mealy wrote:

> What noun are you thinking ECWN goes back to in John's mind in Rev.  
> 21:14?
> Obviously it's not "church", since that's an English word, and it  
> can't be
> EKKLHSIA, since (1) the word does not appear in the singular in  
> Revelation,
> and (2) EKKLHSIA in any case is feminine, which would result in  
> ECOUSA.
>
> Webb Mealy
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org
> [mailto:b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Leonard  
> Jayawardena
> Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2008 11:30 PM
> To: b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: [B-Greek] Is ECWN a solecism in Revelation 21:14?
>
>
> In chapter X, under "The Sentence," page 412, Robertson discusses  
> several
> examples of construction KATA SUNESIN involving participles and  
> remarks,
> "But in Rev. 21:14 [TO TEICOS ECWN] seems a mere slip." Apparently,  
> he would
> have considered ECON to be the correct participle here to agree with  
> the
> neuter noun TEICOS.
>
> TO TEICOS forms part of the holy city, new Jerusalem, in which, it  
> is said,
> God will tabernacle with his people (21:2ff).  The city is said to  
> be the
> lamb's wife (v. 9) with the twelve apostles being the twelve  
> foundation
> stones of the wall (TEICOS) of the city (v. 14). From this and other  
> details
> in the book and comparing with the rest of the NT, we can conclude  
> that the
> city represents the (NT) church. Like the church the city is built  
> by and
> made up of the believers, with various parts of it representing the
> believers (cf. Rev. 3:12, where Christ promises the church of  
> Philadelphia
> that those who overcome will be made a "pillar" in the temple of  
> God).  If
> you accept this much, then cannot ECWN, too, be explained in terms of
> construction KATA SUNESIN (or constructio ad sensum)?
>
> Compare 21:14 with the following:
>
> 1. Rev. 4:7--TO TRITON ZWON ECWN.... Rev. 4:8--TO TESSARA ZWA, hEN  
> KAQ hEN
> AUTWN ECWN ... KAI ANAPAUSIN OUK ECOUSIN ... LEGONTES.... Rev. 6-- 
> LEGONTOS
> occurs in relation to the four living creatures in vv. 1, 3, 5 and  
> 7.  In
> all these cases masculine participles follow neuter nouns. Here the  
> four
> beasts represent the new creation (cf. Galatians 6:15: KAINH  
> KTISIS), which
> again is composed of the believers.
>
> 2. Rev. 5:6--ARNION ... ECWN. ARNION represents Christ.
>
> 3. The first QHRION of Rev. 13 represents a man (cf. v. 18). AUTON  
> is used
> in v. 8 in reference to the beast. ECWN is used in relation to the  
> second
> beast in v. 14, which also represents a man.
>
> I am aware that some may have different interpretations for at least  
> some of
> the passages cited above but what I wish to know is that, granting  
> that the
> above interpretations are correct, would that not provide a  
> sufficient basis
> to clear up the alleged solecism in Rev. 21:14?
>
> I'd like to know others' thoughts on this.
>
> Leonard Jayawardena
> Sri Lanka
>
>
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Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)






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