[B-Greek] hUPOSTASIS Hebrews 3:14
Michael Abernathy
michaelabernat9001 at sbcglobal.net
Thu Jan 10 16:32:27 EST 2008
Carl,
Thank you for response. I suspect that I was reacting to the article in
TDNT which states, "Thus ARCH THS hUPOSTASEWS si a description of the
reality on which the existence of the community rests, as Christ, the
apostle of the confession, is the presence of the reality of God in
which believers share." and "It is plain, then, that in Hb. hUPOSTASIS
always denotes the 'reality' of God which stands contrasted with the
corruptible, shadowy, and merely prototypical character of the world. . ."
I thought TDNT probably overstated their case but it seemed equally
proper to either the reality of the Church or the universe itself.
Sincerely,
Michael Abernathy
>
> In 1:3 hUPOSTASIS is used in an Aristotelian sense of "essential
> substance" -- that which underlies all attributes that may inhere in
> something at different times and under different circumstances. Here
> in 3:14 the sense is rather like that in Heb. 11:1 Ἔστιν δὲ πίστις
> ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστασις, πραγμάτων ἔλεγχος οὐ βλεπομένων. [ESTIN DE
> PISTIS ELPIZOMENWN hUPOSTASIS, PRAGMATWN ELEGCOS OU BLEPOMENWN]
>
> hUPOSTASIS here has the sense "basis" -- what we rely upon. While I
> wouldn't ordinarily appeal to etymology, the elements are evident
> there: "what one stands upon." The adjective BEBAIAN reinforces the
> sense, I think, BEBAIOS is commonly associated with what is "rock
> solid" or "unshakable" or "secure."
>
> Carl W. Conrad
> Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
>
>
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