[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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