[B-Greek] Matthew 16:18 - two questions

George F Somsel gfsomsel at yahoo.com
Sun Jul 20 03:03:35 EDT 2008


1.  Since AUTHS is fem it cannot reference PETROS and therefore must either be PETRA or EKKLHSIA.  As the nearer referent EKKLHSIA would seem to be preferable.  I would concur that PETROS (Peter, a rock) and PETRA (bedrock) are two different things.
2.  OU KATAISXUSOUSIN AUTHS would seem to eliminate the church as the attacker.  It is not that the attack would NOT BE able to be withstood, but rather that it WOULD BE withstood.

 george
gfsomsel


… search for truth, hear truth, 
learn truth, love truth, speak the truth, hold the truth, 
defend the truth till death.


- Jan Hus
_________



----- Original Message ----
From: Eric S. Weiss <papaweiss1 at yahoo.com>
To: b-greek <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2008 12:30:24 AM
Subject: [B-Greek] Matthew 16:18 - two questions

Matthew 16:18 - KAGW DE SOI LEGW hOTI SU EI PETROS, KAI EPI TAUTHi THi 
PETRAi OIKODOMHSW MOU THN EKKLHSIAN KAI PULAI hADOU OU 
KATISCUSOUSIN AUTHS.

1. Most commentators (and BDAG) seem to take EKKLHSIAN to be the referent of AUTHS 
(i.e., the gates of hades will not prevail against Jesus's church). 

Is it possible that the referent for AUTHS is PETRAi - i.e., the gates of hades will not 
prevail against the confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, the 
confession upon which Jesus will build His church (assuming petra refers to what Peter 
confessed and not to Peter himself)?

2. Re: the gates of hades not prevailing: While BDAG seems to view the gates as being 
unable to defeat the church, is there a basis in the word meanings for thinking that Jesus is 
saying that it is the church that will be attacking the gates of hades (i.e., the power of 
death), and hades/death won't be able to withstand the church's onslaught?

Eric S. Weiss  


      
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