[B-Greek] 1COR. 11:23 APO TOU KURIOU
Elizabeth Kline
kline_dekooning at earthlink.net
Fri Oct 17 18:15:45 EDT 2008
1COR. 11:23 EGW GAR PARELABON APO TOU KURIOU, hO KAI PAREDWKA hUMIN,
hOTI hO KURIOS IHSOUS EN THi NUKTI hHi PAREDIDETO ELABEN ARTON
Is Paul claiming direct revelation in 1COR. 11:23 APO TOU KURIOU? This
is a question isn't new, see Fee, Thiselton (1Cor NIGTC) and Spicq
(III.18 n26) for bibliography.
First of all we should set aside the question of the preposition.
Alford and Rob.-Plummer agree that the question doesn't hinge on the
use of APO (Meyer and Spicq III.18 n26 disagree). Alford cites 1JOHN
1:5 as example where the immediate source hHN AKHKOAMEN AP' AUTOU is
marked with APO.
1JOHN 1:5 KAI ESTIN hAUTH hH AGGELIA hHN AKHKOAMEN AP' AUTOU KAI
ANAGGELLOMEN hUMIN, hOTI hO QEOS FWS ESTIN KAI SKOTIA EN AUTWi OUK
ESTIN OUDEMIA.
More recently Danker:2000 BDAG 106.5.d states, somewhat tentatively,
that Paul probably intends us to understand APO TOU KURIOU as his
immediate source.
The commentaries of the last century make a big point that Paul is
using the semi-technical language of 'tradition handed down' from his
Jewish background. This however has no real impact on the question at
hand, see J.Dunn:1977 [1].
1COR. 11:23 EGW GAR PARELABON APO TOU KURIOU, hO KAI PAREDWKA hUMIN,
hOTI ...
EGW is pragmatically marked (clause initial) and inherently empathic
with a finite verb PARELABON. So we might say that it is doubly marked
here. If Paul had intended to convey the notion that he received
traditions from the apostles with TOU KURIOU as the ultimate source,
he certainly chose a misleading way of stating it. Gal. 1:12
illustrates Paul's attitude about sources.
GAL. 1:12 OUDE GAR EGW PARA ANQRWPOU PARELABON AUTO OUTE EDIDACQHN
ALLA DI APOKALUYEWS IHSOU CRISTOU.
Elizabeth Kline
[1]J.Dunn, Unity & Diversity (1977), 67: "Moreover he specifically
designates the source of the Last Supper tradition as 'the Lord'. This
seems to mean not so much that the earthly Jesus was the original
source of the tradition, but rather that Paul understood the present,
exalted Jesus to be the immediate source of the historical formula -
that is to say, that it was authoritative not because it was a
tradition but because it was received and accepted on the direct
authority of the exalted one (cf. and note the present tense in I Cor.
7. l0). Here again evidently we are back with the idea of 'pneumatic
tradition', tradition which is authoritative because of its immediate
inspiration and its direct relevance."
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