[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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