[B-Greek] MNEIA hUMWN Phil 1:3

Elizabeth Kline kline_dekooning at earthlink.net
Tue Oct 21 16:41:49 EDT 2008


On Oct 20, 2008, at 10:54 AM, s Huovila wrote:

> There is some debate about the meaning of MNEIA hUMWN in Phil. 1:3.  
> Some think
> it is a subjective genitive and others that it is an objective  
> genitive. Did
> Paul thank God for his memory of the Philippians or for the  
> Philippians'
> remembering Paul in prison?
>
>


PHIL. 1:3 EUCARISTW TWi QEWi MOU EPI PASHi THi MNEIAi hUMWN  4 PANTOTE  
EN PASHi DEHSEI MOU hUPER PANTWN hUMWN, META CARAS THN DEHSIN  
POIOUMENOS,  5 EPI THi KOINWNIAi hUMWN EIS TO EUAGGELION APO THS  
PRWTHS hHMERAS ACRI TOU NUN,  6 PEPOIQWS AUTO TOUTO, hOTI hO  
ENARXAMENOS EN hUMIN ERGON AGAQON EPITELESEI ACRI hHMERAS CRISTOU IHSOU:

P.T.O'Brien (Phil. NIGTC pp. 56-60) makes a case for reading EPI PASHi  
THi MNEIAi hUMWN as causative rather than temporal. Some of O'Brien's  
hellenistic evidence from Josephus and Philo for EUCARISTW with EPI  
marking cause is cited below. He also cites 1Cor 1:4, 1Thes 3:9, and  
Phil 1:5.

Josephus
1 AJ, 1.1.193.1
AITIAN DE THS PERITOMHS hHMWN EN ALLOIS DHLWSW. PUQOMENWi DE 2  
hABRAMWi KAI PERI TOU ISMAHLOU, EI ZHSETAI, POLUCRONION TE APESHMAINEN  
hO QEOS KAI MEGALWN EQNWN PATERA. KAI hABRAMOS MEN EPI 4 TOUTOIS  
EUCARISTHSAS TWi QEWi PERITEMNETAI PARACRHMA KAI PANTES 5 hOI PAR  
AUTOU KAI hO PAIS ISMAHLOS, hOU KAT EKEINHN THN hHMERAN 6  
TRISKAIDEKATON ETOS ECONTOS AUTOS ENENHKOSTON PROS TOIS ENNEA 7 DIHGEN.

Philo
24 SPEC, .1.1.283.1

TA PAR hHMIN ADUNATA. DEI DH TON MELLONTA QUEIN SKEPTESQAI, MH EI 2 TO  
hIEREION AMWMON, ALL EI hH DIANOIA hOLOKLHROS AUTWi KAI PANTELHS 3  
KAQESTHKE. DIEREUNATW MENTOI KAI TAS AITIAS, hWN hENEKA ANAGEIN AXIOI  
4 QUSIAS: HTOI GAR EUCARISTWN EPI PROUPHRGMENAIS EUERGESIAIS H  
BEBAIOTHTA PARONTWN H MELLONTWN KTHSIN AGAQWN AITOUMENOS H KAKWN  
PARONTWN 6 H PROSDOKWMENWN APOTROPHN, EF hOIS hAPASIN hUGEIAN KAI  
SWTHRIAN EKPORIZEIN OFEILEI TWi LOGISMWi. EITE GAR EPI PROUPHRGMENAIS  
EUCARISTEI, 2 MH ACARISTHSATW FAULOS GENOMENOS h SPOUDAIWi GAR  
EDOQHSAN hAI 3 CARITES h , EITE BEBAIOUMENOS TA PARONTA AGAQA KAI  
CRHSTA PERI TWN 4 MELLONTWN PROSDOKWN, AXION hAUTON PARECETW TWN  
EUPRAGIWN ASTEIOS 5 WN, EITE KAKWN TINWN FUGHN AITOUMENOS, MH DRATW  
KOLASEWN EPAXIA 6 KAI TIMWRIWN.

Assuming that O'Brien has made his case for a causal reading of EPI +  
dative in Phil. 1:3, why does he also assume that this reading is  
invariably linked with the subjective reading of hUMWN in PI PASHi THi  
MNEIAi hUMWN? Why wouldn't the causal reading also accommodate an  
objective reading of hUMWN? Paul's remembrance of the Philipians being  
a reason/occasion for his giving thanks.


Elizabeth Kline







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