[B-Greek] Eph 1:9: Going beyond grammar?

George F Somsel gfsomsel at yahoo.com
Thu Aug 13 06:29:53 EDT 2009


γνωρίσας ἡμῖν τὸ μυστήριον τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ, κατὰ τὴν εὐδοκίαν αὐτοῦ ἣν προέθετο ἐν αὐτῷ 
GNWRISAS hHMIN TO MUSTHRION TOU QELHMATOS AUTOU KATA THN EUDOKIAN AUTOU hHN PROEQETO EN AUTWi

ⓒesp.in Paul.or Joh.usage, to designate a close personal relation in which the referent of the ἐν-term is viewed as the controlling influence: under the control of, under the influence of, in close association with (cp.ἐν τῷ Δαυιδ εἰμί2 Km 19:44): of Christ εἶναι, μένειν ἐν τῷ πατρί (ἐν τῷ θεῷ) J 10:38; 14:10f(difft.CGordon, ‘In’ of Predication or Equivalence: JBL100, ’81, 612f); and of Christians 1J 3:24; 4:13,15f; beor abide in ChristJ 14:20; 15:4f; μένειν ἐν τῷ υἱῷ καὶ ἐν τῷ πατρί1J 2:24.ἔργα ἐν θεῷ εἰργασμέναdone in communion with GodJ 3:21(but s. 1e above).—In Paul the relation of the individual to Christ is very oft.expressed by such phrases as ἐν Χριστῷ, ἐν κυρίῳetc., also vice versa (FNeugebauer, NTS4, ’57/58, 124–[Page 328] 38; AWedderburn, JSNT25, ’85, 83–97) ἐν ἐμοὶ ΧριστόςGal 2:20,but
 here in the sense of a above.—See, e.g., Dssm., D. ntl. Formel ‘in Christo Jesu’ 1892; EWeber, D. Formel ‘in Chr. Jesu’ u. d. paul. Christusmystik: NKZ31, 1920, 213ff; LBrun, Zur Formel ‘in Chr. Jesus’ im Phil: Symbolae Arctoae 1, 1922, 19–37; MHansen, Omkring Paulus-Formeln ‘i Kristus’: TK 4/10, 1929, 135–59; HBöhlig, ʼΕνκυρίῳ: GHeinrici Festschr.1914, 170–75; OSchmitz, D. Christusgemeinschaft d. Pls2’56; AWikenhauser, D. Christusmystik d. Pls2’56; KMittring, Heilswirklichkeit b. Pls; Beitrag z. Verständnis der unio cum Christo in d. Plsbriefen 1929; ASchweitzer, D. Mystik d. Ap. Pls 1930 (Eng. tr., WMontgomery, The Myst. of Paul the Ap., ’31); WSchmauch, In Christus ’35; BEaston, Pastoral Ep.’47, 210f; FBüchsel, ‘In Chr.’ b. Pls: ZNW42, ’49, 141–58. Also HKorn, D. Nachwirkungen d. Christusmystik d. Pls in den Apost. Vätern, diss.Berlin 1928; EAndrews, Interpretation 6, ’52, 162–77;
 H-LParisius, ZNW49, ’58, 285–88 (10 ‘forensic’ passages); JAllan, NTS5, ’58/59, 54–62 (Eph), ibid.10, ’63, 115–21 (pastorals); FNeugebauer, In Christus, etc. ’61; MDahl, The Resurrection of the Body (1 Cor 15) ’62, 110–13.—Paul has the most varied expressions for this new life-principle: life in Christ Ro 6:11,23; love in Christ 8:39; grace, which is given in Christ 1 Cor 1:4; freedom in Chr. Gal 2:4; blessing in Chr. 3:14; unity in Chr. vs. 28.στήκειν ἐν κυρίῳstand firm in the LordPhil 4:1; εὑρεθῆναι ἐν Χ. be found in Christ3:9; εἶναι ἐν Χ. 1 Cor 1:30; οἱ ἐν Χ. Ro 8:1.—1 Pt 5:14; κοιμᾶσθαι ἐν Χ., ἀποθνῄσκειν ἐν κυρίῳ1 Cor 15:18.—Rv 14:13; ζῳοποιεῖσθαι1 Cor 15:22.—The formula is esp.common w. verbs that denote a conviction, hope, etc. πεποιθέναιGal 5:10; Phil 1:14; 2 Th 3:4.παρρησίαν ἔχεινPhlm
 8.πέπεισμαιRo 14:14.ἐλπίζεινPhil 2:19.καύχησιν ἔχεινRo 15:17; 1 Cor 15:31.τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖνPhil 4:2.ὑπακούεινEph 6:1.λαλεῖν2 Cor 2:17; 12:19.ἀλήθειαν λέγεινRo 9:1.λέγειν καὶ μαρτύρεσθαιEph 4:17.But also apart fr.such verbs, in numerous pass.it is used w. verbs and nouns of the most varied sort, often without special emphasis, to indicate the scope within which someth.takes place or has taken place, or to designate someth.as being in close assoc. w. Christ, and can be rendered, variously, in connection with, in intimate association with, keeping in mindἁγιάζεσθαι1 Cor 1:2,or ἅγιος ἐν Χ. Phil 1:1; ἀσπάζεσθαί τινα1 Cor 16:19.δικαιοῦσθαιGal 2:17.κοπιᾶνRo 16:12.παρακαλεῖν1 Th 4:1.προσδέχεσθαί τιναRo 16:2; Phil 2:29.χαίρειν3:1; 4:4,10.γαμηθῆναι ἐν
 κυρίῳmarry in the Lord=marry a Christian 1 Cor 7:39.προϊστάμενοι ὑμῶν ἐν κυρίῳyour Christian leaders (in the church)1 Th 5:12(but s. προΐστημι1 and 2).—εὐάρεστοςCol 3:20.νήπιος1 Cor 3:1.φρόνιμος4:10.παιδαγωγοίvs. 15.ὁδοίvs. 17.Hence used in periphrasis for ‘Christian’ οἱ ὄντες ἐν κυρίῳRo 16:11; ἄνθρωπος ἐν Χ. 2 Cor 12:2; αἱ ἐκκλησίαι αἱ ἐν Χ. Gal 1:22; 1 Th 2:14; νεκροὶ ἐν Χ. 4:16; ἐκλεκτόςRo 16:13.δόκιμοςvs. 10.δέσμιοςEph 4:1.πιστὸς διάκονος6:21; ἐν Χ. γεννᾶν τιναbecome someone’s parent in the Christian life1 Cor 4:15.τὸ ἔργον μου ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἐν κυρίῳ9:1.—The use of ἐν πνεύματιas a formulaic expression is sim.: ἐν πν. εἶναιbe under the impulsion of the spirit,i.e.the new self, as opposed to ἐν
 σαρκίunder the domination of the old selfRo 8:9; cp.ἐν νόμῳ2:12.λαλεῖνspeak under divine inspiration1 Cor 12:3.ἐγενόμην ἐν πνεύματιI was in a state of inspirationRv 1:10; 4:2; opp.ἐν ἑαυτῷ γενόμενοςcame to himselfAc 12:11(cp.X., An. 1, 5, 17 et al.).—The expr.ἐν πν. εἶναιis also used to express the idea that someone is under the special infl.of a good or even an undesirable spirit: Mt 22:43; Mk 12:36; Lk 2:27; 1 Cor 12:3; Rv 17:3; 21:10.ἄνθρωπος ἐν πν. ἀκαθάρτῳ (ὤν) Mk 1:23(s. GBjörck, ConNeot7, ’42, 1–3).—ἐν τῷ πονηρῷ κεῖσθαιbe in the power of the evil one1J 5:19.οἱ ἐν νόμῳthose who are subject to the lawRo 3:19.ἐν τῷ Ἀδὰμ ἀποθνῄσκεινdie because of a connectionw.Adam1 Cor 15:22.—On the formula ἐν ὀνόματι (Χριστοῦ) s. ὄνομα1, esp.dγג. The OTis the source of the
 expr.ὀμνύναι ἔν τινιswear by someoneor someth.(oft.LXX) Mt 5:34ff; 23:16,18ff; Rv 10:6; παραγγέλλομέν σοι ἐν ἸησοῦAc 19:14v.l.The usage in ὁμολογεῖν ἔν τινιacknowledge someoneMt 10:32; Lk 12:8(s. ὁμολογέω4b) is Aramaic. 

Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature.  (3rd ed.) (s.v. ἐν). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

 george
gfsomsel 


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


- Jan Hus
_________ 




________________________________
From: Kenneth Litwak <javajedi2 at yahoo.com>
To: b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Wednesday, August 12, 2009 9:05:55 PM
Subject: [B-Greek] Eph 1:9: Going beyond grammar?

  Eph 1:9 reads in part 
KATA THN EUDOKIAN AUTOU HN PROEQETO EN AUTWi

This clause is one of the many examples in Paul of EN + some word in teh Dative, usually AUTWi.  I notice that many translations render virtually all such constructions as "in him," e.g., the NASB.  That is possible and unless we are prepared to render virtually all such instances by a dative of means, which could be appropriate some of the time, I am wondering if there's something beyond the simple identification of such a construction as, say, a locative use of the dative.  I chose this example not quite at random but close.  What I'm interested in is there something beyond the simple identification of the syntax here that might tell us what Paul actually means.  How do you purpose something in someone?  

Col 2:11 provides a similar example EN (W  you were circumcised.  What does the dative signify beyond location and what could Paul possibly mean by saying that an event happened within some other individual?

  That is, after we've translated such phrases, I'm hoping there was something more that would have clued the original audience into what this construction actually signifried, which is a different question from how it should be translated.

  I am assuming of course that the small prepositional phrases and the like, at least in the epistles, have significance, even if meaning is really established at higher level of disocurse.

Ken Litwak  


      
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