[B-Greek] EK PISTEWS EIS PISTIN Rom. 1:17

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Fri Aug 21 06:13:55 EDT 2009


On Aug 21, 2009, at 12:48 AM, George F Somsel wrote:

> It seems to me to indicate "to an even greater degree of faith."
>  george
> gfsomsel

"It seems to me" -- that the problem we have dealing with phrases such  
as this is that almost every response to the question about EK PISTEWS  
EIS PISTIN in Rom 1:17 is a matter of speculation. At least Yancy  
adduces some starting points for more serious speculation about what  
the phrase may actually mean. I have to say, however, that my  
relatively limited reading in commentaries on Romans and in lexica  
makes it "seem to me" that we just don't have adequate resources to  
resolve the question. Unless and until some really useful evidence  
comes to light, "it seems to me" that the appropriate thing to do is  
announce a "NON LIQUET", i.e. "the jury is still out." I realize that  
we are very reluctant to confess that we don't have an answer to a  
vexed question, but "it seems to me" that if we are going to be  
content with speculative answers, it behooves us to acknowledge that  
what we say about the vexed question is no more than guesswork.

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)

> ________________________________
> From: Yancy Smith <yancywsmith at sbcglobal.net>
> To: B-Greek B-Greek <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
> Sent: Thursday, August 20, 2009 1:43:02 PM
> Subject: [B-Greek] EK PISTEWS EIS PISTIN Rom. 1:17
>
> Dear list,
>
>       Any opinions on this idiomatic phrase? I checked earlier B- 
> Greek discussions, but didn’t see any thing on similar phrases  
> outside the NT. That may be because I didn’t know how to search. I  
> am working through Romans for a translation project and got hung up  
> on EK PISTEWS EIS PISTIN, of course. Like a fly to sticky paper.
>
> I noticed that commentaries often neglect similar LXX and  
> Hellenistic idioms. The delightful exception is Robert Jewett’s  
> _Romans_ in Hermeneia. He notes that “the parallels to this  
> sequence of prepositions make clear that a progression,  
> transformation, or movement is intended … and the classical  
> parallels contain the same progressive element.” He lists as  
> parallels,
>
>
>
> Psalm 83:8          ἐκ δυνάμεως εἰς δύναμιν
>
> EK DUNAMEWS EIS DUNAMIN.
>
> Jeremiah 9:2      ἐκ κακῶν εἰς κακά
>
>                           EK KAKWN EIS KAKA
>
> 2 Cor 2:16          ἐκ θανάτου εἰς θάνατον …  
> ἐκ ζωῆς εἰς ζωήν
>
> EK QANATOU EIS QANTATON
>
> 2 Cor 3:18          ἀπὸ δόξης εἰς δόξαν
>
>                           APO DOXHS EIS DOXAN (similar)
>
>
>
> Jewett offers Suetonius _Galba_ 14.1 as a non-Biblical,  
> Hellenistic parallel: “in abandoning one imperial choice after the  
> next after the death of Nero, ‘some demon’ drove the soldiers  
> “from treachery to treachery (ἐκ προδοσίας εἰς  
> προδοσίαν) EK PRODOSIAS EIS PRODOSIAN.”
>
>
>
> Jewett’s interpretation is interesting and innovative, “In view  
> of Paul’s use of “faith” in 1:5, 8, 12, and 16  
> as appropriation of the gospel …, it is most likely that the  
> progression in this verse refers to missionary expansion of the  
> gospel, which relies on the contagion of faith.” Read this way it  
> seems to concord well with “to the Jew first and also to the  
> Greek” theme in 1:16 as well as the Habakkuk quote in 17b.
>
>
>
> I hope this is not too much in the area of exegesis to qualify for  
> the list!
>
>
>
> Yancy Smith






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