[B-Greek] PARA with acc (was. PAR' AUTOU in Luke 18:9-14)

Elizabeth Kline kline_dekooning at earthlink.net
Sat Jul 18 03:56:35 EDT 2009


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It seems to me that PAR' EKEINON isn't really the point of  
contention   here. Y.Smith and I.Larsen appear to have different ideas  
about what   DEDIKAIOMENOS means in this context. Smith seems to read  
it as a   subjective state "God sees the more humble man as the more  
righteous"   whereas Larsen sees it as a status conferred on one  
without regard to   one's subjective state "The tax collector left in  
a state of having   been declared righteous, the Pharisee left in a  
state of having been   declared not righteous, rather than less  
righteous." I don't see how   this status conferred on one would  
permit the notion of degree. In   other words, if  DEDIKAIOMENOS is  
read as a passive with QEOS as the   implied agent and the resultant  
state is conferred by the agent on the   recipient, then we are left  
with and either/or, QEOS either confers   the state or not, there  
isn't any middle option.

I agree with Iver, but I suspect this has a lot to do with reformed    
readings of Paul. I suspect my understanding of DEDIKAIOMENOS is    
conditioned by Romans and Galatians.

<<<<<<<<

On Jul 17, 2009, at 10:12 PM, Kevin Riley wrote:

> As someone who tends not to have a reformed understanding of Paul  
> (or much
> else), that thought had occurred to me a number of times during the
> discussion :)

On the other hand I can find plenty of support for Iver's reading from  
within the immediate context.

Luke 18:9 Εἶπεν δὲ καὶ πρός τινας τοὺς  
πεποιθότας ἐφ᾿ ἑαυτοῖς ὅτι εἰσὶν  
δίκαιοι καὶ ἐξουθενοῦντας τοὺς  
λοιποὺς τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην·  10  
Ἄνθρωποι δύο ἀνέβησαν εἰς τὸ ἱερὸν  
προσεύξασθαι, ὁ εἷς Φαρισαῖος καὶ ὁ  
ἕτερος τελώνης.  11 ὁ Φαρισαῖος  
σταθεὶς πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ταῦτα  
προσηύχετο· ὁ θεός, εὐχαριστῶ σοι  
ὅτι οὐκ εἰμὶ ὥσπερ οἱ λοιποὶ τῶν  
ἀνθρώπων, ἅρπαγες, ἄδικοι, μοιχοί, ἢ  
καὶ ὡς οὗτος ὁ τελώνης·  12 νηστεύω  
δὶς τοῦ σαββάτου, ἀποδεκατῶ πάντα  
ὅσα κτῶμαι.  13 ὁ δὲ τελώνης μακρόθεν  
ἑστὼς οὐκ ἤθελεν οὐδὲ τοὺς  
ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐπᾶραι εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν,  
ἀλλ᾿ ἔτυπτεν τὸ στῆθος αὐτοῦ  
λέγων· ὁ θεός, ἱλάσθητί μοι τῷ  
ἁμαρτωλῷ.  14 λέγω ὑμῖν, κατέβη οὗτος  
δεδικαιωμένος εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ  
παρ᾿ ἐκεῖνον· ὅτι πᾶς ὁ ὑψῶν  
ἑαυτὸν ταπεινωθήσεται, ὁ δὲ  
ταπεινῶν ἑαυτὸν ὑψωθήσεται.

LUKE 18:9 EIPEN DE KAI PROS TINAS TOUS PEPOIQOTAS EF᾿ hEAUTOIS hOTI  
EISIN DIKAIOI KAI EXOUQENOUNTAS TOUS LOIPOUS THN PARABOLHN TAUTHN· 10  
ANQRWPOI DUO ANEBHSAN EIS TO hIERON PROSEUXASQAI, hO hEIS FARISAIOS  
KAI hO hETEROS TELWNHS. 11 hO FARISAIOS STAQEIS PROS hEAUTON TAUTA  
PROSHUCETO· hO QEOS, EUCARISTW SOI hOTI OUK EIMI hWSPER hOI LOIPOI TWN  
ANQRWPWN, hARPAGES, ADIKOI, MOICOI, H KAI hWS hOUTOS hO TELWNHS· 12  
NHSTEUW DIS TOU SABBATOU, APODEKATW PANTA hOSA KTWMAI. 13 hO DE  
TELWNHS MAKROQEN hESTWS OUK HQELEN OUDE TOUS OFQALMOUS EPARAI EIS TON  
OURANON, ALL᾿ ETUPTEN TO STHQOS AUTOU LEGWN· hO QEOS, hILASQHTI MOI  
TWi hAMARTWLWi. 14 LEGW hUMIN, KATEBH hOUTOS DEDIKAIWMENOS EIS TON  
OIKON AUTOU PAR᾿ EKEINON· hOTI PAS hO hUYWN hEAUTON TAPEINWQHSETAI,  
hO DE TAPEINWN hEAUTON hUYWQHSETAI.

The pericope is framed by two statements which should function as a  
control on the reading
LUKE 18:9 EIPEN DE KAI PROS TINAS TOUS PEPOIQOTAS EF᾿ hEAUTOIS hOTI  
EISIN DIKAIOI KAI EXOUQENOUNTAS TOUS LOIPOUS THN PARABOLHN TAUTHN·
hOTI PAS hO hUYWN hEAUTON TAPEINWQHSETAI, hO DE TAPEINWN hEAUTON  
hUYWQHSETAI.
hO FARISAIOS serves as a type of the target audience (v.9). He was  
impressed with and confident in his own subjective state of  
rightousness. Based on his criteria he was rightous and hO TELWNHS was  
not. hO FARISAIOS had an exalted opinion of his own moral/religous  
status.
The actions and prayer of hO TELWNHS make it plain he had no reason to  
be confident about his subjective state of rightousness. He doesn't  
pray with a view to become like  hO FARISAIOS, who could boast in his  
subjective state of rightousness. His prayer is for mercy, pardon, hO  
QEOS, hILASQHTI MOI TWi hAMARTWLWi. They way I read this, hO TELWNHS  
received a positive answer to his prayer. He is pardoned and KATEBH  
hOUTOS DEDIKAIWMENOS EIS TON OIKON AUTOU.
On the other hand hO FARISAIOS is deluded in regard to his subjective  
state of righteousness, TINAS TOUS PEPOIQOTAS EF᾿ hEAUTOIS hOTI EISIN  
DIKAIOI, and he does not receive a pardon.
If you read DEDIKAIWMENOS in light of the request hILASQHTI MOI TWi  
hAMARTWLWi,  then the whole framework of the parable supports Iver's  
reading.
This getting to be more exegetical than linguistic so I will go away  
and read some Ajax, 2Cor, whatever.


Elizabeth Kline







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