[B-Greek] Ambiguity

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Sat Feb 6 11:48:19 EST 2010


On Feb 6, 2010, at 10:49 AM, Nikolaos Adamou wrote:
> 4.  The Church, meaning the original Church, the early and late fathers of the church, all the way but before the great schism, did it use such terminology besides and after the symbolism of the baptism?


Philo used ἀναγέννησις [ANAGENNHSIS]; 

παλιγγενεσία [PALIGGENESIA] is found in Matthew 19:28 
where it is used of the end-time, or "resurrection":
ἐν τῇ παλιγγενεσίᾳ [EN THi PALIGGENESIAi

but is used for  regeneration by baptism, διὰ λουτροῦ 
παλιγγενεσίας [DIA LOUTROU PALIGGENESIAS] Ep.Tit.3.5.

And this latter word has an older history in pre-Christian Greek --
in Plato, for instance, and in the Stoics.

I wouldn't begin to look for it in the Fathers, but I have no
doubt that it's there.



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






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