[B-Greek] metaphors in 2Cor 3-4

Bryant J. Williams III bjwvmw at com-pair.net
Fri Feb 12 01:40:25 EST 2010


Dear Elizabeth, Yancey,

The metaphor's used of Paul's ministry versus that of Moses' "veiled" ministry.

    GLORY = VEIL = DARKNESS = BLINDED = SEEING DARKNESS

    MORE GLORIOUS = UNVEILED = LIGHT = NOT BLINDED = SEE THE LIGHT

Yet it is DIAKONOS + cognates and DOXA + cognates that are used to emphasize the
contrast of Paul vs Moses.

DIAKONOS is used 23x by Paul of which 12 are in II Corinthians; of which 5x in
2:14 - 4:6.
2 Cor 3:7 Εἰ δὲ ἡ διακονία τοῦ θανάτου ἐν γράμμασιν ἐντετυπωμένη λίθοις ἐγενήθη
ἐν δόξῃ, ὥστε μὴ δύνασθαι ἀτενίσαι τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον Μωϋσέως διὰ
τὴν δόξαν τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ τὴν καταργουμένην,

2 Cor 3:8 πῶς οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἡ διακονία τοῦ πνεύματος ἔσται ἐν δόξῃ;

2 Cor 3:9 εἰ γὰρ τῇ διακονίᾳ τῆς κατακρίσεως δόξα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον περισσεύει ἡ
διακονία τῆς δικαιοσύνης δόξῃ.

2 Cor 4:1 Διὰ τοῦτο, ἔχοντες τὴν διακονίαν ταύτην καθὼς ἠλεήθημεν, οὐκ
ἐγκακοῦμεν

2 Cor 5:18 τὰ δὲ πάντα ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ καταλλάξαντος ἡμᾶς ἑαυτῷ διὰ Χριστοῦ καὶ
δόντος ἡμῖν τὴν διακονίαν τῆς καταλλαγῆς,

2 Cor 6:3 Μηδεμίαν ἐν μηδενὶ διδόντες προσκοπήν, ἵνα μὴ μωμηθῇ ἡ διακονία,

2 Cor 8:4 μετὰ πολλῆς παρακλήσεως δεόμενοι ἡμῶν τὴν χάριν καὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν τῆς
διακονίας τῆς εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους,

2 Cor 9:1 Περὶ μὲν γὰρ τῆς διακονίας τῆς εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους περισσόν μοί ἐστιν τὸ
γράφειν ὑμῖν·

2 Cor 9:12 ὅτι ἡ διακονία τῆς λειτουργίας ταύτης οὐ μόνον ἐστὶν προσαναπληροῦσα
τὰ ὑστερήματα τῶν ἁγίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ περισσεύουσα διὰ πολλῶν εὐχαριστιῶν τῷ θεῷ.

2 Cor 9:13 διὰ τῆς δοκιμῆς τῆς διακονίας ταύτης δοξάζοντες τὸν θεὸν ἐπὶ τῇ
ὑποταγῇ τῆς ὁμολογίας ὑμῶν εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἁπλότητι τῆς
κοινωνίας εἰς αὐτοὺς καὶ εἰς πάντας,

2 Cor 11:8 ἄλλας ἐκκλησίας ἐσύλησα λαβὼν ὀψώνιον πρὸς τὴν ὑμῶν διακονίαν,

DIAKONOS is used 20x by Paul of which 4x are in II Corinthians; of which 1x in
2:14 - 4:6
2 Cor 3:6 ὃς καὶ ἱκάνωσεν ἡμᾶς διακόνους καινῆς διαθήκης, οὐ γράμματος ἀλλὰ
πνεύματος· τὸ γὰρ γράμμα ἀποκτέννει, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ζῳοποιεῖ.

2 Cor 6:4 ἀλλ’ ἐν παντὶ συνιστάντες ἑαυτοὺς ὡς θεοῦ διάκονοι, ἐν ὑπομονῇ πολλῇ,
ἐν θλίψεσιν, ἐν ἀνάγκαις, ἐν στενοχωρίαις,

2 Cor 11:15 οὐ μέγα οὖν εἰ καὶ οἱ διάκονοι αὐτοῦ μετασχηματίζονται ὡς διάκονοι
δικαιοσύνης· ὧν τὸ τέλος ἔσται κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν.

2 Cor 11:23 διάκονοι Χριστοῦ εἰσιν; παραφρονῶν λαλῶ, ὑπὲρ ἐγώ· ἐν κόποις
περισσοτέρως, ἐν φυλακαῖς περισσοτέρως, ἐν πληγαῖς ὑπερβαλλόντως, ἐν θανάτοις
πολλάκις.

DIAKONEW is used 8x by Paul of which 3x are in II Corinthians; of which 1x is in
2:14 - 4:6
2 Cor 3:3 φανερούμενοι ὅτι ἐστὲ ἐπιστολὴ Χριστοῦ διακονηθεῖσα ὑφ’ ἡμῶν,
ἐγγεγραμμένη οὐ μέλανι ἀλλὰ πνεύματι θεοῦ ζῶντος, οὐκ ἐν πλαξὶν λιθίναις ἀλλ’ ἐν
πλαξὶν καρδίαις σαρκίναις.

2 Cor 8:19 οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλὰ καὶ χειροτονηθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν συνέκδημος ἡμῶν
σὺν τῇ χάριτι ταύτῃ τῇ διακονουμένῃ ὑφ’ ἡμῶν πρὸς τὴν [αὐτοῦ] τοῦ κυρίου δόξαν
καὶ προθυμίαν ἡμῶν,

2 Cor 8:20 στελλόμενοι τοῦτο, μή τις ἡμᾶς μωμήσηται ἐν τῇ ἁδρότητι ταύτῃ τῇ
διακονουμένῃ ὑφ’ ἡμῶν·
The use of this word group in II Corinthians 2:14 - 4:6 indicates the
description of "our" (Paul/Timothy/Titus) ministry versus those who are
"sellers/peddlers."

DOXAZW is used 12x by Paul of which 3x are in II Corinthians; of which 2x are in
2:14 - 4:6 (3:10 - 2x)
2 Cor 3:10 καὶ γὰρ οὐ δεδόξασται τὸ δεδοξασμένον ἐν τούτῳ τῷ μέρει εἵνεκεν τῆς
ὑπερβαλλούσης δόξης.

2 Cor 9:13 διὰ τῆς δοκιμῆς τῆς διακονίας ταύτης δοξάζοντες τὸν θεὸν ἐπὶ τῇ
ὑποταγῇ τῆς ὁμολογίας ὑμῶν εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἁπλότητι τῆς
κοινωνίας εἰς αὐτοὺς καὶ εἰς πάντας

DOXA is used 77x by Paul of which 18x are in II Corinthians; of which 12x are
2:14 - 4:6
2 Cor 1:20 ὅσαι γὰρ ἐπαγγελίαι θεοῦ, ἐν αὐτῷ τὸ ναί· διὸ καὶ δι’ αὐτοῦ τὸ ἀμὴν
τῷ θεῷ πρὸς δόξαν δι’ ἡμῶν.

2 Cor 3:7 Εἰ δὲ ἡ διακονία τοῦ θανάτου ἐν γράμμασιν ἐντετυπωμένη λίθοις ἐγενήθη
ἐν δόξῃ, ὥστε μὴ δύνασθαι ἀτενίσαι τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον Μωϋσέως διὰ
τὴν δόξαν τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ τὴν καταργουμένην,

2 Cor 3:8 πῶς οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἡ διακονία τοῦ πνεύματος ἔσται ἐν δόξῃ;

2 Cor 3:9 εἰ γὰρ τῇ διακονίᾳ τῆς κατακρίσεως δόξα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον περισσεύει ἡ
διακονία τῆς δικαιοσύνης δόξῃ.

2 Cor 3:10 καὶ γὰρ οὐ δεδόξασται τὸ δεδοξασμένον ἐν τούτῳ τῷ μέρει εἵνεκεν τῆς
ὑπερβαλλούσης δόξης.

2 Cor 3:11 εἰ γὰρ τὸ καταργούμενον διὰ δόξης, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸ μένον ἐν δόξῃ.

2 Cor 3:18 ἡμεῖς δὲ πάντες ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ τὴν δόξαν κυρίου
κατοπτριζόμενοι τὴν αὐτὴν εἰκόνα μεταμορφούμεθα ἀπὸ δόξης εἰς δόξαν καθάπερ ἀπὸ
κυρίου πνεύματος.

2 Cor 4:4 ἐν οἷς ὁ θεὸς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἐτύφλωσεν τὰ νοήματα τῶν ἀπίστων εἰς
τὸ μὴ αὐγάσαι τὸν φωτισμὸν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τῆς δόξης τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν
τοῦ θεοῦ.

2 Cor 4:6 ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ὁ εἰπών· ἐκ σκότους φῶς λάμψει, ὃς ἔλαμψεν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις
ἡμῶν πρὸς φωτισμὸν τῆς γνώσεως τῆς δόξης τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν προσώπῳ [Ἰησοῦ] Χριστοῦ.

2 Cor 4:15 τὰ γὰρ πάντα δι’ ὑμᾶς, ἵνα ἡ χάρις πλεονάσασα διὰ τῶν πλειόνων τὴν
εὐχαριστίαν περισσεύσῃ εἰς τὴν δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ.

2 Cor 4:17 τὸ γὰρ παραυτίκα ἐλαφρὸν τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν καθ’ ὑπερβολὴν εἰς
ὑπερβολὴν αἰώνιον βάρος δόξης κατεργάζεται ἡμῖν,

2 Cor 6:8 διὰ δόξης καὶ ἀτιμίας, διὰ δυσφημίας καὶ εὐφημίας· ὡς πλάνοι καὶ
ἀληθεῖς,

2 Cor 8:19 οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλὰ καὶ χειροτονηθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν συνέκδημος ἡμῶν
σὺν τῇ χάριτι ταύτῃ τῇ διακονουμένῃ ὑφ’ ἡμῶν πρὸς τὴν [αὐτοῦ] τοῦ κυρίου δόξαν
καὶ προθυμίαν ἡμῶν,

2 Cor 8:23 εἴτε ὑπὲρ Τίτου, κοινωνὸς ἐμὸς καὶ εἰς ὑμᾶς συνεργός· εἴτε ἀδελφοὶ
ἡμῶν, ἀπόστολοι ἐκκλησιῶν, δόξα Χριστοῦ.

Furthermore, the following 8 metaphors are used:

1. The Triumphal Procession, 2:14a
2. The Odor of Life and Death, 2:14b-16a
3. Letters Written on Stone vs. Written on the Heart, 3:2-3
4. New Covenant Ministers, 3:6
5. The Veil Removed, 3:14-18; 4:3-4
6. The Light of Creation, 4:6
7. Earthen Vessels, 4:7
8. Earthly House vs. Heavenly House, 5:1-4

Metaphors #3-8 appear to be drawn from Jeremiah 32-33.31 The 3rd and 4th
metaphors are clearly drawn from the Jeremiah 31 new covenant passage (as well
as Ezk 11:19; 36:26). The 5th and 6th metaphors are suggested by the same new
covenant
language in that the new covenant’s replacing of the Mosaic law calls to mind
the veil that blocked the light of God’s glory reflected in Moses’ face (Ex
34:29-35). The 7th metaphor may also have been suggested by the same general
section of Jeremiah, since the “clay jar” symbolism may well have come from
Jeremiah 32:10-14. The 8th metaphor, though more difficult to relate to specific
language in Jeremiah, could conceivably be taken from the notion of houses
destroyed by the Babylonians and later rebuilt under the new covenant (32:29,
42-44).

Throughout this passage, the language is metaphorical. For example, when Paul
writes, “You are our letter, written in our hearts” (3:2-3), he is formulating a
classical metaphor. By using Jeremiah’s new covenant passage as a metaphor for
his own ministry, Paul is not using the language of “fulfillment”; that is, he
is not saying that his ministry is a realization of what was promised in
Jeremiah, but rather that what Jeremiah was describing provides a suitable
figure to describe his ministry. Consider how Paul uses the passages from
Jeremiah: A letter written on the heart is reminiscent of the new covenant’s
provision of God’s law written onIsrael/Judah’s heart (Jer 31:33). The
Corinthian believers are likened to God’s law written on Israel’s heart, but
this is not to say that the Corinthian believers are a fulfillment of this
element of the new covenant. In the fulfillment of the new covenant, God’s law
is God’s law, not God’s people! Similarly, the inability of some to discern the
glory of the gospel ministry is likened to the veil that covered Moses’ face
(3:14-18; 4:3-4; cf. Ex 34:29-35), but clearly this does not mean that the veil
is somehow fulfilled by the unbelief of Paul’s opponents. The new covenant
ministry in 3:6 likewise needs to be understood as a metaphor and does not
necessarily mean that there is some kind of fulfillment or realization of the
new covenant. Rather, the new covenant provides a suitable Scriptural figure to
describe Paul’s ministry in such a way as to respond to the specific criticisms
that had been raised against him.

En Xristwi,

Rev. Bryant J. Williams III



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Yancy W Smith" <yancywsmith at sbcglobal.net>
To: "Elizabeth Kline" <kline_dekooning at earthlink.net>
Cc: "greek B-Greek" <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, February 11, 2010 4:13 PM
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] metaphors in 2Cor 3-4


> Elizabeth,
> A real tour de force analysis. I'm sue some is going to ask what this
> has to do with Greek. It would be interesting to map the NT Greek
> terminological relatedness of body metaphors of eyes-ears-mouth-hands-
> feet with thinking, feeling and acting in the NT.  These pattern are,
> of couse culurally determined. There was a French article by a priest
> I once translated on this body mapping and cognition affection and
> acting that Bruce Malina exploited in his discussions of culural
> patterns in the New Testament.
>
> Yancy
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Feb 11, 2010, at 1:05 PM, Elizabeth Kline <kline_dekooning at earthlink.net
>  > wrote:
>
> >
> > On Feb 9, 2010, at 3:20 PM, Yancy Smith wrote:
> >
> >> The form of the conditional statement is straightforward enough
> >> (apart from the temporal/conditional polysemy of hHINIKA) but the
> >> content is metaphorical. It cannot represent a real state of
> >> affairs if it has to do with veils and reading and hearts all the
> >> rest. And here, I think, is where the breakdown in meaning occurs ...
> >
> > Yancy's comments about misunderstanding metaphors kept coming to
> > mind as I took yet another look at Paul's use of figurative language
> > in 2Cor 3-4. In this context Paul seems to be weaving a complex web
> > of metaphors having to do with visual perception.
> >
> > 2Cor. 3:7 Εἰ δὲ ἡ διακονία τοῦ θανάτου
> > ἐν γράμμασιν ἐντετυπωμένη λίθοις
> > ἐγενήθη ἐν δόξῃ, ὥστε μὴ δύνασθαι
> > ἀτενίσαι τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὸ
> > πρόσωπον Μωϋσέως διὰ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ
> > προσώπου αὐτοῦ τὴν καταργουμένην,
> > .
> > 2Cor. 3:7 EI DE hH DIAKONIA TOU QANATOU EN GRAMMASIN ENTETUPWMENH
> > LIQOIS EGENHQH EN DOXHi, hWSTE MH DUNASQAI ATENISAI TOUS hUIOUS
> > ISRAHL EIS TO PROSWPON MWUSEWS DIA THN DOXAN TOU PROSWPOU AUTOU THN
> > KATARGOUMENHN,
> > .
> > Here Paul introduces TO PROSWPON MWUSEWS noting that MH DUNASQAI
> > ATENISAI TOUS hUIOUS ISRAHL EIS TO PROSWPON MWUSEWS. What might
> > appear at first as just an historical detail, MH DUNASQAI
> > ATENISAI ... on further reflection looks like the beginning of a
> > thread "the inability of TOUS hUIOUS ISRAHL to fix their eyes on, to
> > see, to understand, to look at, to perceive ... ".   In Paul's
> > metaphor this inability to "see" begins at the giving of the Sinai
> > covenant and continues ACRI THS SHMERON ... hEWS SHMERON   2Cor
> > 3:14-15.
> > .
> > 2Cor. 4:3 εἰ δὲ καὶ ἔστιν κεκαλυμμένον
> > τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἡμῶν, ἐν τοῖς
> > ἀπολλυμένοις ἐστὶν κεκαλυμμένον,  4
> > ἐν οἷς ὁ θεὸς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου
> > ἐτύφλωσεν τὰ νοήματα τῶν ἀπίστων
> > εἰς τὸ μὴ αὐγάσαι τὸν φωτισμὸν τοῦ
> > εὐαγγελίου τῆς δόξης τοῦ Χριστοῦ,
> > ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ.
> > .
> > 2Cor. 4:3 EI DE KAI ESTIN KEKALUMMENON TO EUAGGELION hHMWN, EN TOIS
> > APOLLUMENOIS ESTIN KEKALUMMENON,  4 EN hOIS hO QEOS TOU AIWNOS
> > TOUTOU ETUFLWSEN TA NOHMATA TWN APISTWN EIS TO MH AUGASAI TON
> > FWTISMON TOU EUAGGELIOU THS DOXHS TOU CRISTOU, hOS ESTIN EIKWN TOU
> > QEOU.
> > .
> > In 2Cor 4:4 the visual metaphor is used with TA NOHMATA,  hO QEOS
> > TOU AIWNOS TOUTOU ETUFLWSEN TA NOHMATA TWN APISTWN which suggests to
> > me the possibility that we might also read 2Cor 3:14  EPWRWQH TA
> > NOHMATA AUTWN as a visual metaphor, see Job 17:17.
> > .
> > 2Cor. 3:14 ἀλλὰ ἐπωρώθη τὰ νοήματα αὐτῶ
> > ν.
> > 2Cor. 3:14 ALLA EPWRWQH TA NOHMATA AUTWN.
> > .
> > Job 17:6 ἔθου δέ με θρύλημα ἐν ἔθνεσιν
> > γέλως δὲ αὐτοῖς ἀπέβην  7 πεπώρωνται
> > γὰρ ἀπὸ ὀργῆς οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου
> > πεπολιόρκημαι μεγάλως ὑπὸ πάντων
> > .
> > Job 17:6 EQOU DE ME QRULHMA EN EQNESIN GELWS DE AUTOIS APEBHN  7
> > PEPWRWNTAI GAR APO ORGHS hOI OFQALMOI MOU PEPOLIORKHMAI MEGALWS hUPO
> > PANTWN.
> > .
> > It appears that the "state of affairs" represented under these
> > various visual metaphors is for Paul a condition that obtains from
> > Moses at Sinai ACRI THS SHMERON ... EN TOIS APOLLUMENOIS.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Elizabeth Kline
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> Yancy Smith
> ---
> B-Greek home page: http://www.ibiblio.org/bgreek
> B-Greek mailing list
> B-Greek at lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-greek
>


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