[B-Greek] 1Cor. 6:11 change of state
Yancy Smith
yancywsmith at sbcglobal.net
Mon Feb 15 16:31:15 EST 2010
I think Elizabeth's question is fascinating:
1Cor. 6:11 καὶ ταῦτά τινες ἦτε· ἀλλὰ ἀπελούσασθε, ἀλλὰ ἡγιάσθητε, ἀλλὰ ἐδικαιώθητε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ κ.υρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν.
.
1Cor. 6:11 KAI TAUTA TINES HTE· ALLA APELOUSASQE, ALLA hHGIASQHTE, ALLA EDIKAIWQHTE EN TWi ONOMATI TOU KURIOU IHSOU CRISTOU KAI EN TWi PNEUMATI TOU QEOU hHMWN.
Elizabeth said:
Is it safe to assume that the addressees are the same throughout? In other words is Paul's warning addressed to the same group of people [identical individuals] referenced in KAI TAUTA TINES HTE and ALLA APELOUSASQE ... EDIKAIWQHTE? If so, what is the basis for his warning. Are these people continuing to participate in these activities listed in the vice list? If they are continuing to participate why are they no longer considered perpetrators? In other words why the past tense followed by ALLA? KAI TAUTA TINES HTE ... ALLA APELOUSASQE ... .
[Yancy Smith] Safe assumption. The answer to the second question about the basis for his warning is that some of the TINES are not living up to the standard Paul assumes for the sake of argument they had accepted. Several scholar's point out the traditional character of the list in v. 9-10 (cp. "Two ways" teaching in Didache, Ep. of Barnabas, Damascus document, Pseudo-Phocilydes, etc.)
Elizabeth said:
In Paul's mind the change of state represented by ALLA APELOUSASQE ... is incompatible with participation in the activities represented in vice list. But his warning implies that there are some people among his addressees who have undergone the change of state but still participate. How can this be? We seem to have people who are no longer considered perpetrators but they are still perpetrating.
[Yancy Smith] Right, Paul's argument is based upon the assumption that his hearers had, in fact, accepted the change of status and ownership, ἐδικαιώθητε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν EDIKAIWQHTE EN TWi ONOMATI TOU KURIOU IHSOU CRISTOU KAI EN TWi PNEUMATI TOU QEOU hHMWN but some were behaving treacherously towards their new Lord. The implied accusation of treachery is strengthened by establishing the issue (here in rhetorical terms a conjectural issue), do the perpetrators know, in fact, that they are breaking rules to which they have assented? (See Rhetorica ad Herenium 2.9.).
Elizabeth said:
I am not looking for a discourse on sanctification. Just trying to understand Paul's logic in this passage.
[Yancy Smith] It seems to me that the logic has to do with the option Paul can exercise at any time to draw attention to the difference between appearance- assumption and reality. The power of arguing from appearances and previously accepted premises when the reality is clearly at variance with both is that the audience may sense the dissonance and attempt to correct it, allowing the speaker to maintain a polite stance. But the speaker may strong-arm the audience and abandon the polite tone at will, pointing out the clear deficiency he/she wants to correct. Paul had already done this in v. 7. A slightly lighter touch in seen in v. 11. Cp. this with 2 Cor. 13:5
Ἑαυτοὺς πειράζετε εἰ ἐστὲ ἐν τῇ πίστει, ἑαυτοὺς δοκιμάζετε· ἢ οὐκ ἐπιγινώσκετε ἑαυτοὺς ὅτι Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν; εἰ μήτι ἀδόκιμοί ἐστε.
hEAUTOUS PEIRAZETE EI ESTE EN THi PISTEI, hEAUTOUS DOKIMAZETE: H OUK EPIGINWSKETE hEAUTOUS hOTI IHSOUS CRISTOS EN hUMIN; EI MHTI ADOKIMOI ESTE.
Elizabeth said:
Perhaps Paul's warning is directed at people who are being influenced by perpetrators but are not actually participating, but at risk of being influenced. This would resolve the logical problem. However, the language of the text doesn't seem to allow for that reading.
[Yancy Smith] I think we should not too quickly jump from the ad hoc persuasiveness of Paul's words to speculation about historical reconstruction or theological implications. I prefer to swim around a long time in the grammatical and rhetorical implications first.
Yancy Smith
Yancy W. Smith, PhD
World Bible Translation Center
4028 Daley Ave., Suite 201
Fort Worth, TX 76180
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yancy at wbtc.org
Be kinder than necessary for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
Elizabeth Kline
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