[B-Greek] Romans 8:17

yancywsmith at sbcglobal.net yancywsmith at sbcglobal.net
Tue Feb 23 23:00:47 EST 2010


Here I adapt and expand comments from R. Jewett's Hermeneia commentary on Romans. No other references in Paul’s letters speak of Christ as the heir of God, but Paul does point to "the promise that [Abraham] would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith" (Rom 4:13), so Christ as heir may indicate the fulfillment of that promise. He is Lord of the world. Paul later indicates that believers "reign in life" through the abundance of grace a and the free gift of righteousness" (Rom. 5:17). The genitive construction χριστοῦ CRISTOU seems to me dependent on the preposition συν- SUN- (“with”) in συγκληρονόμος SUNKLHRONOMOS (“joint-heir”) so a defensible translation is “joint-heirs WITH Christ.” The verb συμπάσχομεν is in the present tense, “we suffer together with,” which appears to refer to ongoing experience that characterize the present: a present suffering with Christ (i.e. for the sake of Christ), the basis of the future glorification. Classial usage of the second verb συμπάσχειν can mean “suffer with,” or “sympathize with,” as in Polybius Hist. 4.7.3, “the Achaeans … sympathized with (συμπάσχοντες) the Messenians in their misfortune.” But here in Romans, it has the sense of believers suffering with Christ, in behalf of Christ. It is an idea similar to that in Phil 3:10, of sharing Christ’s “sufferings, becoming LIKE him in his death” in order to participate in his resurrection.  συνδοξάζω is rare and in non-biblical, and classical sources use the active voice with the meaing "to join with others in praising or approving something." E.g. Aristotle Pol. 1310a.13, “of the most beneficial laws also jointly approved by the citizens (νόμων καὶ συνδεδοξασμένων ὑπὸ πάντων τῶν πολιτευομένων).” The passive seems to be Paul's thing—and only in this passage. The subjunctive aorist in a purpose clause ἵνα συνδοξασθῶμεν points toward a fulfillment in the future.

Yancy Smith, PhD
yancywsmith at sbcglobal.net
Y.W.Smith at tcu.edu
yancy at wbtc.com
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On Feb 23, 2010, at 9:08 PM, George F Somsel wrote:

> εἰ δὲ τέκνα, καὶ κληρονόμοι· κληρονόμοι μὲν θεοῦ, συγκληρονόμοι δὲ Χριστοῦ, εἴπερ συμπάσχομεν ἵνα καὶ συνδοξασθῶμεν.
> 
> Note the series SUGKLHRONOMAI ... SUMPASXOMEN ... SUNDOCASQWMEN
> 
> In the first usage it is SUGKLHROMOMAI ... XRISTOU and it would therefore be expected that the other combinations with SUN- would be used likewise.
>  george
> gfsomsel 
> 
> 
> … search for truth, hear truth, 
> learn truth, love truth, speak the truth, hold the truth, 
> defend the truth till death.
> 
> 
> - Jan Hus
> _________ 
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Carl Conrad <cwconrad2 at mac.com>
> To: B-Greek <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
> Sent: Tue, February 23, 2010 7:56:26 PM
> Subject: [B-Greek] Romans 8:17
> 
> This was clearly intended for the list, but doesn't seem to have come through:
> 
> From: "Ashley Windus" <ashley at eastsidechurch.org.au>
> Date: February 23, 2010 9:14:48 PM EST
> To: <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
> Subject: Romans 8:17
> 
> 
> I am very much the beginner with respect to Greek.  However, I have a (probably very basic) question about Romans 8:17
> 
> eiper sumpaschomen
> if, in fact, we suffer with him (NRSV)
> if indeed we suffer together [with him] (Lexham)
> provided we suffer with him (ESV)
> 
> Every translation I have read seems to agree that he meaning is: suffer together with him (Christ). Is the connection to Jesus purely contextual?  Is it possible Paul could have meant: suffer together, that is, with one another (and equally, with Christ)?  It seems to me from my very basic understanding that this at least is a possible understanding – that the suffering together refers not just to me suffering along with Christ but us suffering together with one another and with Christ.
> 
> 
> Ashley Windus
> 
> c3 church eastside
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> EI DE TEKNA, KAI KLHRONOMAI; KLHRONOMAI MEN QEOU, SUGKLHRONOMAI DE XRISTOU, EIPER SUMPASXOMEN hINA KAI SUNDOCASQWMEN.
> 
> 
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