[B-Greek] "Because we are" of "Despite our being"? (Acts 17:29)

Elizabeth Kline kline_dekooning at earthlink.net
Sun Feb 28 16:43:01 EST 2010


On Feb 28, 2010, at 12:15 PM, Emanuel Contac wrote:

> While reading today Acts 17:29, where Paul says that we are God’s offspring and that we should not suppose that the deity is similar to gold, silver or stone, I wondered whether the participle YPARCHONTES could not be construed as having concessive value, rather than resultative/inferential value. In other words, despite us being God’s offspring, we should not suppose that God is material in the same sense that we are. Does any of you think there is a chance of this participle being interpreted in this way? It seems to be to make better sense in the Paul’s argument. The French Bible de Jerusalem seems to construe the verse in this way, if my French knowledge is not betraying me.
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> Acts 17:29 γένος οὖν ὑπάρχοντες τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκ ὀφείλομεν νομίζειν χρυσῷ ἢ ἀργύρῳ ἢ λίθῳ, χαράγματι τέχνης καὶ ἐνθυμήσεως ἀνθρώπου, τὸ θεῖον εἶναι ὅμοιον. (Act 17:29 BNT)
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> FBJ  Acts 17:29 " Que si nous sommes de la race de Dieu, nous ne devons pas penser que la divinité soit semblable à de l'or, de l'argent ou de la pierre, travaillés par l'art et le génie de l'homme.

Acts 17:28 ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ ζῶμεν καὶ κινούμεθα καὶ ἐσμέν, ὡς καί τινες τῶν καθ᾿ ὑμᾶς ποιητῶν εἰρήκασιν· τοῦ γὰρ καὶ γένος ἐσμέν.  29 γένος οὖν ὑπάρχοντες τοῦ θεοῦ οὐκ ὀφείλομεν νομίζειν χρυσῷ ἢ ἀργύρῳ ἢ λίθῳ, χαράγματι τέχνης καὶ ἐνθυμήσεως ἀνθρώπου, τὸ θεῖον εἶναι ὅμοιον.  30 τοὺς μὲν οὖν χρόνους τῆς ἀγνοίας ὑπεριδὼν ὁ θεός, τὰ νῦν παραγγέλλει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις πάντας πανταχοῦ μετανοεῖν, 
 
Acts 17:28 EN AUTWi GAR ZWMEN KAI KINOUMEQA KAI ESMEN, hWS KAI TINES TWN KAQ᾿ hUMAS POIHTWN EIRHKASIN· TOU GAR KAI GENOS ESMEN.  29 GENOS OUN hUPARCONTES TOU QEOU OUK OFEILOMEN NOMIZEIN CRUSWi H ARGURWi H LIQWi, CARAGMATI TECNHS KAI ENQUMHSEWS ANQRWPOU, TO QEION EINAI hOMOION.  30 TOUS MEN OUN CRONOUS THS AGNOIAS hUPERIDWN hO QEOS, TA NUN PARAGGELLEI TOIS ANQRWPOIS PANTAS PANTACOU METANOEIN, 

GENOS OUN hUPARCONTES TOU QEOU functions here as a contextualizer, anchoring the following statements to what was said in v28. This is a well established pattern in NT discourse.  A sentence initial participle clause used to indicate grounding for the following proposition.  

Elizabeth Kline
 






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