[B-Greek] Mark 10.15: Like a child
Mark Hoffman
markgvh at gmail.com
Wed Feb 23 11:02:06 EST 2011
I'm reviving an old discussion (
http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-greek/2002-November/023410.html), but
I'm coming up with a different solution.
Mark 10.15: AMHN LEGW hUMIN, hOS AN MH DEXHTAI THN BASILEIAN TOU QEOU hWS
PAIDION, OU MH EISELQHi EIS AUTHN.
ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ὃς ἂν μὴ δέξηται τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ ὡς παιδίον, οὐ μὴ ε
ἰσέλθῃ εἰς αὐτήν.
The earlier discussion basically involved the rendering of hWS PAIDION and
whether it meant "like a child" or "child-like." With Carl W. Conrad, I
really don't see much of a difference...
BUT I came across this old thread as I was looking for info on this verse
because I'm wondering whether it would not be better to take PAIDION as an
accusative rather than a nominative. (The person who started the original
thread mentioned this but did not pursue this line.)
As a nominative, the idea is: Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as
a child [would receive the kingdom] will never enter it.
As an accusative: Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as [one would
receive] a child will never enter it.
I'm thinking the accusative is preferable because:
a) The context is that of Jesus receiving/welcoming children. It makes
better sense if Jesus receives children and then says that is how one is to
receive the kingdom. Verse 15 would then be read in complete coherence with
the previous verse: "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them;
for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs." >> Ie, if the
kingdom belongs to children, then just as one receives children one is
receiving the kingdom of God.
b) 10.15 now is read in the same way as is explicitly stated in the similar
scene just prior in 9.37: "Whoever receives/welcomes one such child in my
name welcomes me..."
c) Grammatically, I note parallels in Mark w/ passages like:
1.10: He saw the heavens splitting and the spirit descending LIKE A DOVE
(and the idea is that he saw a spirit/dove, not that "Jesus,
dove-like, saw the heavens...")
8.24: I see people that I see walking LIKE TREES
12.31: You will love your neighbor AS YOURSELF
That is, in each of these instances, the WS clause is related to the object
of the main clause.
d) We can avoid all the foolish speculation about what constitutes proper
child-like acceptance of the kingdom... Of course, we now have a new issue
of describing how one "receives" a child. This is a bit easier to understand
given the explicit demonstrations of Jesus in 9.36-37 and here in 10.13ff.
I think the main reason why the nominative reading has been so dominant is
because of Matthew 18.3: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become
like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." This verse,
however, should not be the primary key for reading Mark 10.15.
Am I missing something that would discourage us from reading PAIDION as an
accusative?
Mark V Hoffman
www.CrossMarks.com <http://www.crossmarks.com/>
bibleandtech.blogspot.com | scrollandscreen.com
www.gettysburgseminary.org/mhoffman
More information about the B-Greek
mailing list