[b-greek] Re: BDAG at Rv 3:14 - Christ was the first creation now probable

From: Richard Ghilardi (qodeshlayhvh@juno.com)
Date: Thu Feb 08 2001 - 21:36:19 EST


Dear b-greekers,

In the following pairs of verses a designation used for Jesus in Rev 1 is
reused in chapters 2, 3 with occasional minor variations.

Pair 1
2:1) hO KRATWN TOUS hEPTA ASTERAS EN THi DEXIAi AUTOU
1:16) ECWN EN THi DEXIAi CEIRI AUTOU ASTERAS hEPTA

Pair 2
2:1) hO PERIPATWN EN MESWi TWN hEPTA LUCNIWN TWN CRUSWN
1:12,13) [EIDON] hEPTA LUCNIAS CRUSAS KAI EN MESWi TWN LUCNIWN [hOMOION
hUION ANQRWPOU]

Pair 3
2:8) hO PRWTOS KAI hO ESCATOS
1:17) hO PRWTOS KAI hO ESCATOS

Pair 4
2:8) hOS EGENETO NEKROS KAI EZHSEN
1:18) EGENOMHN NEKROS KAI IDOU ZWN EIMI

Pair 5
2:12) hO ECWN THN hROMFAIAN THN DISTOMON THN OXEIAN
1:16) EK TOU STOMATOS AUTOU hROMFAIA DISTOMOS OXEIA

Pair 6
2:18) hO ECWN TOUS OFQALMOUS AUTOU hWS FLOGA PUROS KAI hOI PODES AUTOU
hOMOIOI CALKOLIBANWi
1:14,15) hOI OFQALMOI AUTOU hWS FLOX PUROS KAI hOI PODES AUTOU hOMOIOI
CALKOLIBANWi

Pair 7
3:1) hO ECWN TA hEPTA PNEUMATA TOU QEOU KAI TOUS hEPTA ASTERAS
1:4,16) 4 - APO TWN hEPTA PNEUMATWN hA ENWPION TOU QRONOU AUTOU 16 - ECWN
EN THi DEXIAi CEIRI AUTOU ASTERAS hEPTA

Pair 8
3:14) hO MARTUS
1:5) hO MARTUS

Pair 9
3:14) hO PISTOS
1:5) hO PISTOS

I think all will agree with me that these pairs of vss are parallels.
They have the same meaning in chps 2, 3 as they do in chp 1 with
occasional minor differences in wording. For example, in Pair 1 KRATWN is
used in chp 2 instead of ECWN in chp 1. In the Pair 2 Jesus is pictured
as PERIPATWN in chp 2 while this word is absent from the parallel in chp
1. (Perhaps Jesus stopped moving while He was talking to John in the
vision of chp 1.) Differences in person and tense in the Pair 4 do not
disrupt the parallel. In Pair 5 the parallel to TOU STOMATOS in 1:16 is
to be found in 2:16.

The question I pose now is: Are any new designations for Jesus introduced
in 2, 3 which are not to be found in 1? My answer to this question is
"no" with possibly one or two exceptions.

I have mentioned above 9 designations for Jesus in chps 2, 3. In fact,
there are 5 or possibly 6 more such designations in those chapters.

hO ALHQINOS in 3:7 is not in chp 1. But hO ALHQINOS is not a separate and
distinct designation for Jesus. It is combined with PISTOS in 3:14 to
form one composite designtion, hO PISTOS KAI ALHQINOS by the figure of
hendiadys. Wherever the one is found (1:5; 3:7) the other is implied. No
one can be PISTOS without also being ALHQINOS and vice versa. Jesus is
"the truly faithful one." Therefore, hO ALHQINOS is not a new title in
3:7 unmentioned in chp 1, because it is implied in PISTOS.

This leaves 5 more designations in chps 2, 3.

Pair 10
2:18) hO hUIOS TOU QEOU
1:13) hOMOION hUION ANQRWPOU

Is hO hUIOS TOU QEOU equivalent in meaning to hOMOION hUION ANQRWPOU?
Listen to what R. H. Charles says in his commentary on Rev, vol 1, p. 27:

<< The Being whom the Seer sees is not "like the Son of Man," but is "the
Son of Man." But the Seer can rightly describe Him as being "like a son
of man." This technical phraseology in Apolcalyptic means that the Being
so described is *not a man.* [empahsis mine here] Further, since Ezekiel,
and particularly 1 Enoch xxxvii.-lxxi. (also lxxxiii.-xc.), used the term
"man" in their *visions* to symbolize an angel, hUIOS ANQRWPOU would most
naturally bear the same meaning in this passage. Thus hOMOION hUION
ANQRWPOU would = "like an angel." Hence the Being so described is a
supernatural Being, *like* an angel and yet *not an angel.* [emphasis
mine here] Such is the literal rendering of this latter passage. >>

If hUIOS ANQRWPOU is a supernatural being who is not a man and not an
angel, guess Who that leaves! :-) So it appears that hOMOION hUION
ANQRWPOU is strictly parallel to hO hUIOS TOU QEOU and therefore the
latter designation is not new in chps 2, 3.

Pair 11?
3:7) hO hAGIOS

This designation is not mentioned as such in chp 1 but is strongly
implied in the following vision of Jesus and John's reaction to it:

hH DE KEFALH AUTOU KAI hAI TRICES LEUKAI hWS ERION LEUKON hWS CIWN KAI
hOI OFQALMOI AUTOU hWS FLOX PUROS KAI hOI PODES AUTOU hOMOIOI
CALKOLIBANWi hWS EN KAMINWi PEPURWMENHS... KAI hH OYIS AUTOU hWS hO
hHLIOS FAINEI EN THi DUNAMEI AUTOU. KAI hOTE EIDON AUTON, EPESA PROS TOUS
PODAS AUTOU hWS NEKROS... 1:14,15,16,17

The holiness of Jesus is clearly seen in this
description. This interpretation is confirmed by John's reaction, i.e.,
falling at His feet. This is the standard reaction of Biblical characters
when confronted by the overwhelming holiness of God. Therefore, hO hAGIOS
is not a new title in chps 2, 3.

Pair 12
3:7) hO ECWN THN KLEIN DAUID, K.T.L. cf Is 22:22
1:18) ECW TAS KLEIS TOU QANATOU KAI TOU hAiDOU

Although these two designations are probably not strictly equivalent (but
cf Mt 16:18,19 where the PULAI hAiDOU are powerless against TAS KLEIDAS
THS BASILEIAS TWN OURANWN given to the church and the OT allusion is also
to Is 22:22, THN KLEIDA OIKOU DAUID), note that they differ only in the
qualifying genitives while the head nouns are nearly the same. In both
vss Jesus holds the key(s) symbolizing authoritative rule and control.
Therefore, Jesus as holder of the key(s) is not a new designation in chp
3 but may be found in chp 1.

Pair 13?
3:14) hO AMHN

This is possibly the only truly new designation. Yet the word AMHN does
occur twice in chp 1 but not as designations for Jesus. The two places
where it occurs are very significant. The doxology which rounds off
John's salutation to the churches from the Father, the Spirit and Jesus
concludes with AMHN. (1:4-6) The focus in the doxology is on the saving
work of Jesus and its results. By concluding with AMHN the author is
saying, "Yes Jesus, you are Savior and Your work has been effective." The
author, in verse 7, appends the words NAI, AMHN to a pastiche of quotes
from the OT. These picture the Lord coming with the clouds to rule the
nations who are in dismay at the sight of Him. So the NAI, AMHN means
"Yes Jesus, you are Lord of the nations. Come and rule over them." So
AMHN affirms Jesus as Savior and coming Lord. This is precisely what He
needs to be to the Laodicean church. First He shows them their spiritual
need and then offers them His healing. Then He reminds them of His
Lordship (vss 19,21) and promises to come (EISELEUSOMAI) to them in
fellowship (vs 20). So I conclude that the meaning symbolized by hO AMHN
is to be found already in 1:6,7 as well as the word itself.

And finally the pair:

Pair 14
3:14) hH ARCH THS KTISEWS TOU QEOU
1:5) hO ARCWN TWN BASILEWN THS GHS

Is this designation in 3:14 the only one without a parallel/equivalent in
chp 1? Even an implied one? Chapter 1 does not contain the least hint of
anything remotely connected to creation. Neither ARCH (meaning
"beginning") nor anything like it is to found in chp 1. This is rather
odd in the first chapter of a book containing so many Johannine elements.
cf Jn 1:1,2; 1Jn 1:1; 2Jn 1:5,6 And finally how is hH ARCH THS KTISEWS
TOU QEOU meaning "the beginning of God's creation related to anything in
the letter to the
Laodiceans?

I contend that these questions/observations are unanswerable unless we
view hH ARCH THS KTISEWS TOU QEOU and hO ARCWN TWN BASILEWN THS GHS as
roughly parallel/equivalent.

Note that the structure of this pair is similar to the structure of Pair
12, THN KLEIN DAUID. But the qualifying genitives in this pair are much
closer in meaning than those of Pair 12. It may, in fact, be the case
that KTISIS is being used in a narrower sense here as it sometimes is
elsewhere in the NT. (2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15; Mk 16:15; Col 1:23; 1Pet
2:13) The last reference is especially significant because it shows that
KTISIS can mean human governmental institutions. True, in 1Pet 2:13
KTISIS is limited by ANQRWPINH but THS KTISEWS in 3:14 is limited by its
parallel TWN BASILEWN in 1:5. But even if this limited sense of KTISEWS
is not accepted, TWN BASILEWN THS GHS is still a subset of THS KTISEWS
TOU QEOU and thus, they are, in part, parallel.

Given the fact that in 9 (possibly 10 or 11) of the 14 couplets the two
members show only minor verbal variations (no major semantic differences
in the head nouns for Pairs 10 and 12) and given the fact that no new
designations for Jesus are introduced in chps 2, 3 which are not at least
implied in chp 1 and given the fact that the context (Jesus exercising
His Lordship in 3:19,21) favors hH ARCH = "the ruler" I conclude that hH
ARCH THS KTISEWS TOU QEOU and hO ARCWN TWN BASILEWN THS GHS are roughly
parallel/equivalent. The difference between hH ARCH and hO ARCWN should
be viewed as a minor verbal variation with no major semantic distinction.

In conclusion, it should also be noted that the original hand of ALEPH
wrote EKKLHSIAS for KTISEWS. KTISEWS is, of couse, the indisputably
correct reading. But in order for the scribe of ALEPH to copy EKKLHSIAS
from his exemplar and read it sensibly in his text he had to have
understood hH ARCH to mean either "beginner" or "ruler" of the church.
Jesus as "the beginning of the church" is absurd. Jesus was not the first
member of the church. He is not a member of the church at all. So that
portion of the church of the 4th century that read from ALEPH and all the
mss copied from it understood hH ARCH to mean either "the beginner" or
"the ruler" not "the beginning." I suspect many others did as well. Since
Greek was their living native tongue, who are we to insist that hH ARCH
meant "the beginning" when they did not so understand it.

Richard Ghilardi -- qodeshlayhvh@juno.com
New Haven, CT USA
Nibai kaurno hwaiteis gadriusando in airtha gaswiltith,
silbo ainata aflifnith: ith jabai gaswiltith, manag akran bairith.

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