Re: predicate adjectives

From: Jonathan Robie (jwrobie@mindspring.com)
Date: Wed Feb 05 1997 - 10:53:01 EST


At 09:04 AM 2/5/97 -0600, Carl W. Conrad wrote:
>At 7:54 AM -0600 2/5/97, Jonathan Robie wrote:
>>Andrew Kulikovsky wrote:
>>
>>> But if Paul meant to say "All scripture (that is) divinely-inspired
>>> (is) also useful for instruction etc." implying that not every
>>> scripture is inspired then why didn't he tell Timothy which
>>> ones are inspired and which aren't?
>>
>>I believe that GRAFH can refer to any kind of writing, not just scripture,
>>can't it? I have been reading GRAFH QEOPNEUSTOS as "inspired writing", i.e.
>>scripture. I see this as parallel to TA IERA GRAMMATA in verse 15, so I see
>>this as meaning "All divinely-inspired writing [referring to the OT
>>scriptures - IERA GRAMMATA] is also useful for instruction etc."
>
>A quick check on GRAFH within the NT discovered 49 instances of the word in
>either singular or plural, all of them clearly referring to scriptures.
>There is no doubt that it has other meanings outside the NT, but NT usage
>seems to be pretty consistent. I guess OT ought to be checked also.

OK. As I understand it then, I don't see anything in the *syntax* to make me
prefer one of these readings:

1. "All scripture (that is) divinely-inspired (is) also useful for instruction"
2. "All scripture (is) divinely inspired, and is also useful for instruction

The first seems to be Edgar's interpretation, in which the concern is that
some scriptures are authentic, and others are not. It is consistent with a
late date model.

The second was what I thought for most of yesterday and am beginning to
think again, at least for the next 15 minutes ;->

Louw and Nida say that GRAFH means "a particular passage of the OT -
"Scripture, Scripture passage." LEGEI GAR hH GRAFH, PAS hO PISTEUWN EP AUTW
OU KATAISXUNQHSETAI 'for the Scripture says, Whoever believes in him will
not be disappointed' Ro 10:11.

I was hoping this would give me a definite answer, but it opens up some
questions for me:

1. Is GRAFH used for NT canonical writings in the first few centuries? If
so, what are the earliest instances of this usage?

2. Is the absence of the article for GRAFH in PAS GRAFH significant?

I was hoping this would be easier than Ephesians ;->

Jonathan

***************************************************************************
Jonathan Robie
POET Software, 3207 Gibson Road, Durham, N.C., 27703
Ph: 919.598.5728 Fax: 919.598.6728
email: jwrobie@mindspring.com, jonathan@poet.com
http://www.poet.com <--- shockwave enabled!
***************************************************************************



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Sat Apr 20 2002 - 15:38:04 EDT