Re: Ephesians 5:14

From: Jonathan Robie (jwrobie@mindspring.com)
Date: Fri Jul 11 1997 - 09:38:26 EDT


At 08:47 AM 7/11/97 +0100, Jim Beale wrote:
>At 8:25 AM +0100 7/11/97, Peter Phillips wrote:
>
>>However, Irenaeus seems to translate the phrase as if PHANEROUMENON is a
>>deponent - "making manifest", so that he (quoting Ptolemy) ends up with the
>>phrase "all that makes manifest is light".
>>
>>Moule say this can't be right and goes with the parsing I sugget as does
>>Metzger.
>
> TA DE PANTA ELEGXOMENA hUPO TOU FWTOS FANEROUTAI,
> PAN GAR TO FANEROUMENON FWS ESTIN.
>
>It would be strange for FANEROUMENON to have an active sense given
>that FANEROUTAI is definitely passive. Light is the agent that
>exposes/reproves TOIS ERGOIS TOIS AKARPOIS TOU SKOTOUS.

To me, though, a middle sense seems possible, since there is no explicit
agent for FANEROUMENON: "but all that reveals itself is light". In this
case, the contrast between the passive sense of FANEROUTAI and the middle
sense of FANEROUMENON would be central to the meaning of the verse. As I
pointed out in an earlier message, I think that the middle interpretation
also fits the context best.

Jonathan

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Jonathan Robie jwrobie@mindspring.com http://www.mindspring.com/~jwrobie
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