re: ponhrou in Matt. 6.13

From: Mark Goodacre (goodacms@m4-arts.bham.ac.uk)
Date: Thu Sep 11 1997 - 06:11:50 EDT


Jeffrey Gibson mentioned Chrysostom's Homily on Matt. (19.10) as
giving us PONHROU = the Devil. The whole thing can be viewed at:

http://ccel.wheaton.edu/fathers/NPNF1-10/ECF19.TXT

but it takes eternity to come up on the browser, so here is the
relevant excerpt for those who are interested:

'And He here calls the devil "the wicked one," commanding us to wage
against him a war that knows no truce, and implying that he is not
such by nature. For wickednes is not of those things that are
from nature, but of them that are added by our own choice. And he is
so called pre-eminently, by reason of the excess of his wickedness,
and because he, in no respect injured by us, wages against us
implacable war. Wherefore neither said He, "deliver us from the
wicked ones," but, "from the wicked one;" instructing us in no case to
entertain displeasure against our neighbours, for what wrongs soever
we may suffer at their hands, but to transfer our enmity from these
to him, as being himself the cause of all our wrongs.'

It is interesting that Chysostom simply takes it for granted that the
Devil is in view here. I wonder what others of the fathers say. If
I have time I will look.

Good wishes

Mark

------------------------
Dr Mark Goodacre
Department of Theology
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham B15 2TT

Tel.: +44 (0)121 414 7512 Email: M.S.Goodacre@Bham.ac.uk
Fax.: +44 (0)121 414 6866 http://www.bham.ac.uk/theology/goodacre.htm



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