Re: Proffessor [sic] Blackwelder and participles

From: Dale M. Wheeler (dalemw@teleport.com)
Date: Mon Mar 16 1998 - 01:43:52 EST


Edgar Foster
>(2.) Back to the point about faith, I have read certain exegetes say that=
> there is siginificance in the fact that PISTIS always occurs in the verb=
>al form in the book of John. Can this argument be sustained? I have been =
>presently trying to prove or disprove this thesis. I'd appreciate any fee=
>dback.
>
>Exegete Gerald Borchert writes: "The evangelist, therefore, exhibits his =
>communicative skill in completely avoiding the Greek nouns for knowledge=
> (GNWSIS) and belief or faith (PISTIS) and chose to use only the verbs =
>for knowing (GINWSKEIN or EIDENAI) and believing (PISTEUEIN)" (Borchert =
>116).

John does not use the nouns PISTIS or GNWSIS in his Gospel; PISTIS occurs
1x in 1John 5:4. I'd caution however from drawing the conclusion (and I'm
not saying that you are suggesting this...) that just because the concept
is communicated via verbs that it means that "to believe" and "to know"
are ipso facto unbounded and durative in all cases...such a determination
should be made on other, contextual grounds.

XAIREIN...

***********************************************************************
Dale M. Wheeler, Ph.D.
Research Professor in Biblical Languages Multnomah Bible College
8435 NE Glisan Street Portland, OR 97220
Voice: 503-251-6416 FAX:503-254-1268 E-Mail: dalemw@teleport.com
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