Re: Romans 1:16,17 - The antecedent of EN AUTW

From: Joe A. Friberg (JoeFriberg@email.msn.com)
Date: Sun Feb 20 2000 - 00:49:53 EST


----- Original Message -----
From: "John Wilking" <johnwilking@hotmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2000 10:48 AM
>
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "John Wilking" <johnwilking@hotmail.com>
> >Sent: Sunday, February 13, 2000 10:49 PM
>
> > > I first held to the locative idea, "God's righteousness revealed in
> >someone
> > > who believes." I later considered equivalence with a simple dative a
> > > possibility. These are the things that have stimulated my
question(s).
>
> On Mon 14, 2000 Joe Friberg said,
>
> >I like others find this a difficult case to make.
>
> I found an entry in BAG, EN,IV,4,a, "ev with dat. stands--a. for the
> ordinary dat...." This is followed with some classical and biblical
> examples (Gal 1:16, Rom 1:19, I Cor 14:11, Acts 4:12, Lk 2:14).
>

Some interesting data. However, in each case that the dat. obj. is plural,
the ex. is inconclusive, because it is quite easy (natural) to take EN + pl.
as 'among...'.

It is the singulars that are of greater interest, at least motivationally.
In this category of BAGD, there are two discernable constructions:

1. Verbs of disclosure (APOKALUPTW, FANEROW, ENDEIKNUMAI) + EN ___
- EN NHRITWi QAUMASTA ENEDEICATO = [the god] showed wonderful things to N.
- TO FANERON EN PASIN
- Gal 1.16
- Rom 1.16 (depends on anaphoric indexing)
- Rom 1.19 (pl., could be 'among')

2. Evaluative construction: Adj. + EN ___
- MATAIOS ESTIN EN EMOI
- 1 Cor 14.11 EN EMOI BARBAROS (but could be taken as 'interactive' hO LALWN
EN EMOI in the vein of the exs. discussed from Zechariah)

While the Verbs of disclosure form a discernable class which is able to take
EN ___ as an object, it does not follow that such object is simply
equivalent to a simple dative object, which they can also take. I would
suggest that the EN ___ phrase as an object would be a more personal,
internalized revelation than a mere dat. obj. would indicate. Note the
contrast between the two constructions in Rom 1.19 (but alternatively, if
taken as 'among' with the pl., this phrase would indicate a *less* direct
revelatation than does the simple dat.).

That is, semantically in Greek it appears that disclosure can take place at
different levels of intimacy, which are codified into at least two distinct
levels.

This has been an interesting issue!

God Bless!
Joe A. Friberg

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