Barnabas 2:2-3

From: Bart Ehrman (behrman@email.unc.edu)
Date: Tue Feb 22 2000 - 11:32:38 EST


   The first couple of chapters of the epistle of Barabas are full of
tough nuts. Here's one that I'm scratching my head over, from Barn. 2:2-3

2 Reverential awe and endurance are the helpers of our faith, and patience
and self-restraint do battle on our side; 3 TOUTWN OUN MENONTWN TA PROS
KURION hAGNWS SUNEUFRAINONTAI AUTOIS SOFIA SUNESIS EPISTHMH GNWSIS.

   The Greek of v. 3 is usually punctuated with a comma after hAGNWS, so
that MENONTWN (genitive absolute) is taken as transitive with TA PROS
KURION as some kind of object or accusative of respect (while these things
await the matters that pertain to the Lord in a holy way, or while these
things persist with respect to the matters that pertain to the Lord in a
holy way). But I'm not sure what either of these options actually *means*
(i.e., what the sense is).

   I suppose one could punctuate it differently so that the TA PROS KURION
is the subject of the SUNEUFRAINONTAI, and then the four nominatives at
the end are appositional ("while these continue, the things that relate to
the Lord -- wisdom, understanding, perception, and knowledge -- are
gladdened together with them in a holy way). But I'm not sure that's much
better.

   Anyone want to throw in their two cents?

-- Bart D. Ehrman
   University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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