From: B. Ward Powers (bwpowers@eagles.com.au)
Date: Mon Jun 19 2000 - 08:47:40 EDT
<x-flowed>At 07:29 AM 000618 -0400, Carl W. Conrad wrote:
>The last time we went through the matter of DIA + X hHMERWN I made a
>suggestion that may be worth repeating: the expression should be understood
>to mean "with an interval of X days" and seen as comparable to British
>English "in a fortnight" (= 14 days hence) or German "heute in acht Tagen"
>(= a week from today" or "in a week"). Each of these has a perspective on
>the interval as a whole from the end of the time-span. It seems to me
>that's the way this Greek expression with DIA and a genitive of time
>interval ought to be understood.
>
>--
>
>Carl W. Conrad
I have followed with interest the present discussion, and the previous one 
to which Carl refers.
Carl points to parallel expressions and says,
>Each of these has a perspective on the interval as a whole from the end of 
>the time-span. It seems to me that's the way this Greek expression with 
>DIA and a genitive of time interval ought to be understood.
Fair enough. Now, a major issue which is linked to what we make of DIA in 
Galatians 2:1 is the starting point for the "fourteen years". That is to 
say, do they carry on from (i.e., commence at the end of) the "three years" 
of Gal 1:18, or do they have the same starting point as the three years 
(i.e. they overlap: these three years are also the first three years of the 
fourteen-year period)?
Clearly, which of these alternatives we choose will affect our 
understanding of the chronology of Acts as it interrelates with Galatians, 
and thus also how and where we fit Paul's autobiographical details into the 
events of Acts and thus when we take Galatians to have been written, 
especially in relation to the Council of Jerusalem of Acts 15. This in its 
turn affects how we interpret some elements of Galatians and of Acts.
Now, Gal 1:18 says EPEITA META TRIA ETH ANHLQON EIS IEROSOMUMA ktl.
And in 1:21 we get EPEITA again, but without any specific time note.
And in 2:1 we have EPEITA DIA DEKATESSARWN ETWN PALIN ANEBHN EIS IEROSOLUMA 
klt.
Is the DIA of 2:1 fully synonymous in meaning with the META of 1:18? Or is 
something of the connotation of "through" - the most common meaning of DIA 
with the genitive - attaching to this usage in 2:1? The conclusion I have 
come to after considering the alternatives is: yes, it does. That is, that 
the use of DIA here means "after", just like META does: but that the use 
here of DIA also indicates that the fourteen years of 2:1 runs "through" 
the time interval of three years which has been mentioned just previously 
in 1:18.
So when I accept the validity of Carl's comment that "Each of these has a 
perspective on the interval as a whole from the end of the time-span", I 
take it that the interval as a whole commences at the same starting point 
as the previously mentioned three years: they overlap; they run concurrently.
I do not assert that this nuance in DIA is enough to PROVE this 
interpretation; but I would hold that it supports it. The picture which 
this fits would then be: Paul's conversion is in about 34; so the Epistle 
to the Galatians was written in 48, which would make it his first extant 
writing; the recipients would be the South Galatians whom he visited on his 
First Missionary Journey; and this epistle would be written 
contemporaneously with Paul's contention with the Judaizers coming to 
Antioch (Acts 15:1) bringing the same teaching that he answers in this letter.
If one does not see this nuance in the use of DIA, that does not vitiate 
the South Galatian Theory (as above); but if the nuance is there, then it 
helps us decide the starting point for the "fourteen years".
FWIW.
Regards,
Ward
                                 http://www.eagles.bbs.net.au/~bwpowers
Rev Dr B. Ward Powers             Phone (International): 61-2-9799-7501
10 Grosvenor Crescent             Phone (Australia): (02) 9799-7501
SUMMER HILL  NSW  2130            email: bwpowers@eagles.bbs.net.au
AUSTRALIA.                      Director, Tyndale College
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