[b-greek] Chiasmus in Col. 1:16: Where Does It Stop?

From: Warren Fulton (warren@inlingua.at)
Date: Mon Mar 12 2001 - 03:46:59 EST


 Edgar Foster wrote:

> The apostle Paul presents an interesting chiastic arrangement in Col. 1:16.
> It could be presented as follows:
>
> hOTI EN AUTWi EKTISQH TA PANTA EN TOIS OURANOIS
>
> KAI EPI THS GHS
>
> TA hORATA
>
> KAI TA AORATA.

What you have quoted seems to be the first two lines of a 4-line
stanza extending through all of v. 16 and matching the passage in vv.
19 and 20. Both of these stanzas begin with the phrase hOTI EN AUTWi.
I see a chiastic pattern in the second line of what you have quoted:

EN TOIS OURANOIS - - - - - KAI TA AORATA.

        KAI EPI THS GHS - TA hORATA

> Does the chiasm end here, or does it continue with the words: EITE QRONOI
> EITE KURIOTHTES EITE ARXAI EITE EXOUSIAI? If it does not continue, which
> seems likely, is it impossible to take hORATA and AORATA with the latter part
> of 1:16?

The whole stanza contained in verse 16 is chiastic, framed by

hOTI EN AUTWi EKTISQH - - - - - DI AUTOU KAI EIS AUTON EKTISTAI

        TA PANTA - TA PANTA .

hORATA and AORATA resonate both backward to EN TOIS OURANOIS/KAI EPI
THS GHS (as part of the mini-chiasm in line 2) and forward to the
orders of created things QRONOI - KURIOTHTES, ARXAI - EXOUSIAI (as
part of the overarching chiasm of the stanza).

Best,

Warren Fulton
Inlingua School of Languages
Vienna, Austria

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