Galatians 4:12-14 Γίνεσθε ὡς ἐγώ
Posted: October 16th, 2019, 10:25 am
Galatians 4:12-14
The Greek text
[augmented]
Γίνεσθε ὡς ἐγώ, ὅτι κἀγὼ [γέγονα] ὡς ὑμεῖς, ἀδελφοί, δέομαι ὑμῶν. οὐδέν με ἠδικήσατε· οἴδατε δὲ ὅτι δι’ ἀσθένειαν τῆς σαρκὸς [διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν] εὐηγγελισάμην ὑμῖν τὸ πρότερον,καὶ [οἴδατε... ὅτι διὰ] τὸν πειρασμὸν ὑμῶν ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου οὐκ ἐξουθενήσατε οὐδὲ ἐξεπτύσατε, ἀλλὰ ὡς ἄγγελον Θεοῦ ἐδέξασθέ με, ὡς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν.
A Working Translation
Since I also [have become] as you, "brothers”, I beg of you, become as I. You did me no wrong, but you know that it was because of [your] fleshly weakness that I proclaimed the gospel to you formerly, and [you know that it was because of] your temptation [i.e. your fleshly weakness-temptation] in my flesh [i.e. since I had become as you] that you did not count as nothing or reject, but as an angel of God you received me--as Christ Jesus.
Translation Notes:
1. The prepositional phrase in Galatians 4:13 [δι’ ἀσθένειαν τῆς σαρκὸς], which lacks an explicit pronoun, is interpreted as an abbreviated form of the prepositional phrase from Romans 6:19a [διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν] which has an explicit pronoun. In this interpretation, the two usages differ in style only. They are identical in meaning.
2.“Your fleshly weakness” and “your temptation” are interpreted as two descriptions of one thing: something like “your fleshly weakness-temptation”.
3. One preposition, “because of”, governs multiple objects: “because of your fleshly weakness… and [because of] your temptation…”
4. The shift of pronoun--“your” to “my”--in the phrase “your temptation in my flesh” pertains to the earlier claim, “I… [became/have become] as you, brothers.” “In” his “flesh” the apostle “had become as” the “brothers” in terms of their “fleshly weakness-temptation”.
Hello again. Since my first post on B-Greek (May 24th, 2015), I have been looking at this text from various angles. This is my first post where I look at this discourse unit -- Galatians 4:12-14-- as a whole, and this is the first post were I offer what has become my interpretation of the grammar and syntax of the phrase "your temptation in my flesh" within the discourse unit as a whole. I think I may have found something rare: a New Testament exegetical stone unturned (I suppose if commentators with power to publish since the time of Jerome did turn this stone, they must have decided put the stone back and left discourse unpublished).
I discovered this interpretation by beginning where Jerome (in his Commentary on Galatians) began at three decision points:
1. At the phrase, “because I also [have become] as you, ‘brothers’…”, Jerome began by saying: “Paul is saying something like this: I became weak for you who are weak…” (Compare 1 Corinthians 9:22-23, “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”)
2. At the phrase, “because of [my/your] fleshly weakness”, Jerome began by saying: “Paul preaches to the Galatians ‘on account of fleshly weakness’-- not his own, but his audience’s.” (Compare Romans 6:19a, “Because of your fleshly weakness I am speaking in human terms.”)
3. At the phrase, “...and your temptation in my flesh...” Jerome began by saying: “This is an obscure passage and requires closer attention.”
I was initially, tentatively convinced of 1 and 2, not because Jerome said it, but because of the strength of the Pauline parallels, and the way they seemed to come together naturally in the Galatians context as an intimation of the apostle becoming as the "brothers" in weakness like theirs. I lingered on step 3 a long time. After considering all of Jerome's interpretive options for the phrase "your temptation in my flesh", and looking at all other options I could find in the history of the tradition, I concluded that none of the ways of solving the text's grammatical and syntactical puzzle fit as well as this one.
Your thoughts?
The Greek text
[augmented]
Γίνεσθε ὡς ἐγώ, ὅτι κἀγὼ [γέγονα] ὡς ὑμεῖς, ἀδελφοί, δέομαι ὑμῶν. οὐδέν με ἠδικήσατε· οἴδατε δὲ ὅτι δι’ ἀσθένειαν τῆς σαρκὸς [διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν] εὐηγγελισάμην ὑμῖν τὸ πρότερον,καὶ [οἴδατε... ὅτι διὰ] τὸν πειρασμὸν ὑμῶν ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου οὐκ ἐξουθενήσατε οὐδὲ ἐξεπτύσατε, ἀλλὰ ὡς ἄγγελον Θεοῦ ἐδέξασθέ με, ὡς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν.
A Working Translation
Since I also [have become] as you, "brothers”, I beg of you, become as I. You did me no wrong, but you know that it was because of [your] fleshly weakness that I proclaimed the gospel to you formerly, and [you know that it was because of] your temptation [i.e. your fleshly weakness-temptation] in my flesh [i.e. since I had become as you] that you did not count as nothing or reject, but as an angel of God you received me--as Christ Jesus.
Translation Notes:
1. The prepositional phrase in Galatians 4:13 [δι’ ἀσθένειαν τῆς σαρκὸς], which lacks an explicit pronoun, is interpreted as an abbreviated form of the prepositional phrase from Romans 6:19a [διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τῆς σαρκὸς ὑμῶν] which has an explicit pronoun. In this interpretation, the two usages differ in style only. They are identical in meaning.
2.“Your fleshly weakness” and “your temptation” are interpreted as two descriptions of one thing: something like “your fleshly weakness-temptation”.
3. One preposition, “because of”, governs multiple objects: “because of your fleshly weakness… and [because of] your temptation…”
4. The shift of pronoun--“your” to “my”--in the phrase “your temptation in my flesh” pertains to the earlier claim, “I… [became/have become] as you, brothers.” “In” his “flesh” the apostle “had become as” the “brothers” in terms of their “fleshly weakness-temptation”.
Hello again. Since my first post on B-Greek (May 24th, 2015), I have been looking at this text from various angles. This is my first post where I look at this discourse unit -- Galatians 4:12-14-- as a whole, and this is the first post were I offer what has become my interpretation of the grammar and syntax of the phrase "your temptation in my flesh" within the discourse unit as a whole. I think I may have found something rare: a New Testament exegetical stone unturned (I suppose if commentators with power to publish since the time of Jerome did turn this stone, they must have decided put the stone back and left discourse unpublished).
I discovered this interpretation by beginning where Jerome (in his Commentary on Galatians) began at three decision points:
1. At the phrase, “because I also [have become] as you, ‘brothers’…”, Jerome began by saying: “Paul is saying something like this: I became weak for you who are weak…” (Compare 1 Corinthians 9:22-23, “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”)
2. At the phrase, “because of [my/your] fleshly weakness”, Jerome began by saying: “Paul preaches to the Galatians ‘on account of fleshly weakness’-- not his own, but his audience’s.” (Compare Romans 6:19a, “Because of your fleshly weakness I am speaking in human terms.”)
3. At the phrase, “...and your temptation in my flesh...” Jerome began by saying: “This is an obscure passage and requires closer attention.”
I was initially, tentatively convinced of 1 and 2, not because Jerome said it, but because of the strength of the Pauline parallels, and the way they seemed to come together naturally in the Galatians context as an intimation of the apostle becoming as the "brothers" in weakness like theirs. I lingered on step 3 a long time. After considering all of Jerome's interpretive options for the phrase "your temptation in my flesh", and looking at all other options I could find in the history of the tradition, I concluded that none of the ways of solving the text's grammatical and syntactical puzzle fit as well as this one.
Your thoughts?