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B-Greek: The Biblical Greek Forum • 1 Cor 11:18 πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ
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1 Cor 11:18 πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ

Posted: November 6th, 2021, 5:52 pm
by Jonathan Robie
1 Cor 11:18 wrote:πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ συνερχομένων ὑμῶν ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀκούω σχίσματα ἐν ὑμῖν ὑπάρχειν καὶ μέρος τι πιστεύω.
I can't find a δὲ or a δεύτερον that corresponds with πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ. Paul seems to signal that he is starting a line of reasoning with a tight structure, then drops it. Am I missing something? What clues are there to help me structure the line of argument from πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ on forward in 1 Cor 11:17-33?

Re: 1 Cor 11:18 πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ

Posted: November 7th, 2021, 2:42 am
by Jean Putmans
Maybe here is a clue:

Brookins - Longenecker 2016, 44-45:
(1 Corinthians 1-9
A Handbook on the Greek Text Baylor Handbook on the Greek New Testament) :

πρωτον μεν "First of al."But there is neither a "second," nor a resolving δε (so also in Rom 1:8; 3:2). We need not look for a contrast in v. 34 (Grosheide, 265), or still more distantly, in chs. 12-14 (Findlay, 877). As recent discourse studies have shown, the function of μεν is to set the material it introduces in the background, thus promising the presence of more important (i.e. thematic) material ahead (cf. Runge 2010, 74-76); δε may, but is not required, to follow. The "thematic"material here begins in v. 20.
γαρ. Introduces further explanation of ουκ εισ το κρεισσον αλλα εισ το ησσον συνερχεσθε (v. 17). Note that γαρ comes third again, this time because it follows the postpositive μεν (exactly as in v.7).

Re: 1 Cor 11:18 πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ

Posted: November 7th, 2021, 8:29 am
by Stephen Carlson
Jonathan Robie wrote: November 6th, 2021, 5:52 pm
1 Cor 11:18 wrote:πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ συνερχομένων ὑμῶν ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀκούω σχίσματα ἐν ὑμῖν ὑπάρχειν καὶ μέρος τι πιστεύω.
I can't find a δὲ or a δεύτερον that corresponds with πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ. Paul seems to signal that he is starting a line of reasoning with a tight structure, then drops it. Am I missing something? What clues are there to help me structure the line of argument from πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ on forward in 1 Cor 11:17-33?
Anacolouthon is not uncommon in Paul, especially after a brief digression. He restarts in v.20.

Re: 1 Cor 11:18 πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ

Posted: November 8th, 2021, 12:58 am
by Shirley Rollinson
Jonathan Robie wrote: November 6th, 2021, 5:52 pm
1 Cor 11:18 wrote:πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ συνερχομένων ὑμῶν ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ ἀκούω σχίσματα ἐν ὑμῖν ὑπάρχειν καὶ μέρος τι πιστεύω.
I can't find a δὲ or a δεύτερον that corresponds with πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ. Paul seems to signal that he is starting a line of reasoning with a tight structure, then drops it. Am I missing something? What clues are there to help me structure the line of argument from πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ on forward in 1 Cor 11:17-33?
Paul gets on a roll at times

Re: 1 Cor 11:18 πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ

Posted: November 8th, 2021, 8:19 am
by Jean Putmans
The same unfinished reading occurs in Romans 3:2 : πολυ κατα παντα τροπον πρωτον μεν γαρ οτι επιστευθησαν τα λογια του θεου (RP-2005 Text, NA28 has doubts on γαρ).

Dunn 1988 (WBC 38A Word Biblical Commentary Romans 1-8) page 130 comments:
«πρωτον usually denotes the first of a series (as in 1 Cor 12:28), but Paul begins thus without completing the sequence elsewhere (see on 1:8), although he certainly had other advantages in mind (9:4-5)»

Rom 3:2 and 1 Cor 11:18 are the only witnesses for the phrase πρωτον μεν γαρ in the NT.

πρωτον μεν
Rom 1:8: πρωτον μεν ευχαριστω τω θεω μου δια ιησου χριστου περι παντων υμων οτι η πιστισ υμων καταγγελλεται εν ολω τω κοσμω

Dunn 1988: «"first" (of a sequence) but without continuing the series.»

BDAG 2000 P. 893, Lemma πρωτοσ: right Column: β "....- Not infrequently Paul begins w. πρωτον μεν without continuing the series, at least in form ..."

Re: 1 Cor 11:18 πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ

Posted: November 8th, 2021, 4:06 pm
by Stephen Carlson
Yes, Rom 1:8 and 3:2 are good parallels.