EN PASHi KTISEI - follow-up

Mark Wilson emory2002 at hotmail.com
Sun Jun 4 23:50:52 EDT 2000





Harold:

Regarding:

Col. 1:23

TOU KHRUCQENTOS EN PASHi KTISEI THi hUPO TON OURANON

You wrote:

>A lexicon will tell you that the word KTISIS can mean "creation" or
>"creature"; so context is important. Here your own reasoning suggests >one
>good reason why it is "creation" not "creature." The word EN is also
>suggestive to me. If Paul had in mind a person, you would expect him >to 
>use
>something like a simple dative. EN suggests a geographical area.

------

I must confess that only after I posted this question I noticed it in the 
Archives. However, I'm not exactly sure my question was answered in that 
earlier thread. Yours is a little more to the point.

Although my original posting asked if "creation" was possibly the correct 
translation here, I think my real interest is, now that you bring it to my 
attention, the use of EN plus the Dative.

Having now conceded the translation as "all of creation," does the EN plus 
Dative prep. phrase help in resolving the seemingly difficult, if not 
historically inaccurate, inference that the gospel was preached in ALL 
CREATION? It is now some 1,940 years later and still missionaries tell us of 
PLACES where the gospel has not reached.

My instincts tell me this is an hyperbole or the like. But I still feel it 
is an appropriate question in B-Greek, for after all, if I am going to 
translate Greek, I should be able to EXPLAIN it as well.

Thank you,

Mark Wilson


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