[B-Greek] Mark 2:9-10 EUKOPOTERON
Elizabeth Kline
kline_dekooning at earthlink.net
Tue Mar 23 12:48:42 EDT 2010
On Mar 23, 2010, at 4:04 AM, yancywsmith at sbcglobal.net wrote:
> What insight can grammar, semantics and "context" give to help understand the meaning of the question in Mark 2:9
> τί ἐστιν εὐκοπώτερον, εἰπεῖν τῷ παραλυτικῷ· ἀφίενταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι, ἢ εἰπεῖν· ἔγειρε καὶ ἆρον τὸν κράβαττόν σου καὶ περιπάτει;
> TI ESTIN EUKOPWTERON, EIPEIN TWi PARALYTIKWi: AFIENTAI SOU hAI AMARTIAI, H EIPEIN: EGEIRE KAI ARON TON KRABATTON SOU KAI PERIPATEI?
>
> More specifically, how is one to understand the relative difficulty (DUSKOLIA?) or easiness (EUMAREIA?) of the two utterances? Most of the commentaries published after the 1950's I have surveyed take EUKOPOTERON as referring to evidence, susceptibility of proof. That is, it was "easier" for Jesus to say "Your sins are forgiven" because it could not be demonstrated either way. This was also Chrysostom's view in his several references to this passage. Several 19th century commentaries take the view that neither statement is "easier" for Jesus to say, I suppose on theological grounds. I am not interested in the theological potential of this statement, rather, how is makes sense in context. It seems that vital information is missing in 9-10.
Mark 2:5 καὶ ἰδὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὴν πίστιν αὐτῶν λέγει τῷ παραλυτικῷ· τέκνον, ἀφίενταί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι. 6 ἦσαν δέ τινες τῶν γραμματέων ἐκεῖ καθήμενοι καὶ διαλογιζόμενοι ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν· 7 τί οὗτος οὕτως λαλεῖ; βλασφημεῖ· τίς δύναται ἀφιέναι ἁμαρτίας εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ θεός;
Mark 2:5 KAI IDWN hO IHSOUS THN PISTIN AUTWN LEGEI TWi PARALUTIKWi· TEKNON, AFIENTAI SOU hAI hAMARTIAI. 6 HSAN DE TINES TWN GRAMMATEWN EKEI KAQHMENOI KAI DIALOGIZOMENOI EN TAIS KARDIAIS AUTWN· 7 TI hOUTOS hOUTWS LALEI; BLASFHMEI· TIS DUNATAI AFIENAI hAMARTIAS EI MH hEIS hO QEOS;
It depends on how you understand EIPEIN in TI ESTIN EUKOPWTERON, EIPEIN. The GRAMMATEIS comments suggest that speaking the words AFIENTAI SOU hAI hAMARTIAI is the same as performing the act AFIENAI hAMARTIAS and that it amounts to blasphemy because you are claiming to have the athority to perfrom the act. In that reading the more difficult speech act is AFIENTAI SOU hAI hAMARTIAI. There had been prophets who could perform healings.
Jesus turns this around and uses the healing as evidence for this authority. In other words, Jesus question is a riddle. The answer lies in how you understand the implications of the speech act AFIENTAI SOU hAI hAMARTIAI. If the speech act amounts to the deed, forgiving sins then it is very difficult given the theological framework of scribes. Notice also that the agent in this statement is demoted by using a passive. Jesus didn't say "I am forgiving your sins" but that is how the scribes understood it.
Elizabeth Kline
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