[B-Greek] 1 Tim4:10

Iver Larsen iver_larsen at sil.org
Wed May 5 11:32:03 EDT 2010


It seems to me that Vern is right and Skeat is wrong on this one.

MALISTA is a common enough word with a well-established meaning (especially, 
above all).

This meaning fits well in all the 12 instances in the NT, so there is no need to 
look for a different meaning.

In 2 Tim 4:13, Paul is asking Timothy to bring his books, when he comes, but if 
cannot carry all of them, he should make sure that he at least brings the 
parchments. Obviously the parchments are part of the general word "books", but 
it is not the same as the books. MALISTA indicates a part-whole relationship, 
where the part has a focus that the whole does not have.

In 1 Tim 4:10 I see no problem either:

ὅς ἐστιν σωτὴρ πάντων ἀνθρώπων μάλιστα πιστῶν
hOS ESTIN SWTHR PANTWN ANQRWPWN, MALISTA PISTWN

That God is the saviour of/for all people points to God having made salvation 
available through Jesus and only through him to everyone, but it is especially 
for the believers in the sense that for them the situation changes from 
potentiality to actuality.

Iver Larsen

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rick Brannan" <textgeek+bgreek at gmail.com>
To: "Tim Buley" <buley52 at att.net>
Cc: <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: 5. maj 2010 06:43
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] 1 Tim4:10


> Hi Tim.
>
> On this word (MALISTA), there are two important articles to check:
>
> First, T.C. Skeat, "Especially the Parchments: A Note on 2 Timothy
> 4.13" in Journal of Theological Studies NS, Vol 30. 1979, pp. 173-177.
>
> Skeat's article is the one that introduces and grounds the "that is" 
> suggestion:
>
> "My own suggestion is that MALISTA in this passage, instead of
> differentiating the BIBLIA from the MEMBRANAI, in fact equates them,
> at least to the extent of defining or particularizing the general term
> BIBLIA, and that an idiomatic English translation would be 'the books
> — I mean the parchment notebooks'."(Skeat, 174).
>
> He goes on to talk about other places MALISTA occurs in the Pastorals,
> and whether his suggestion applies to those passages.
>
> I have a citation of Skeat and some excerpts here: http://bit.ly/8XnJK6
>
> Skeat's suggestion has made its way into pretty much every techincal
> commentary on the Pastorals since (see particularly Knight's NIGTC
> contribution), and it has influenced how 1Ti 4.10 is handled.
>
> Second, a response to Skeat by Vern Poythress: Vern Poythress, "The
> Meaning of MALISTA in 2 Timothy 4.13 and Related Verses in Journal of
> Theological Studies, Vol 35, Pt. 2, October 2002, pp. 523-532.
>
> I have a citation of Poythress and some excerpts here: http://bit.ly/aFsRSY
>
> Poythress says, basically, "not so fast, TC" (gotta get the Magnum PI
> references out of my head now) and urges caution when essentially
> advocating new senses of a word to help one out of theological and
> doctrinal conundrums. He's right generally, but that doesn't mean he's
> right specifically about MALISTA in 1Ti 4.10.
>
> Anyway, if you're really working through 1Ti 4.10, the interaction
> between Skeat and Poythress is helpful to read. I think I'm still on
> Skeat's side of the issue (mostly) though Poythress' cautions are good
> reminders.
>
> Rick Brannan
> http://www.pastoralepistles.com
> http://www.supakoo.com/rick/ricoblog
> My Apostolic Fathers Interlinear: http://bit.ly/ApFthInt
>
> On Tue, May 4, 2010 at 1:40 PM, Tim Buley <buley52 at att.net> wrote:
>>
>> I was trying to find a link for any discussions on 1 Tim 4:10, if especially 
>> "malista" should be translated with "that is". If it has been discussed, 
>> thanks .




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