[B-Greek] 2 Thess 1.5,6 What is the ENDEIGMA
Richard Smith
rbs58 at comcast.net
Wed Mar 9 07:32:39 EST 2011
2 Thess 1.5-6
ENDEIGMA THD DIKAIAS KRISEWS TOU QEOU EIS TO KATAXIWQHNAI hUMAS THS BASILEAS TOU QEOU, hUPER hHS KAI PASCETE, (6) EIPER DIKAION PARA QEWi ANTAPODOUNAI.
5 ἔνδειγμα τῆς δικαίας κρίσεως τοῦ θεοῦ, εἰς τὸ καταξιωθῆναι ὑμᾶς τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ θεοῦ, ὑπὲρ ἧς καὶ πάσχετε, 6 εἴπερ δίκαιον παρὰ θεῷ ἀνταποδοῦναι τοῖς θλίβουσιν ὑμᾶς θλῖψιν 7 καὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς θλιβομένοις ἄνεσιν μεθ' ἡμῶν ἐν τῇ ἀποκαλύψει τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ
I am trying to connect the dots. What is the ENDEIGMA - the suffering or the steadfastness in faith and love? Is it evidence of the righteous judgement of God that they are suffering? Or has God made a good choice to count they worthy because they are so good at enduring affliction?
NRSV seems to me to stretch a little its translation, although most often with such questions I eventually come around to agree with the NRSV rendering.
Should EIS TO KATAXIWQHNAI be understood to mean "is intended to make you worthy," as in the NRSV? Maybe it means that the steadfastness in faith through their struggles is evidence that God was right to judge them worthy.
Verse 6 EIPER - since indeed or if indeed?
I think it makes most sense for me to read "If indeed it is just according to God to repay with affliction to those who afflict, and to repay with rest to those who are afflicted, (then) this (your affliction) is evidence of God's righteous judgement to account you worthy of the kingdom." (The underlying given assumption is that of course it is according to God to repay in such a way.)
DIKAION PARA QEWi - the NRSV has "just of God", but maybe it should be "just according to God, just in God's will"?
Any help with these verses is appreciated.
Thanks,
Richard Smith
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