From: Mike Sangrey (msangrey@BlueFeltHat.org)
Date: Wed Apr 11 2001 - 08:21:47 EDT
Is it possible SUGKRINW "means" "I compare B using A" where A is the
object in the accusative and B is the dative?
Here's the reason I ask:
I noticed recently the parallelism in this sentence:
hA
KAI LALOUMEN
OUK
EN DIDAKTOIS ANQRWPINHS SOFIAS
LOGOIS (dative)
ALL'
EN DIDAKTOIS PNEUMATOS
PNEUMATIKOIS (dative)
PNEUMATIKA SUGKRINONTES.
Placing those last two words by themselves is perhaps surprising; I'll
address that in a second.
First, though, I tend to think Paul is saying:
"Which things [these things freely communicated from God],
we also speak;
not
in terms of messages taught by human wisdom
BUT
in terms of spiritual things taught by spirit;
[that is], we compare [the two] using the spiritual things."
We do things like this in English. "I've got this B thing and I've
got this A thing. And I compare using A." That is, we don't restate
all the pieces, we assume the reader/hearer will understand the
ellipsis (with "compare") because of the way we've structured the
statement--it's highly parallel.
Also, note the overall context, chapters 1-4, teaches how to work
through contradictory teaching, or teaching which comes from different
perspectives, and do so in a way which maintains and promotes unity.
Chapter 3 then becomes very practical advice regarding exactly how to
go about doing the comparison he refers to in 2:13: essentially,
analyze the evidence by
1, not arguing about it;
2, recognizing everyone has a role to play;
3, recognizing everyone brings good and bad; and
4, recognizing you need to give things time to work out.
The bottom line being that God is going to ultimately protect his
temple against what would truly do it harm (Ananias and Sapphira come
to mind). Paul sums up, then, by saying, you are all in this together
and it all works together. And he goes on to say he has applied this
to Apollos and himself reminding them to not go beyond what is
written.
This context appears to me to be very practical advice, telling me how
to let the spiritual "win-out" over a range of logical, or
semi-logical, systems of thought. And yet Paul does so in a way which
doesn't throw the baby out with the bath water (cf 2:6). Well
reasoned arguments are allowed, but the way they should be handled
gives priority to the spiritual side. And that understanding of the
context appears to me to be exactly what Paul is saying in
1 Cor. 2.13: Utilize both, comparing them, but make sure the spiritual
side is the final arbiter in all conflicts. In fact, `arbitrate'
might be a rather good English word for translating SUNKRINW.
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