Re: Ephesians 3:4 PROS hO DUNASQE ANAGINWSKONTES NOHSAI THN

James H. Vellenga (jhv0@viewlogic.com)
Mon, 3 Feb 97 15:05:08 EST

> From: "Carl W. Conrad" <cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu>
> At 9:35 AM -0600 2/3/97, James H. Vellenga wrote:
> >From Carl Conrad:
> >>
> >> Here's where the ACCENTS are important, Jonathan. It's: hO\. Unless the
> >> article hO is followed by an enclitic (e.g. hO/ GE), it NEVER has an
> >> accent; when you see a hO with an accent and there's NO following encliti=
> c,
> >> it can only be a relative pronoun, as it is in fact here: n.sg. relative
> >> pronoun acc., object of NOHSAI, and I think I would explain this as an
> >> anticipatory relative clause in apposition to THN SUNESIN MOU, deeming PR=
> OS
> >> as having THN SUNESIN MOU as its chief object.
> >
> >Would it be possible to interpret the hO\ as a backward rather
> >than a forward reference? I'm weak on my genders, but could
> >it refer back to the "mystery", or even the act of having
> >previously written? Thus,
> >
> > "the secret ... just as I wrote to you briefly before, in view of which
> > (PROS hO\) you are able ...."
>
> I think that could certainly be possible, but it seems to me to leave THN
> SUNESIN MOU hanging too loosely, and God forbid anybody should be
> encouraged to think it is an accusative absolute! ;-) At any rate, it
> certainly does pick up the notion of MUSTHRION from the preceding clause
> with a view to clarifying how Paul came to understand it. I just find it
> easier to understand it as, " ... with regard to which thing--my
> understanding of the mystery of Christ--you can get a sense of as you read
> =2E.."

But it seems to me that THN SUNESIN MOU is a natural direct object
of NOHSAI. Moreover, ANAGINWSKONTES could also be interpreted as
"[upon] recalling", suggesting a remembering of something in the
past, such as "my writing to you briefly." If hO\ is a relative
pronoun referring to something mentioned in the preceding phrase,
it no longer needs to be the direct object of NOHSAI. And finally,
Paul's understanding is EN the mystery of the Messiah -- perhaps
"within" or "by means of" -- so that the "mystery of the Messiah"
is not the object but rather the mode of the NOHSAI.

N'est-ce pas? Or am I being too analytical and missing the
flavor?

Regards,
j.v.