Re: Colossians 1:23
James H. Vellenga (jhv0@viewlogic.com)
Fri, 21 Feb 97 08:52:11 EST
> From: "Carl W. Conrad" <cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu>
>
> At 8:31 PM -0600 2/20/97, Mark Armstrong wrote:
> >I am presently taking a Bible Study group through the Book of Colossians.
> >Last week someone in the group raised the issue of what 1:23b means. The
> >NIV says, "This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed
> >to every creature under heaven....".
> >Turning to the Greek text, we see TOU KHRUXQENTOS EN PASH KTISEI TN UPO TON
> >OURAVOV.
> >
> >The problem appears to be one of factuality, for I don't think it can mean
> >that the Gospel has been preached to every individual on earth at the time
> >Paul wrote this letter. Had Paul actually proclaimed the gospel to "every
> >creature under heaven", what can this mean? How do we translate PASH KTISEI
> > - as referring to humans alone, or does it include heavenly hosts and the
> >like? Is PASH used in a restrictive sense?
> >
> >If anyone has any insights into the text that may shed some light on this
> >issue I would be most grateful.
>
> (1) In the first place it strikes me that NIV's "to every creature" is a
> paraphrase rather than a translation of EN PASHi KTISEI, as the dative here
> is not the "true" dative commonly indicating a personal indirect object nor
> is it the not uncommon usage of the instrumental dative with EN to indicate
> means by which something is accomplished. Rather it is surely the "good
> old-fashioned" locative dative and should, normally, I would think, be
> translated as "in all creation."
I'm going to disagree with Carl here. Given that KRUChQENTOS is passive,
we ought very strongly to consider the possibility that EN PASHi KTISEI
is an instrumental dative.
In addition, we also ought to consider the possibility the PASHi here
means not "every" but "every kind of". In fact, I generally find it a
useful rule of thumb to use "every kind of" or "all kinds of" when the
noun modified by PAS lacks the definite article, and to use "every" or
"all" when the definite article is present (exception noted below).