1 Cor 7:37: EXOUSIAN DE ECEI PERI TOU IDIOU QELEMATOS
Rev 14:18 ECWN EXOUSIAN EPI TOU PUROS
Rev 17:9 QEOU TOU ECONTOS THN EXOUSIAN EPI TAS PLHGAS TAUTAS
For comparison, we have
1 COr 11:10: EXOUSDIAN ECEIN EPI THS KEPHALHS
I did not see a construction IDENTICAL, namely using an infinitive, and
I'll defer to those more accomplished in Hellenistic Greek to state how
interchangeable the infinitie and participle might be. I think that
both entities, however, have overlapping values in translation (I don't
know whether this was true for a source language speaker or not). I'd
be interested in what Carl Cnnrad or Edward HObbs might have to say on
this. My poit is primarily toshow that both within Paul's letters and
witin the NT at large, the verb ECW occurs frequently with EXOUSIAN and
frequently EXOUSIAN governs a prepositional phrase which begins with
EPI. Certainly these other examples are not evidence for metonymy.
EXOUSIA means authority,period. So also in 1 COr 11:10 there is no need
to resort to metonymy or metaphor or anythihg else. The text is
completely intelligible as it stands. The woman has authority over,
that is, concerning, her head, not a sign of authority to let her pray
or prophesy. Before I'd entertain that as a viable alternative, I'd
want to search the TLG for every occurence of ECW with EXOUSIAN EPI and
check evey single reference, and that I leave to someone with more
time. If there's not a problem with a straightforward understanding of
the text, I don't see a reason to opt for a meaning which is less than
straightforward. I think that most would assent to that as being a
generally valid exegetical principle, but such principles are outside
the list so I won't go further with that. Sorry if I got any of ther
verse numbers wrong above. I'm using Schmoller's Handkonkordanz and my
already poor eyes are doing a lot worse than usual these days.
Ken Litwak
Graduate Theological Union
Berkeley, CA