RE: James 3:1 (didaskloi)

James H. Vellenga (jhv0@viewlogic.com)
Fri, 11 Jul 97 16:14:32 EDT

> From: "Stevens, Charles C" <Charles.Stevens@unisys.com>
> Date: Fri, 11 Jul 1997 15:19:43 -0400
>
> On July 11 at 11:16AM, James C. Clardy asks:
>
> ><<Is there a kind of "judgment" implied in the.....meizon krima.....of
> James 3:1?>>
>
> <snip> ...
>
> >From what I gather, KRIMA carries both the connotations of "judgment"
> and "condemnation", so, yes, I think there is.
>
Generally, I've found it useful to distinguish KRIMA as an event
from KRISIS as a process. KRIMA comes close to "a verdict,"
"a ruling," or "_a_ judgment," whereas KRISIS refers to the
process of sitting in judgment -- "judgment" without the
indefinite article (IMO). This works well in all
of the contexts I've encountered so far. A KRIMA is, I think,
not necessarily a condemnation, but a KATAKRIMA (as in Rom 8.1)
carries the connotation of "a guilty verdict."

But a MEIZON KRIMA? NIV and others take this to mean "a stricter
judgment" or "a harsher verdict". MEIZON ("greater") can be
modified in translation by what it modifies (a "louder" rather
than a "greater" voice, for example). Is MEIZON KRIMA a Greek idiom?

Regards,
j.v.