>At 07:24 AM 8/9/97 -0400, Carl W. Conrad wrote:
>>Paul Dixon has noted that Mt uses this coda (EKEI ESTAI ... TWN
>ODONTWN) in many an eschatological passage. It should be noted that it
>appears once in Lk (13:28) in the same context. I would assume that this
is a >piece of the common tradition shared by Mt and Lk and generally
referred to as
>"Q."
>In any case, this must be an "anaphoric" use of the particular article
>to refer to something well-known to the audience (Smyth #1120a, BDF
>#252). This is actually a very ancient usage of the article in its
original
>>function as a demonstrative: "And that's where there'll be that
>>lamentatation and that gnashing of teeth (that you've heard about so
>many times)"
>
>But from where would they have known of the reference? As far as I
>know, it isn't in the Old Testament. Even if it were in "Q", Matthew
would be
>reasonably incompetent if he portrays Jesus as making references to
>things well known because the readers are familiar with "Q".
>
If there are no such citations in the LXX (and there are not) and if the
Hebrew OT does not reflect anything close to it (which I haven't
checked), then it does seem the reference must be to a well-known oral
tradition then existent from which the Lord draws. If not, then perhaps
the Lord is drawing the necessary implication (weeping and gnashing of
teeth) from that which is indeed well-known, the day of judgment. If so,
then this might be considered a metonymy where the effect (weeping and
gnashing of teeth) is put for the cause (final judgment). At any rate,
that which is well-known, the day of judgment, necessarily issues in
great anguish.
I loved the 1 Cor 15 citation. Have certainly changed my share of
diapers.
Paul Dixon