Re: EIS - purpose or result?

Harry J. Staiti (a0003192@mail.airmail.net)
Tue, 28 Oct 97 09:10:55 PST

Eric said
> Now ... Are there any rules for determining when EIS indicates PURPOSE
> as opposed to RESULT? E.g., Romans 1:5 - "through whom we received grace
> and apostleship EIS hUPAKOHN PISTEWS - i.e., to bring about (PURPOSE) -
> OR - resulting in (RESULT) - obedience of faith among all the
> nations/gentiles for his name's sake."? I probably would have assumed
> PURPOSE, except in 1:8 Paul says that their faith/faithfulness is
> proclaimed in the whole world - which could indicate that he views his
> and others' apostleship as already achieving a measure of success, i.e.,
> it has RESULTED in the gentiles believing and obeying the gospel. Is
> this, too, as well as other instances where EIS can be taken either way,
> a matter of one's theological predisposition?

Hi Eric.
Per you question, it seems to me that the chiastic structure itself may give insight as to the product of Paul's thought.

Rom 1.1-7
A> KLHTOS APOSTOLOS (1.1b)
B> EIS EUANGELLION THEOU (1.1c)
C> PERI TOU HIOU AUTOU (1.2-3)
C'> TOU ORISTHENTOS HIOU THEOU (1.4)
B'> EIS UPAKHN PISTEOOS (1.5B)
A'> KLHTOIS HAGIOIS (1.7)

Therefore EIS EUANGELLION THEOU and EIS UPAKHN PISTEOOS are rhetorically synonomous concepts

The structure in the opening is consistent with the theological doxology at the end of the letter. (Although the contents of chapter 16 have been called into question regarding Pauline authorship, the doxology - 16.25-27 - has not).

Rom 16.25-27
A> Too him (16.25a)
B> My Gospel (16.25b)
C> The kerygma of Jeus (16.25b)
C'> The revelation of th mystery (16.25)
B'> The obedience of/from faith (16.26c)
A'> To God (16.27)

It seems that a chiastic reading of "eis" in Ro 1.6 **and** Ro 16.26c are synonomous and lend lend creedence to an understanding of *Purpose* of Paul and God's work rather than result.

Both share EIS UPAKHN PISTEOOS

--
Harry Staiti
a0003192@mail.airmail.net
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/2587/post-lib.html


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