> Dear B-Greekers,
> What does AUQENTEIN in 1Tim2.12 mean in the context of the letter?
> Many thanks,
> Alexander.
I have been reviewing this passage, and others (eg. 1 Corinthians 12, 1 Peter
3:1-9), in the light of discussions about leadership roles in a church plant
we are intending to start in the autumn. The problem is that any discussion
immediately moves out of the B-Greek arena into one of 1st vs 20th century
culture and the inerrancy/consistency of Scripture.
Robertson's Word Pictures has this to say about AUQENTEIN: "Nor to have
dominion over a man ([oude autentein andros]). The word [autente“] is now
cleared up by Kretschmer (_Glotta_, 1912, pp. 289ff.) and by Moulton and
Milligan's _Vocabulary_. See also Nageli, _Der Wortschatz des Apostels Paulus_
and Deissmann, _Light, etc._, pp. 88f. [Autodike“] was the literary word for
playing the master while [autente“] was the vernacular term. It comes from
[aut-entes], a self-doer, a master, autocrat. It occurs in the papyri
(substantive [autentˆs], master, verb [autente“], to domineer, adjective
[autentikos], authoritative, "authentic"). Modern Greek has [apentes] =
Effendi = "Mr."
I have to say that although I agree with Robertson's analysis (apart from the
last bit, which I believe to be Turkish, not Greek), I don't agree with the
interpretation implicit in his analysis; nor that it applies as a principle to
the Church today. It seems to me, as a result of lengthy study and heated
debate that the basic principles in:
Galatians 3:28: OUK ENI IOUDAIOS OUDE ELLHN, OUK ENI DOULOS OUDE ELEUQEROS,
OUK ENI ARSEN KAI QHLU; PANTES GAR hUMEIS EIS ESTE EN CRISTWi IHSOU,
and Ephesians 5:21: hUPOTASSOMENOI ALLHLOIS EN FOBWi CRISTOU (which to me
clearly applies to men and women),
and in 1 Corinthians 7:4, echoing Christ's words about marriage in Matthew
19:5-6 and Mark 10:6-9 and paralleling Genesis 2:24: hH GUNH TOU IDIOU SWMATOS
OUK EXOUSIAZEI ALLA hO ANHR; hOMOIWS DE KAI hO ANHR TOU IDIOU SWMATOS OUK
EXOUSIAZEI ALLA hH GUNH,
all make it abundantly clear that Paul's and Peter's instructions to wives
(and slaves and prisoners) were a reflection of the social conditions of the
time; SUNHQEIA (1 Corinthians 11:16) INA MH hO LOGOS TOU QEOU BLASFHMHTAI
(Titus 2:5).
EKASTOS EN THi KLHSEI Hi EKLHQH EN TAUTHi MENETW, as Paul said in 1
Corinthians 7:20, not excusing slavery or the menial subjection of women or
cruel imprisonment and torture, but reflecting Christ's teaching that
following him meant showing love in spite of injustice and persecution, in
whatever situation one found oneself.
Enough drum beating, and I apologise for straying outside the rules :-)
CARIS hUMIN KAI EIRHNH, especially the latter,
Mike Beazley,
Bushey, Hertfordshire, UK
CILIARCOS