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b-greek-digest V1 #64
b-greek-digest Tuesday, 2 January 1996 Volume 01 : Number 064
In this issue:
Re: Hamartia, cHata, and related concepts :)
Best Wishes
theology or GNT?
LECHEM777 & adc8
Re: Hamartia, cHata, and related concepts :)
Romanian Bible on Computer
TST Bib. Dep. Seminars - S1996
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Carl W. Conrad" <cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu>
Date: Mon, 1 Jan 1996 06:26:31 -0600
Subject: Re: Hamartia, cHata, and related concepts :)
At 11:52 PM 12/31/95, David Moore wrote:
>On Sun, 31 Dec 1995, Rod Decker wrote:
>
>> > "Hamartia" brings to mind the image of an archery target "bullseye." The
>> >mark is the exact center of the target. To hit an outer ring is
>> >"hamartanein," to miss the mark. Applied to the category of sin, anything
>> >less than absolute perfection in performance would be "missing the mark."
>>
>> The NT pix of sin is, IMHO, something more than hitting the outer ring of a
>> target. Too often the etymologizing approach goes to the slingsmen of the
>> OT who could cast a stone at a handsbreadth and not 'sin'--i.e., miss
>> ('harmartanw' in LXX). It is more like shooting at the _wrong target_. It
>> is not that people try to "hit God's mark" but come a bit short. "Sin"
>> points to a deliberate rebellion against his standard (to mix the metaphors
>> a bit). This explan. cannot be based on the "mng." of the word 'harmartia'
>> but comes from the biblical theology of sin (context, not etymology).
>
> The passage that comes to mind right away is Rom. 3:23, "For all
>have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Gross rebellion against
>God is sometimes pointed out as sin in the NT, but it appears that sin is
>not limited to that. We should take into account also Paul's statements
>about those who try to please God by the "flesh." These certainly may
>not be aware of any rebellion against God on their part, but they sin in
>falling short of the righteousness God has provided.
My own reading of Rom 1 is that "sin" is fundamentally idolatry, worship
directed toward creation rather than Creator, and that all the things
generally called "sins" are CONSEQUENCES resultant from that (the 3
PAREDWKEN verses).
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University
One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, USA 63130
(314) 935-4018
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu OR cwc@oui.com
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/
------------------------------
From: Simonfalvi Lajos <100324.1552@compuserve.com>
Date: 01 Jan 96 07:32:09 EST
Subject: Best Wishes
We wish you all a fruitful New Year abundantly blessed by the grace, the love,
the living presence and the power of our Lord Jesus Christ the Lord above all
lords and King above all kings. To Him be given the glory every time and in
everything! Let us work together in building His Kingdom.
On behalf of LOGOS Foundation, LOGOS Fellowship, CHARIS Media Foundation and the
SIMONFALVI family,
Louis and Edit Simonfalvi, Budapest, Hungary
------------------------------
From: "Edgar M. Krentz" <emkrentz@mcs.com>
Date: Mon, 1 Jan 1996 13:22:20 -0500
Subject: theology or GNT?
>It appears to me from recent posts that we are getting back into
>theological discussion that isn't based in the least the Greek text of the
>NT. While the questions may be interesting ones, I think they might better
>be dealt with on Ioudaios-L, Elenchus or Bible, and leave this list free
>for discussion of the Greek NT or the Greek of the NT. As always, the
>primary reason for this is to avoid flame wars between persons of extremely
>divergent theological perspectives that readily flare up when any one's own
>ox gets gored.
>
>Carl W. Conrad
*Placet!* Precisely what needs to be said!
AND, Sit annus novus tibi bonus, faustus, fortunatus.
Edgar Krentz, New Testament
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
1100 East 55th Street
Chicago, IL 60615
Tel.: 312-256-0752; (H) 312-947-8105
------------------------------
From: "Edgar M. Krentz" <emkrentz@mcs.com>
Date: Mon, 1 Jan 1996 13:22:13 -0500
Subject: LECHEM777 & adc8
Who is LECHEM777 who wrote the long posting on Ugaritic message without a
subject line? And who is adc8 who posted "The Temptation of Deity"? Readers
should be able to identify writers!
Edgar Krentz, New Testament
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
1100 East 55th Street
Chicago, IL 60615
Tel.: 312-256-0752; (H) 312-947-8105
------------------------------
From: David Moore <dvdmoore@dcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us>
Date: Mon, 1 Jan 1996 23:15:56 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: Hamartia, cHata, and related concepts :)
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu (Carl W. Conrad) quoted R. Decker and D. Moore and wrote:
>>> The NT pix of sin is, IMHO, something more than hitting the outer ring of a
>>> target. Too often the etymologizing approach goes to the slingsmen of the
>>> OT who could cast a stone at a handsbreadth and not 'sin'--i.e., miss
>>> ('harmartanw' in LXX). It is more like shooting at the _wrong target_. It
>>> is not that people try to "hit God's mark" but come a bit short. "Sin"
>>> points to a deliberate rebellion against his standard (to mix the metaphors
>>> a bit). This explan. cannot be based on the "mng." of the word 'harmartia'
>>> but comes from the biblical theology of sin (context, not etymology).
>> The passage that comes to mind right away is Rom. 3:23, "For all
>>have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Gross rebellion against
>>God is sometimes pointed out as sin in the NT, but it appears that sin is
>>not limited to that. We should take into account also Paul's statements
>>about those who try to please God by the "flesh." These certainly may
>>not be aware of any rebellion against God on their part, but they sin in
>>falling short of the righteousness God has provided.
>My own reading of Rom 1 is that "sin" is fundamentally idolatry, worship
>directed toward creation rather than Creator, and that all the things
>generally called "sins" are CONSEQUENCES resultant from that (the 3
>PAREDWKEN verses).
Paul's statement that the love of money is a root of all kinds of
evil (I Tim. 6:10 NIV) would seem to support Carl's hypothesis, but if we
take a more global view of what the NT says about sin, we should be able
to come to a more broadly based understanding of the meaning of hAMARTIA.
I would suggest that any incorrect relationship with God constitutes a
root of sin which then is manifested in the actions the person in question
as *sins* (viz. Paul's concepts of "in the flesh" and "in the Spirit").
One of those *sins* might be idolatry which, in turn would have its
effects in predisposing to other sins. If, of course, we take "idolatry"
in the very wide sense that we find it expressed in 1 Jn. 5:20, 21, it
could probably include any incorrect concept of, or relationship with God.
Regarding Rod's suggestion that "sin," in the NT, "points to a
deliberate rebellion against [God's] standard," Walter Grundmann implies
as much in an article s.v. hAMARTANW in the TDNT (I:303). He takes the
prodigal son as an illustration and says that sin "is going out from the
father's [_sic_] house, i.e., godlessness and remoteness from God working
itself out in a life in the world with all its desires and its filth." It
seems precarious, however, to take a story meant to dramatize lostness,
repentance, forgiveness and redemption and draw from it a rather technical
concept of what sin is.
IMO, there is a danger in our taking too limited a view of what is
defined by "sin," since (human as we are) we have a tendency to define it
in a way that allows us a clear conscience. The Lord's saying about His
not having come to call righteous but rather sinners illustrates this
point well. I find deep irony in this saying. Jesus wasn't really
excluding the Pharisees from those who needed to repent. But what He said
went over their heads since they counted themselves righteous. The Lord's
repeated confrontations with them and His proclamation of woes for their
teachings and practices shows clearly that He did not approve of the
"righteousness" they claimed for themselves.
David L. Moore Southeastern Spanish District
Miami, Florida of the Assemblies of God
dvdmoore@dcfreenet.seflin.lib.fl.us Department of Education
http://members.aol.com/dvdmoore
------------------------------
From: "Michael Moss, Director of Graduate Bible Studies" <MOSSCM@dlu.edu>
Date: Mon, 01 Jan 1996 22:17:28 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Romanian Bible on Computer
I know this is outside the area of this group, but need some assistance.
Does anyone know of a software package or internet site where a Romanian
translation of the Bible can be accessed? A former student is in Bucharest
and wrote to ask for assistance. I seem to have fallen off the b-greek list
and despite resubscribing twice still have not received any messages for
over a month so please respond to my e-mail address: mosscm@dlu.edu.
Thanks.
Michael Moss
Director of Graduate Bible Studies
David Lipscomb University
Nashville, Tennessee
------------------------------
From: Tyler Williams <twilliam@epas.utoronto.ca>
Date: Tue, 2 Jan 1996 00:31:07 -0500 (EST)
Subject: TST Bib. Dep. Seminars - S1996
Below is the line up for the TST Biblical Department Seminars for the new
year. This term we are pleased to have papers on the Hebrew Bible, the
New Testament, and Qumran texts. If you are in the Toronto area, please
feel free to come to any of the seminars. (Apologies for cross-postings)
*****************************************************************************
TST Biblical Department Seminars Spring Semester 1996
*****************************************************************************
*January 18
"Creation Spirituality in the Psalms"
Michael Kolarcik
Regis College
This seminar will explore the interesting juxtaposition between creation
theology and salvation theology that persists in the Psalms of
Descriptive Praise (C. Westermann's category). In light of the recent
positions that have been taken suggesting that Scripture overemphasizes
salvation theology, the Psalms of Descriptive Praise are yet another
example of the healthy versatility and movement that exists in
Scripture between creation perspectives to redemptive declarations (Leo
G. Perdue, Wisdom & Creation: The Theology of Wisdom Literature
[Abingdon, 1994]).
*February 8
"The Prince of the Congregation of 1QSb"
Richard Ratzlaff
McMaster University
The recent publication of an additional fragment of 1QRule of the
Blessings (1QSb) has led to small but significant improvements in our
understanding of the blessing of the Prince of the Congregation (1QSb
5.20-29). In this paper I will concentrate on the blessing as an
exegetical reworking of the Priestly Blessing of Numbers 6:24-26. I will
also examine other biblical texts alluded to or used in the creation of
the blessing, concluding with some reflections on the figure of the
Prince of the Congregation in the scrolls as a whole.
*February 22
"The Legacy of Samuel Rolles Driver (1846-1914)"
Marion Ann Taylor
Wycliffe College
Samuel Rolles Driver (1846-1914) was a very prolific writer, an
outstanding Hebraist and Old Testament scholar, and a very effective
popularizer of historical criticism. In this seminar we will consider the
question of his contribution and significance to biblical studies, with
special attention to how he attempted to wed faith and criticism.
*March 7
"The Contribution of the Qumran Scrolls to Biblical Studies"
Lawrence H. Schiffman
Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, New York University
This presentation will explore the contribution and significance of the
Qumran scrolls for biblical studies, including such issues as the state
of the Hebrew Bible in Second Temple times, the question of canon as
regards the Qumran community, the role of biblical interpretation in the
various Jewish sects of the time and its relation to later Judaism and
Christianity, and the alleged existence of New Testament manuscripts at
Qumran. The lecture will seek to give a sense of the state of research
in these various fields and to provide the necessary perspective for the
use of the Qumran finds by biblical scholars.
Lawrence H. Schiffman, Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York
University, has published many books and articles on the scrolls,
including the popular Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls (Doubleday, 1995).
He is also one of the editors of a forthcoming encyclopedia on the
scrolls, as well as the new journal Dead Sea Discoveries.
*March 28
"'Synoptic Positivism' Old and New:
The Last Supper and Jesus' Understanding of His Death
from Schweitzer to Farmer"
Daniel A. Smith
Wycliffe College
The broader purpose of this study is to explore the contours of the
relationship between methodological convictions and theological
commitment in discussions concerning the historicity of traditions about
Jesus. Specifically, the paper focuses on scholars who, operating outside
mainstream historical Jesus scholarship, have sought to reconstruct
Jesus' understanding of his death from the Synoptic and Pauline
accounts of the Last Supper (Mark 14:22-25; Matt 26:26-29; Luke 22:15-20;
1 Cor 11:23-25). Of special concern is the relationship between literary-
and source-critical arguments concerning the primitivity or priority of a
particular form of the tradition, and historical arguments concerning
authenticity or dominical provenance.
**NB: After this seminar we are planning to go out as a group to Pizza
Hut. Everyone will pay her or his own way. All are invited to come.
*April 11
"The Deed of Judas: A Review of New Testament Evidence"
William Klassen
Visiting Research Professor,
Ecole Biblique et Archeologique, Jerusalem
Virtually all scholars assume that Judas betrayed Jesus. This paper
subjects that thesis to critical scrutiny by analyzing the word used in
the New Testament for what Judas did: "he handed him over." It reviews
current conclusions about the deed of Judas and how it relates to the
activity of Jesus just prior to his "handing over." The paper calls for a
new look at Judas and a new evaluation of his person in the light of the
Greek text of the New Testament and subsequent traditions about the
character of Judas.
W. Klassen's book, Judas: Friend or Betrayer of Jesus? is scheduled to
be released by Fortress Press by Easter 1996.
*April 18
"The Psalter as a Composite Scripture?
A Study of Double Occurrences in the Psalms"
Tim Reimer
Emmanuel College
Psalms 14 and 53 (which are nearly identical) have traditionally been
viewed as little more than a text critical challenge as scholars have
attempted to reconstruct the single Urtext underlying them both. This
seminar will examine the differences between these psalms, seeking an
integrity and coherence unique to each. Further, it will test the
hypothesis that these psalms, and other double occurrences in the psalms
(Psalms 53, 57, 60, and 70 all have at least partial doublets elsewhere
in the Psalter) were circulated in sub-Psalters before being integrated
into what is now the canonical Psalter.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
All seminars will be held in the Cody Library, Wycliffe College, 5 Hoskin
Ave, Toronto, ON. They begin at 4:10 and conclude at 5:30 pm.
Refreshments will be served compliments of contributing TST colleges and
student associations.
Any questions, comments, requests for information, and/or offers to
present papers can be directed to one of the seminar coordinators:
Bob Derrenbacker; NT, Wycliffe College
531-2626; derrenba@epas.utoronto.ca
Tyler Williams; OT/HB, Wycliffe College
963-9082; twilliam@epas.utoronto.ca
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tyler F. Williams Wycliffe College
Internet: twilliam@epas.utoronto.ca Toronto School of Theology
Voice/Fax: (416) 963-9082 University of Toronto
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
End of b-greek-digest V1 #64
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