From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Sat Mar 30 1996 - 22:52:24 EST
On 3/30/96, Tom Launder wrote:
> Hello Greek scholars and friends,
>
> I am doing a project on Romans 9:6-13 and I have come across the phrase:
>
> logizetai eis sperma (Rom 9:8)
>
> I am trying to figure out how to understand the "eis sperma." I know the
> translation of this phrase goes something like "reckon as seed," yet I am
> trying to figure out how to classify it.
>
> I have looked at some of the best commentaries (Dunn, Cranfield, Kasemann,
> Murray, and Morris), yet only Morris offers a hint.
>
> In Morris page 354 footnote 47, he says: "Howard considers *logizomai eis
> sperma* a Semitism (M, II, p. 463).
>
> If this is true what do you think he means? I would look it up, but I do
> not have access to the resource described.
>
> Thanks for your help. If you have any other insights into these verses in
> Romans 9:6-13, I would sure like to hear about them. :)
I would not normally be here, but I seem to keep responding to "Crosstalk"
messages that keep coming in as fast as I respond, and here's b-greek
acting up.
I don't think LOGIZOMAI EIS is a Semitism, but the only reference that's
useful that I have handy is Louw-Nida, who put this usage as (#57.227)
"keep records of commercial accounts, involving both debits and credits --
'to put into one's account, to charge one's account, to regard as an
account ..."
I think this goes back to one of the primary sense of LOGOS, just like
Latin RATIO and English TALE: they all mean "count," or "account," "tally"
in a commercial sense (I remember still what a mystery was cleared up for
me when I first realized why a "teller" in the bank--or "counting house"
was called that).So one of the oldest meanings of LOGIZOMAI is the banker's
use:"tally up" or "tally to such-and-such." I don't really think there's
anything more involved in this usage. But it's late on a Saturday night,
and I may well be a little fuzzy headed.
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/
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