From: Ben Crick (ben.crick@argonet.co.uk)
Date: Sun Jun 29 1997 - 22:28:04 EDT
Dear Graecists,
I've been fascinated with this thread. Here are the thoughts of a practising
pastor.
This prayer is not the "Lord's Prayer"; this is the Children's Prayer.
The "Lord's Prayer" is in John 17, the High Priestly Prayer.
My intention here is not to delve into Theology (MH GENOITO), but into
Hermeneutics. If b-greek is into Lexicography, then it must be into
Hermeneutics also. The meaning of PEIRASMOS is best discovered not by
looking into the Lexicon, but by looking at its context in the /Paternoster/,
and the use of the word elsewhere by Luke. The Lexical definition is not
prescriptive, but descriptive.
In the /Paternoster/ Jesus taught his disciples not WHAT to pray, but HOW
to pray. hOTAN PROSEUCHSQE LEGETE, ktl...
This is NOT a Parrot Prayer to gabble; this is a Pattern Prayer to emulate.
Let's look at its structure. In the Lukan version, it has two paragraphs:
[Matthew's additions in square brackets]
1. Our Deference towards God:
He is Personal: PATHR [hHMWN],
" " Infinite: [hO EN TOIS OURANOIS]
" " Holy: hAGIASQHTW TO ONOMA SOU·
" " Sovereign: ELQETW hH BASILEIA SOU·
2. Our Dependence upon God:
We have Physical needs (daily bread):
TON ARTON hHMWN TON EPIOUSION DIDOU hHMIN TO KAQ hHMERAN·
" " Psychological needs (Forgiveness):
AFES hUMIN TAS hAMARTIAS hHMWN, KAI GAR AUTOI AFIWMEN PANTA
OFEILONTI hHMIN·
" " Spiritual needs (Protection against Temptation and the Tempter):
KAI MHi EISENEGKHiS EIS PEIRASMON.
[ALLA hRUSAI hHMAS APO TOU PONHROU]
The context in the Paternoster clearly shows that PEIRASMON is the temptation
that the flesh is heir to, emanating from the Tempter, the Evil One; not any
testing emanating from God the Father. MHDEIS PEIRAZOMENOS LEGETW hOTI APO
QEOU PEIRAZOMAI· hO GAR QEOS APEIRASTOS ESTIN KAKWN, PEIRAZEI DE AUTOS OUDENA
(James 1:13). Temptation isn't entirely from the devil alone; there is the
temptation of the world and of the flesh as well as of the devil.
Furthermore the petition to be spared temptation immediately follows the
petition for forgiveness for having fallen under temptation before: clearly
the petition is against "more of the same".
If it be argued that Jesus is warning the first-generation Christians to
pray against entering into the great tribulation that befell Judaea and
Jerusalem in the Wars of the Jews, 66-70 AD (compare Luke 19:41-44), then
we would respond that our Lord's Pattern Prayer is a pattern prayer for all
generations, not just for the first one. The first generation were warned
PROSEUCESQE DE hINA MH GENHTAI hH FUGH hUMWN CEIMWNOS MHDE SABBATWi (Matthew
24:20); but that warning was not part of the Pattern Prayer for all
generations.
Luke's use of the verb PEIRAZW is thus:
Luke 4:2 (40 days tempted of the devil)
11:16 (others tempting him)
20:23 (why tempt ye me?)
Acts 5:9 (to tempt the Spirit)
15:10 (why tempt ye God)
Luke's use of the noun PEIRASMOS is thus:
Luke 4:13 (when the devil had ended all the temptation)
8:13 (in time of temptation fall away)
(11:4 )
22:28 (continued with me in my temptation)
22:40 (pray that ye enter not into temptation)
22:46 (rise and pray lest ye enter into temptation)
Acts 20:19 (with many tears and temptations)
IMHO this should be prescriptive for the meaning of PEIRASMOS in Luke 11:4.
WDYT?
-- Ben Crick <ben.crick@argonet.co.uk> Bible List Staff ZFC S Teacher/Pastor Director #2 of Ambiance and also on WebSite http://www.cnetwork.co.uk/crick.htm
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