Re: Acts 2:38

From: Jonathan Robie (jonathan@texcel.no)
Date: Thu Jan 08 1998 - 07:00:16 EST

At 10:23 PM 1/7/98 EST, Raziel 613 wrote:
 
> Can someone help me with this verse. The verse in question (Acts
2:38) is
>as follows (please excuse any transliteration errors):

Here's how I read it:

PETROS DE PROS AUTOUS,
  METANOHSATE (FHSIN)
  KAI BAPTISQHTW hEKASTOS hUMWN
         EPI TW ONOMATI IHSOU XRISTOU
         EIS AFESIN TWN hAMARTWN hUMWN
  KAI LHMPSESQE THN DWREAN TOU hAGIOU PNEUMATOS.

  Repent ye
  and let each one of you be baptized
        (baptized) in the name of Jesus Christ
       (baptized) for the forgiveness of your sins
  and receive ye the gift of the holy spirit

>I have been told that since BAPTISQHTW is a third person
>SINGULAR imperative aorist passive it cannot be modified by
>EIS AFESIN TWN hAMARTWN hUMWN because BAPTISQHTW doesn't agree
>with the phrase in person and number.

The argument you heard seems to be that "let each one of you be baptized"
refers to the baptism of individuals, but "for the forgiveness of your
(plural) sins" refers to a group. This argument does not hold water, IMHO -
here there is a change of emphasis from collective to individual: "repent,
all of you, and let each one of you be baptized". The same group is being
addressed in these first two phrases, and continues to be addressed later.

EMOI, the more interesting question has to do with the word EIS. Robertson
suggests that it does not mean "for" in this verse. Here is his argument:

"Unto the remission of your sins (eis aphesin t™n hamarti™n hžm™n). This
phrase is the subject of endless controversy as men look at it from the
standpoint of sacramental or of evangelical theology. In themselves the
words can express aim or purpose for that use of eis does exist as in #1Co
2:7 eis doxan hm™n (for our glory). But then another usage exists which is
just as good Greek as
the use of eis for aim or purpose. It is seen in #Mt 10:41 in three
examples eis onoma prophtou, dikaiou, mathtou where it cannot be purpose
or aim,
but rather the basis or ground, on the basis of the name of prophet,
righteous man, disciple, because one is, etc. It is seen again in #Mt 12:41
about the preaching of Jonah (eis to krugma I™na). They repented because
of (or at) the preaching of Jonah. The illustrations of both usages are
numerous in the N.T. and the KoinŽ generally (Robertson, Grammar, p. 592).
One will decide the use here according as he believes that baptism is
essential to the remission of sins or not. My view is decidedly against the
idea that Peter, Paul, or any one in the New Testament taught baptism as
essential to the remission of sins or the means of securing such remission.
So I understand Peter to be urging baptism on each of them who had already
turned (repented) and for it to be done in the name of Jesus Christ on the
basis of the forgiveness of sins which they had already received."

Jonathan

 
 
jonathan@texcel.no
Texcel Research
http://www.texcel.no

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