From: Richard Lindeman (richlind@ix.netcom.com)
Date: Thu Mar 12 1998 - 00:54:15 EST
I wrote:
>> In reading Philemon I notice the variety of possible interpretations
>> for verse six. Not only is there the question of the force of the
>> genitive in PISTEWS... but there is also the question of how to take
>> the prepostitional phrase EN EPIGNWSEI PANTOS AGAQOU. Why should I
>> consider taking this phrase as expressing *purpose* "so that you will
>> have a full understanding of every good thing" NIV... rather than taking
>> it as *causative* "because of the full understanding of every good
thing"??
>> The latter seems more natural to me. Perhaps someone here could explain
>> the logic of the NIV rendering here.
>>
Cindy wrote:
>The hOPWS together with the aorist middle subjunctive GENHTAI has the force
of
>either expressing the content of the prayer (v. 4--EUCAPISTW) or the
purpose
>of the prayer. The key here is the use of the subjuntive. If the verb were
>present indicative, then it would probably be 'how' or 'in what way' which
>could continue a causal idea from v. 5 (if the participle AKOUWN is taken
as
>causative).
>At a glance, this does seems unnatural, since he just acknowledged
Philemon's
>love and faith. However, the nature of the letter alternates commendation
and
>motivation (as in vv. 7 & 8). Paul is appealing to Philemon 'for love's
sake'
>(v. 10) to come to have a full understanding of every good thing by
allowing
>Onesimus to return to Paul.
>Cindy Westfall
>PhD student, Roehampton
Thank you Cindy... I follow your logic here. But I don't believe that we
should read the prepositional
phrase as being supplementary to hOPWS GENHTAI here. ENERGHS is
supplementary. EN EPIGNWSEI
PANTOS AGAQOU is then circumstantially associated with hOPWS GENHTAI
ENERGHS.
Yet you may very well be right that the circumstance could be *purpose*.
However not necessarily so. I notice that KJV renders the phrase as
instrumental "by the
acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Jesus Christ". I
agree that the distance from
AKOUWN makes my suggestion of *causative* circumstance less likely.
Rich Lindeman
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Sat Apr 20 2002 - 15:39:13 EDT