From: Jonathan Robie (jonathan@texcel.no)
Date: Wed Apr 01 1998 - 09:45:34 EST
Greetings from rainy North Carolina!
I'm reading through Colossians 1, and several things seem a little
ambiguous or odd. I'd be interested in your opinions on these things:
Verse 1: KAI TIMOQEOS hO ADELFOS
This doesn't say KAI TIMOQEOS hO ADELFOS hUMWN/hHMWN, "Timothy, your/our
brother", nor does it seem like it could be a title - after all, aren't all
Christians ADELFOI?
Verse 2: TOIS EN KOLOSSAIS hAGIOIS KAI PISTOIS ADELFOIS EN CRISTWi
Is hAGIOIS an adjective or a noun here? Is this written to "the saints in
Colossia and the faithful brethren in Christ", or to "the holy and faithful
brethren in Christ who are in Colossia"?
Or should the phrase be understood together with hO ADELFOS:
KAI TIMOQEOS hO ADELFOS TOIS EN KOLOSSAIS hAGIOIS KAI PISTOIS ADELFOIS EN
CRISTWi, "and Timothy, the brother of the holy and faithful brethren in
Christ who are in Colossia"?
Is there anything in the grammar which would rule out any of these
interpretations?
Verse 3: PANTOTE
Does PANTOTE modify EUCARISTOUMEN (EUCARISTOUMEN...PANTOTE), or does it
modify PROSEUCOMENOI (PANTOTE...PROSEUCOMENOI)? Is the author saying "we
always give thanks to God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying for
you", or, "we give thanks to God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
always praying for you"?
Is there anything in the grammar to help me distinguish?
Verse 5: TOU EUAGGELIOU
Does this modify TWi LOGWi THS ALHQEIAS or TOU PARONTOS EIS hUMAS? Is the
phrase TWi LOGWi THS ALHQEIAS TOU EUAGGELIOU ("the word of the truth of the
gospel, which has come to you"), or TOU EUAGGELIOU TOU PARONTOS EIS hUMAS
("the word of truth, the gospel which has come to you")? Or is this
distinction only there in translation?
Verse 6: AF hHS hHMERAS
The pronoun confuses me here; is this to be read "from those days when you
heard", or "from the days when you heard" in real English?
Jonathan
___________________________________________________________________________
Jonathan Robie jwrobie@mindspring.com
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