From: Jonathan Robie (jonathan@texcel.no)
Date: Thu Jul 02 1998 - 00:59:24 EDT
I'm not sure how much of this I got right, but I'll send what I came up
with so the Big Greeks can mop up later.
At 12:08 PM 7/1/98 -0400, Paul F. Evans wrote:
> This is a mouthful for a under-achieving Greek student!
> PISTEI VOOUMEN KATHRTISQAI TOUS AIWNAS hRHMATI QEOU
PISTEI means 'by faith' (dative of means). PISTEI NOOUMEN means 'by faith
we consider', in the sense of thinking over a matter with care.
KATHRTISQAI is an infinitive, as you note. It is also perfect and passive -
'have been created by. hRHMATI is another dative of means - hRHMATI QEOU
means 'by the word of God'. KATHRTISQAI TOUS AIWNAS hRHMATI QEOU means 'the
universe was established by the word of God'. I think that TOUS AIWNAS is
meant in Louw & Nida sense 1.4, which is always plural, in contrast to the
English 'universe':
"Louw & Nida 1.4 (always occurring in the plural): the universe, perhaps
with some associated meaning of `eon' or `age' in the sense of the
transitory nature of the universe (but this is doubtful in the contexts of
#Hebr 1:2 and 11.3)"
So don't let the plural spook you, TOUS AIWNAS just means "the universe",
as you had already guessed.
>I cannot sort our the use of the infinitive KATHRTISQAI. Is it forming a
noun >phrase with TOUS AIWNAS? In which case I assume that TOUS AIWNAS is
the subject >of the infinitive.
Yes, this how I see it as well, as you can tell by my translation above.
> However, how is that to be understood in the larger context
> with what follows... particularly the infinitive GEGONENAI?
The phrase containing GEGONENAI is: EIS TO MH EK FAINOMENWN TO BLEPOMENON
GEGONENAI. The construction EIS TO + Verb.Infinitive is the reason that
GEGONENAI comes out infinitive. In this case it expresses result. TO
BLEPOMENON means 'that which is seen'.
The phrase 'EK FAINOMENWN' is an interesting one - does it mean 'out of
that which is visible', or 'from appearances'? Is there an implication that
the material world is less than solid? I'm guessing here with very little
but a feeling in the gut. Can anybody comment on this phrase?
At any rate, the entire phrase EIS TO MH EK FAINOMENWN TO BLEPOMENON
GEGONENAI means "so that what is seen did not come from the visible" or
perhaps "so that what is seen was not made from appearances".
Hope this helps!
Jonathan
___________________________________________________________________________
Jonathan Robie jwrobie@mindspring.com
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