From: Jim West (jwest@Highland.Net)
Date: Tue May 25 1999 - 10:36:06 EDT
Perhaps we need to take account as well of 1 Peter 4:16, which suggests that
if one "suffers as a "christian", nonetheless let him not be ashamed; but
instead let him glorify God in spite of this name". Now why would one be
ashamed if a name or term was not used derisively? Further, it is
abundantly clear that the word is insulting when one sees that the term
"chrestianos" (good fellow), found in Sinaiticus!, meant something snide as
well- and was a derisive term applied to Christians as well. Further,
Tacitus, in Annals 15.44, has "... Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the
most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called
Christians by the populace...." The populace evidently using the term
derisively of a group they hated (unless we are to accept the unlikely
proposition that they meant it as a compliment of people they despised????).
In sum- there is precious little evidence that the term was not intended
derisively while there seems ample evidence that it was. Perhaps thats why
the suggestion is relatively widespread.
Best,
Jim
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jim West, ThD
email- jwest@highland.net
web page- http://web.infoave.net/~jwest
--- B-Greek home page: http://sunsite.unc.edu/bgreek You are currently subscribed to b-greek as: [cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu] To unsubscribe, forward this message to leave-b-greek-329W@franklin.oit.unc.edu To subscribe, send a message to subscribe-b-greek@franklin.oit.unc.edu
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Sat Apr 20 2002 - 15:40:29 EDT