From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Fri Dec 03 1999 - 06:49:46 EST
At 11:44 PM -0600 12/2/99, Mr. Gary S. Dykes wrote:
>This is a deep topic and this list will not suffice for full and thorough
>discussion on it, but...here are my opinions and suggestions.
>
>>From a monosemic view, the verb and noun forms stem from the original
>meaning of "change + mind". (s.v. "META",section VIII, page 1109,
>LSJ)However, META... can also imply a sort of mental consequence, focusing
>upon its "time" element in the compound. Hence, "after-thought", even
>"with-thought" is possible.
>
>"Repent" is a medieval creation, and can be misleading. In various
>contexts, "changing one's mind" can be attributed to various agents. In a
>believers' life, the indwelling Holy Spirit can assist, which is what Paul
>is implicating in II Cor. 7:9,10. A Christian should possess a certain
>mind-set about most things. And after trusting in the Lord, a believer
>should experience a "change-of-mind" concerning former attitudes. This does
>require some time.
>
>Concerning Israel, it is a command, an act of the human will. But when a
>Christian is involved, no imperative cases are found (in the Pauline
>Corpus) this is because the act of repentance is not a prequisite for
>acceptance before God in this age. A Christian can be UNrepentant, but
>he/she will not have a healthy fellowship, nor be effective, but he/she is
>still elected, as election is based upon grace, not upon an obedience to a
>command.
>
>The notion of "change" stems from the META prefix, it refers to the
>attitude, and the state of the mind. One might be correct to see it as
>"after-thought" METANOUS. Paul never teaches it as a necessity, and
>comparatively speaking, rarely uses the noun or verb forms. It is similar
>to METABALLW (Acts 28:6) but there a "view" is implied.
>
>These are my suggestions, supplied for your consideration.
I haven't done a very consistent word-check--I haven't checked the Hebrew
of these passages, but I've always had the impression that Greek METANOEW
represented Hebrew SHUV. As a radical transformation of the mind-set it is
a fascinating notion, one I've always thought best expressed in the NT in
different words altogether in Romans 12:1-2. Something similar is to be
seen in Plato's central section of the Republic where he speaks of
education as a process of PERIAGWGH, a radical, 180-degree inversion of
one's mental direction (away from the shadows flashing on the wall of the
cave and upwards toward the sunlight on the earth's surface, and of course,
toward the analogues of these allegorical images).
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics/Washington University
One Brookings Drive/St. Louis, MO, USA 63130/(314) 935-4018
Home: 7222 Colgate Ave./St. Louis, MO 63130/(314) 726-5649
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/
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