From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Mon Jun 05 2000 - 10:27:27 EDT
At 3:22 PM +0000 6/4/00, Mark Wilson wrote:
>1 Peter 1:7
>
>hINA TO DOKIMION hMWN THS PISTEWS POLUTIMOTERON CRUSIOU TOU APOLLUMENOU DIA
>PUROS DE DOKIMAZOMENOU hEUREQHi EIS EPAINON KAI DOXAN KAI TIMHN EN APOKALUYEI
>IHSOU CRISTOU
>
>My question is on hEUREQHi and EIS
>
>“it may be found” . . . “to praise” or “resulting in praise”
>
>What is the antecedent of “it” ?
>
>If PISTEWS is the correct antecedent, help me understand how that relates to
>EIS EPAINON.
>
>Is it the PISTEWS itself to praise, honor and glory?
I've corrected the spelling of hEUREQHi by restoring the lost "R" to the
root hEUR for "find."
I think the first problem in this text is determining the meaning of
DOKIMION, since it is DOKIMION rather than PISTIS that is ultimately the
subject of hEUREQHi. While "testing" or "trial" is offered by dictionaries,
what seems to be required here is "proof" (so ASV), or even better "proven
authenticity." Louw & Nida have:
73.3 DOKIMION, OU n.: genuineness on the basis of having been
tested--'genuineness, genuine.' hINA TO DOKIMION hUMWN THS PISTEWS ...
hEUREQHi 'so as to prove that your faith is genuine' 1 Peter 1:7.
With that clarification, the next question: is EIS EPAINON a phrase of
purpose or of result with hEUREQHi. Considering the temporal context (EN
APOKALUYEI IHSOU CRISTOU) I'd prefer understanding it as a phrase of
purpose: "may be found at the revelation of Jesus Christ to serve [His]
praise and glory and honor.'
The fact that the question can be asked whether the EIS EPAINON sequence is
to be understood as 'purpose' or 'result' shows how close to each other
'purpose' and 'result' were thought to be (note that hWSTE + inf./indic.,
used in older Greek primarily to express 'result,' has come in Koine to be
used also to express 'purpose.'
In conclusion, if it was not clear already, let me say again that it seems
to me we ought to understand TO DOKIMION hUMWN THS PISTEWS as a
tightly-knit phrase: "the proof of your faith" or "the proven quality of
your faith." I think that as a whole that phrase should be understood as
the subject of hEUREQHI EIS EPAINON KTL.
--
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
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