From: Steven R. Lo Vullo (doulos@chorus.net)
Date: Mon Dec 11 2000 - 12:55:31 EST
On 12/11/00 8:25 AM, Steven Craig Miller wrote:
> << My question: Am I correct in believing that PAS doesn't have to mean all
> men who've ever existed, but instead can mean "some of every kind" or a
> particular subset of "all" or something like that. >>
>
> There is no justification for understanding PAS to mean "some," nor as some
> "subset of 'all.'"
I don't recall anyone claiming that PAS means "some." The inquirer said
"some of every kind," which is a different matter. It is not helpful to
truncate the man's definition in order to make a better case against it. The
fact is that PAS may mean "all of all sorts," "all of some sorts," or "some
of all sorts."
Without drifting into theological arguments, let me make the following
points:
That PAS may be understood as "all kinds," is apparent from 1 Tim itself. In
1 Tim 2.1-2 Paul exhorts that "supplications, prayers, intercessions, and
thanksgivings" be made hUPER PANTWN ANQRWPWN, hUPER BASILEWN KAI PANTWN TWN
EN hUPEROCHi ONTWN. It's unlikely that Paul means that prayer should be made
for every person on planet earth, since this would make for a very long
prayer meeting. It is equally unlikely that Paul has a nebulous
"God-bless-the-whole-world" prayer in mind, since he singles out specific
types of people for whom intercession should be made. Kings and all those in
authority are specific examples of the kinds of people Paul had in mind in
the expression PANTWN ANQRWPWN. PANTWN TWN EN hUPEROCHi also doesn't mean
"every single person in the world in authority," for clearly no one (Dubya
comes to mind here) could be expected to know the identity of every single
person in every single position of authority everywhere in the world. In 1
Tim 6.10 Paul says that the love of money is hRIZA ... PANTWN TWN KAKWN.
Clearly this means "all *kinds* of evil, as many translations indicate
(NKJV, ASV, NASB, NASB95, NRSV, NIV, NLT). There are many evils committed
that do not have financial gain as their purpose. 1 Tim 6.17 can also be
understood in this way. I don't know about you, but God hasn't given me
every conceivable legitimate enjoyment, although he has richly given me "all
kinds of things" to enjoy.
Note in this regard Ac 2.17. Does anyone seriously think that when Peter
quoted Joel 2.28 as being fulfilled on the day of Pentecost he believed that
every man, woman, and child on the face of the earth was filled with the
Spirit because the prophecy dictated that God would pour out his Spirit EPI
PASAN SARKA? That he has "every kind of person" in mind is plain from what
follows: the mention of sons, daughters, young men, old men, menservants,
maidservants. This prophecy (and PAS) takes on expanded meaning as Acts
proceeds and Samaritans and eventually even Gentiles receive the Spirit (cf.
Acts 10-11, particularly 10.34-35, 44-48). But nowhere is it concluded on
the basis of PASAN SARKA that the Spirit came upon every member of the human
race.
It should be noted also that PAS (as well as KOSMOS) is sometimes used in
close proximity to EQNH (Gentiles). For example, in Acts 22.15 Ananias tells
Paul that he will be MARTUS ... PROS PANTAS ANQRWPOUS. If PANTAS ANQRWPOUS
means every single person on planet earth, then either God had an impossible
task for Paul to accomplish or Paul didn't take it seriously enough. The
latter cannot be true, for Paul says, "I was not disobedient to the heavenly
vision" (cf. Acts 26.16-19). The key to understanding PANTAS ANQRWPOUS here
is found in v. 21. There God says to Paul, POREUOU, hOTI EGW EIS EQNH MAKRAN
EXAPOSTELW~ SE." PANTAS ANQRWPOUS of v. 15 are identified with EQNH in v.
21. The idea expressed by PANTAS ANQRWPAS is "not Jews only, but the Gentile
world as well." There is this close proximity of PAS to EQNH in 1 Tim 2 as
well (see v. 7). (For the identification of KOSMOS with EQNH see Rom
11.11-13, 15.) This kind of universal language must be understood in a
milieu where "the chosen people" (Jews) are sharply distinguished from the
rest of the world (EQNH). PANTAS ANQRWPOUS makes the point that the gospel
would not be confined to Jews only, but would make its way into all the
world (cf. Acts 1.8).
Just proving that PAS *may* mean "all kinds" or "some of every sort" does
not, of course, prove that it means such in any given context. That is just
the point. The *context* must determine the use. Theological considerations
inevitably play a role as well, but that is beyond the scope of B-Greek.
Steve
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