From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Wed Jul 04 2001 - 21:37:48 EDT
At 9:02 PM +0000 7/4/01, Mark Wilson wrote:
>Since the responses will probably relate to hermeneutics,
>it may be best to respond OFFLIST to me.
>
>Concerning the positioning of SUSCHMATIZESQE and METAMORFOUSQE
>in Romans 12:2, a commentary I am reading concludes that it was the tendency
>of older works to "force" a distinction between these two words. According
>to this commentator, modern scholars are more comfortable seeing these
>two words as synonyms in this text. No reason is given for this last
>statement, other than the implication that modern scholars are
>seeing the wisdom in such an approach. However....
I for one DON'T see the wisdom in that approach; I've always felt that the
complement of SUSCHMATIZESQE TWi AIWNI TOUTWi gives it a very different
sense from METAMORFOUSQE. It has always seemed to me that TWi AIWNI TOUTWi
is Paul's eschatological equivalent to the Hebrew Ha Goyim, "the
nations"--particularly the Deuteronomic sermons reiterate that Israel must
NOT "be like the nations" but must stamp its behavior by the Torah of YHWH.
Accordingly I've understood this sequence as "Don't pattern your behavior
by standards of this world-age but re-shape yourselves by radical renewal
of your understanding ..." I just can't see how the two verbs are synonymus.
>...within almost the same breath, as he comments on hO DIDASKWN and
>hO PARAKALWN (vss 7,8), he states that despite these two concepts able to be
>used interchangeably (cf. 1 Thess. 2:3), it is best to distinguish these
>words in this context.
>
>I think my question is somewhat apparent now.
>
>What criteria would you recommend one use to determine when an author
>is using two different words for stylistic or semantic reasons.
>
>This is close to questions about AGAPAW and FILEW of John 21, but I am
>seeking a more general guideline that some find helpful. Also, are there
>any books that you would recommend that address this very issue.
And as with AGAPAW and FILEW in John 21, I think one must do a pretty
exhaustive word-study and reach a satisfactory conclusion regarding usage
of the words in different contexts. While I am far from holding that there
aren't real synonyms in NT Greek (I think EGEIROMAI and ANISTAMAI are just
about as synonymous as can be), and while I would certainly not want to
hold to the notion that wherever different Greek words are used in a single
context, the meanings MUST be different, I just don't think one can lay
down a rule for this sort of decision.
--
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
Most months: 1647 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu OR cwconrad@ioa.com
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/
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