From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Sun Dec 16 2001 - 09:44:36 EST
At 6:51 PM -0600 12/15/01, James S. Murray wrote:
>Greetings;
>
>Text: EI GAR PISTEUOMEN hOTI IHSOUS APEQANEN KAI ANESTH, hOUTWS KAI hO
>QEOS TOUS KOIMHQENTAS DIA TOU IHSOU AXEI SUN AUTWi.
>
>I am pondering whether the phrase DIA TOU IHSOU goes with KOIMHQENTAS or
>with AXEI. The normal uses of DIA don't seem to fit with
>KOIMHQENTAS. Zerwick (A Grammatical Analysis of the Greek New
>Testament, pg. 619) prefers KOIMHQENTAS, with a meaning similar to EN in
>1 Corth. 15:18 (ARA KAI hOI KOIMHQENTES EN CRISTWi APWLONTO). While
>this is attractive, especially given a similar parallel phrase in 1
>Thess. 4:16 (KAI hOI VEKROI EN CRISTWi ANASTHSONTAI...), I'm struggling
>with DIA having a locative sense. Is anyone aware of other NT uses of
>DIA in which it can stand for EN? Zerwick references Acts 11:28 as an
>example. However, I think this use of DIA can easily be understood as
>instrumental or means, so this is not an unambiguous example.
>
>On the other hand, taking this phrase with AXEI seems to better fit with
>the normal uses of DIA.
>
>Any thoughts on this one?
I'll agree with you: I can't see how hOI KOIMHQENTES EN CRISTWi is
equatable with TOUS KOIMHQENTAS DIA TOU IHSOU. I find the following two
relevant entries in Louw & Nida:
90.4 DIAa (with the genitive): a marker of intermediate agent, with
implicit or explicit causative agent - 'through, by.' TO hRHQEN hUPO KURIOU
DIA TOU PROFHTOU LEGONTOS 'that which was spoken by the Lord through the
prophet' Mt 1:22; PISTOS hO QEOS DI hOU EKLHQHTE 'God is faithful through
whom you were called' 1Cor 1:9. It is somewhat unusual to find DIA with the
genitive used in a context such as 1Cor 1.9, since it is normally the
calling which is 'by God' (with hUPO) rather than 'through God' (with DIA).
PANTA DI' AUTOU EGENETO 'all things came into existence through him' Jn 1:3.
90.8 DIAb (with the genitive): a marker of the instrument by which
something is accomplished - 'by means of, through, with.' GRAFEIN OUK
EBOULHQHN DIA CARTOU KAI MELAANOS 'I would rather not write with paper and
ink' 2Jn 12.
Since the subject of 1 Thess 4:14 is hO QEOS, it seems reasonable enough to
understand IHSOUS here as the intermediate agent of God's "bringing" here.
--
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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