From: Steven Lo Vullo (doulos@merr.com)
Date: Tue Dec 18 2001 - 00:15:56 EST
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On Monday, December 17, 2001, at 10:50 AM, Frazier Conley wrote:
> 1 Corinthians 16:2 KATA MIAN SABBATOU hEKASTOS HUMWN PAR' hEAUTWi TIQETW
> QHSAURIZWN hO TI EAN EUODWTAI, hINA MH hOTAN ELQW TOTE LOGEIAI GINWNTAI.
>
> I would appreciate anyone's input on the possible validity of the
> following
> rendering:
>
> "On the first day of every week each of you (according to his own
> judgment)
> let him make a deposit thus treasuring up while he is being prospered,
> so
> that whenever I come collections will not have to then arise."
Aside from sheer awkwardness (if striving for a good, idiomatic English
translation), I think it suffers from some problems in representing the
Greek. Let me make a few points:
(1) I think the weakness of translating PAR' hEAUTWi as "according to
his own judgment" in this case is highlighted by the fact that it is set
in parentheses. I see no warrant at all in this sentence for taking the
prepositional phrase as parenthetical. Rather, it is most natural to
construe it as directly modifying TIQETW. Setting the prepositional
phrase within parentheses seems to be an attempt to disassociate it from
TIQETW while at the same time recognizing that it makes no sense UNLESS
construed with TIQETW. For after all, if it is understood as "according
to his own judgment" it still must be construed with TIQETW, since this
is the action to be taken according to one's judgment. But once we
construe with TIQETW, it becomes much more probable that PAR' hEAUTWi
TIQETW QHSAURIZWN means something like "lay by him in store" (ASV). A
personal (PAR' hEAUTWi) "savings account" for the final collection seems
to be in view. I think the translation you offer above presupposes that
PARA with the dative must mean "according to his own judgment" merely
because it is used that way elsewhere by Paul. (I think you expressed
this in an earlier post some time ago.) But this is unlikely, as I will
argue in the following points.
(2) One minor point that should be noted before I move on is that PARA
with the dative does not always express "estimation" in the Pauline
Epistles (cf. Col 4.16; 2 Tim 4.13). I do realize, however, that not
everyone out there accepts these two examples as Pauline. But this is
all irrelevant in light of the following point.
(3) When Paul uses PARA with the dative to express "estimation," it is
normally found in a set syntactical and semantic context. It complements
an explicit or implied copulative verb with a predicate noun or
adjective about which the "estimation" is made. Note the above
components in the following patterns: copulative verb - noun/adjective -
prep phrase (cf. Rom 2.11, 13; 9.14; 12.16; 2 Th 1.6); copulative
verb - prep phrase - adjective (Rom 11.25); noun - prep phrase -
copulative verb (1 Cor 3.19); noun - copulative verb - prep phrase
(Eph 6.9).
PARA with dative in 2 Cor 1.17 seems to be best understood as expressing
reference/respect. But even if it is "estimation," it incorporates the
above components: copulative verb - prepositional phrase - noun phrases.
In 1 Cor 7.24 it is debatable whether PARA QEWi expresses "estimation."
But even if it does, it should be noted that semantically it is similar
to the above examples (and dissimilar to 1 Cor 16.2) in that the verb
(MENETW) is intransitive and stative.
Though PARA TWi QEWi in Gal 3.11 expresses "estimation," it should be
noted that the verb DIKAIOUTAI is passive and indicates a state or
position (depending on your theology). Semantically, DIKAIOUTAI PARA TWi
QEWi is very similar to DIKAIOI PARA [TWi] QEWi in Rom 2.13 (see above).
Contrary to the above examples (especially those found in the first
paragraph above, which are the majority of uses), PAR' hEAUTWi TIQETW
has the prepositional phrase construing with an active, transitive verb
with an implied object (as hO TI makes clear). The idea is to put
(something) in store "by" or "with" oneself. Note how the very similar
construction is used in Luke 9.47: ESTHSEN AUTO PAR' hEAUTW' ("he stood
him [the child] by his side").
=============
Steven Lo Vullo
Madison, WI
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