From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Sat Dec 22 2001 - 17:51:15 EST
At 1:27 PM -0600 12/22/01, jldrick@juno.com wrote:
A little punctuation would help, so I have edited the text below:
> In regard to Matthew 5: 17-18, "MH NOMISHTE
>hOTI hHLQON KATALUSAI TON NOMON H [not hH] TOUS
>PROFHTAS. OUK hHLQON KATALUSAI ALLA PLHRWSAI.
>AMHN GAR LEGW hUMIN, hEWS AN PARELQHi hO
>OURANOS KAI hH GH, IWTA hEN H MIA KERAIA OU
>MH PARELQHi APO TOU NOMOU hEWS AN PANTA
>GENHTAI.
>
> Some versions translate PLHRWSAI
>and GENHTAI both as "fulfill" or "fulfilled." Is this
>adequate or is there a difference in meaning between
>the two words that needs to be reflected in the
>translation?
>
> What is the relationship of the two hEWS AN
>phrases? Should they be taken as "Until both this and
>that happen" or as "Until either this or that happens" or
>is there another better way to see how these two phrases
>work together?
(1) There's a fundamental difference between PLHRWSAI and GENHTAI, even if
a form of "fulfill" is used for both in translation; PLHRWSAI means "bring
about fulfillment"--and in this context, I think that must mean, to use
Aristotelian terminology, to bring about the fullness of the age-to-come.
GENHTAI could, in this instance, be understood as middle/intransitive "has
taken place" or as passive "has been fulfilled." I'd think that hEWS AN
PANTA GENHTAI here must mean, "until all [that was supposed to occur] has
occurred."
(2) I think that the two hEWS AN clauses have essentially the same meaning:
that the passing away of Heaven and Earth is equivalent to the ultimate
completion of all that was to take place (prior to the fullness of the
Age-to-Come. That is to say, I think that Matthew's Jesus is affirming that
the Torah remains in force until the end of this world--and that Jesus is
the agent who is destined to bring about the transition.
--
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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