From: Eric S. Weiss (eweiss@gte.net)
Date: Tue Apr 02 2002 - 10:16:08 EST
If the geographic/water-source comments re: Colossae and Hieropolis
vis-a-vis Laodicea that I referenced in my earlier response are in fact
correct, I would think that such an explanation would trump a detailed
lexical examination of the meanings of "cold" and "hot." Kind of the
Occam's Razor principle.
> > OIDA SOU TA ERGA hOTI OUTE YUCROS EI OUTE ZESTOS
> > OFELON YUCROS HS H ZESTOS...
> >
> > Because both ZESTOS and YUCROS were desirable states, I wonder
> > if we can understand both in a positive sense.
> >
> > ZESTOS being the hot water used for medicinal purposes.
> > In its initial state, it had a beneficial purpose. So
> > too with YUCROS. As cold (in its initial state),
> > it was a cool, refreshing drink.... having a beneficial
> > affect on those who partook.
> >
> > Can we understand YUCROS in a positive sense? I have always
> > heard YUCROS in the sense of: the Lord would rather you be
> > either on fire/hot for the Lord, or wanting nothing whatsoever
> > to do with him (cold). But it seems to me that since the Lord
> > desired these Laodiceans to be at either end of this spectrum,
> > that he was not contrasting positive and negative states, but
> > beneficial states, which existed at both ends.
> >
> > Therefore, the KLIAROS being the only "unnatural" or non-beneficial
> > state.
>
> I think your traditional understanding is more correct, although it is
> question what can happen to a cold person.
> BDAG is self-contradictory in its dealing with this problem.
> First, the entry on YUCROS has
> "2. fig. (trag., Hdt.+; Jos., Bell. 1, 357; 6, 16, C. Ap. 2, 255) cool,
> cold, i.e. without enthusiasm (Epict. 3, 15, 7; Lucian, Tim. 2 ...) Rv
> 3:15a, b, 16"
> This looks rather negative.
> For the verb YUCW it says:
> "Make cool or cold (Philo, Leg. All. 1, 5) pass. become or grow cold (Hdt.
> et al.; Philo, Cher. 88; Jos., Ant. 7, 343), go out, be extinguished of fire
> and flame (Pla., Critias 120b) fig. (cf. Jos., Bell. 5, 472 of hope)
> YUGHSETAI hH AGAPH Mt 24:12. M-M.*"
>
> It appears to be a negative connotation when the (first) love disappears or
> a person becomes cold in terms of love.
>
> Second, the entry for ZESTOS has:
> "hot; in Rv 3:15f the underlying idea is that water can be used when it is
> hot or cold, but when lukewarm it is unpalatable and will be spat out."
> So, here they say that even what is cold is useful and therefore positive I
> assume, where it was negative above.
> For the verb ZEW they say:
> "fig. of emotions, anger, love, eagerness to do good or evil (trag.; Pla.,
> Rep. 4 p. 440c; Charito 1, 5, 1; Plut., Mor. 1088f; 4 Macc 18:20; Philo,
> Mos. 2, 280) ... of Apollos before he became a full-fledged member of the
> Christian community with burning zeal Ac 18:25... But the admonition to
> Christians to be TWi PNEUMATI ZEONTES Ro 12:11 directs them to maintain the
> spiritual glow."
>
> Looking at the verbs, I get the clear impression that being burning with
> love and in the Holy Spirit is good and desirable, supported by ZHLEUE in
> 3:19. But being cold in terms of love is negative.
>
> Of course, cold water is nice to drink. But did they drink hot (boiling)
> water before the advent of tea leaves and coffee beans? How could it be
> positive to drink something hot? I think the "spitting out of the mouth" is
> an idiom for rejection that does not allow us to transfer the "cooled love"
> idea to cold water, good for drinking.
>
> The lukewarm idea is further described in 3:17. The problem is that they
> think they have everything (that is they think they are "hot", burning with
> zeal"), but in fact they are from God's perspective cold, naked, lacking
> everything. The lukewarm idea seems to be a result of a mixture of hot and
> cold. They may appear hot on the outside but are cold on the inside. If only
> they realized that the fire in their hearts had been extinguished, it would
> be possible to be re-ignited. Therefore, realizing one's coldness is better
> than complacent lukewarmness. If I know I have grown cold, I have the
> possibility for repenting and becoming full of burning zeal again (v. 19).
>
> Iver Larsen
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