On Tue 16 Jan 2001 (04:40:45), emory2oo2@hotmail.com wrote: > How would you understand PASAN THN PISTIN in 1 Cor 13:2? > > "all categories of faith..." > > "all levels/degrees of faith..." Dear Mark, KAI EAN ECW (1) PROFHTEIAN KAI EIDW TA MUSTHRIA PANTA KAI PASAN THN GNWSIN KAI EAN ECW (2) PASAN THN PISTIN hWSTE ORH MEQISTANAI (3) AGAPAN DE MH ECW OUQEN EIMI. Verse 2 continues the /structure/ of verse 1, but with a more complicated protasis. The Faith to move mountains is an obvious allusion to Matthew 17:20, 21:21, well-known LOGIA of Jesus. Matthew 21:21-22 has 21 EAN ECHTE PISTIN KAI MH DIAKRIQHTE [OU MONON TO THS SUKHS POIHSETE ALLA KAN] TWi OREI TOUTWi EIPHTE ARQHTI KAI BLHQHTI EIS THN QALASSAN, GENHSETAI. 22 KAI *PANTA* hOSA AN AITHSHTE EN THi PROSEUCHi *PISTEUONTES* LHMYESQE. So in my opinion, PASAN THN PISTIN in 1 Cor 13:2 means "all faith and no doubt", necessary if you wish to wither a figtree or move mountains. There may be a further allusion to Zechariah 4:6-7, which Paul would have known better in the Hebrew than in the LXX. "What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground" (NIV). LXX has TIS EI SU TO OROS TO MEGA TO PROSWPOU ZOROBABEL TOU KATORQWSEI; - not quite the same. But the grounds of the removal of the great mountain facing Zerubbabel are OUK EN DUNAMEI MEGALHi, OUDE EN ISCUI, ALLA EN PNEUMATI MOU, LEGEI KURIOS PANTOKRATWR. IMHO this is the PASAN THN PISTIN, the faith given by the gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:9), which is the kind of "all faith" that is needed in order to remove great mountains. ERRWSQE Ben -- Revd Ben Crick, BA CF 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK) http://www.cnetwork.co.uk/crick.htm --- B-Greek home page: http://metalab.unc.edu/bgreek You are currently subscribed to b-greek as: [jwrobie@mindspring.com] To unsubscribe, forward this message to leave-b-greek-327Q@franklin.oit.unc.edu To subscribe, send a message to subscribe-b-greek@franklin.oit.unc.edu