This Blog's Future

Greetings all,

I've thought long and hard about whether I should keep blogging or not. Responsibilities in other areas of life have increased and I've now been blogging for almost twenty years. But as much as I love research, writing, and interacting with others about theology, the Bible, and biblical languages, I've made the decision to stop blogging after December 31, 2024.

For the near future, the contents of the blog will remain visible and there are some projects I want to finish here before stopping. Thanks to everyone who has been supportive and supplied links and research: thank you also for interacting with my thoughts or those of other authors.

Since I'm ceasing blog activity, I see no need to block Nincsnevem, but neither will Nincs have carte blanche to posting here either. Yet, the main reason that I will no longer blog is because other duties are calling me, duties that seem more important. Take care and I look forward to posting further thoughts later. All the best, Edgar.

The Ancient Rise of Koine Greek (Jellicoe)

"Already in the Anabasis of Xenophon the intrusion of elements foreign to Attic is discernible, and as time went on the Koine rather than its parent was adopted by such writers as Polybius, Strabo, Philo, Josephus, and Plutarch" (Sidney Jellicoe, The Septuagint and Modern Study, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1968, p. 330).

Some Secondary Literature on the Kenosis Account (Philippians 2:5-11)-In Process

Some Secondary Literature on the Kenosis Account

Bloomquist, L. Gregory. The Function of Suffering in Philippians. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1993.

Hellerman, Joseph H. Reconstructing Honor in Roman Philippi: Carmen Christi as Cursus Pudorum. Society for New Testament Studies Monograph 132. New York: Cambridge University, 2005.

Hoover, Roy W. "The hARPAGMOS Enigma: A Philological Solution." HTR 64 (1971): 95-119.

Hurst, L.D. "Re-enter the Pre-existent Christ in Philippians 2.5-11?" NTS 32 (1986): 449-457.

Martin, Ralph P. and Brain J. Dodd. Where Christology Began: Essays on
Philippians 2. Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1998.

O'Neill, J.C. "Hoover on hARPAGMOS Reviewed, with a Modest Proposal
Concerning Philippians 2:6." HTR 81:4 (1988): 445-449.

Osiek, Carolyn. Philippians, Philemon. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2000.

Reumann, John. Philippians : A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008.

Wannamaker, C.A. "Philippians 2.6-11: Son of God or Adamic Christology." NTS 33 (1987): 179-193.

NA28 and Colossians 1:17-24 (Page 614, Including the Apparatus Criticus)

 

Philemon 14-ἀλλὰ κατὰ ἑκούσιον

Greek (SBLGNT): χωρὶς δὲ τῆς σῆς γνώμης οὐδὲν ἠθέλησα ποιῆσαι, ἵνα μὴ ὡς κατὰ ἀνάγκην τὸ ἀγαθόν σου ᾖ ἀλλὰ κατὰ ἑκούσιον·

"but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord" (Philemon 14 ESV).

κατὰ ἑκούσιον only appears in the NT here. 

Stephen H. Levinsohn explains that in Philemon 14b, "the focal constituent ὡς κατὰ ἀνάγκην is preposed in order to set off κατὰ ἑκούσιον to advantage by contrast" since the slave's ceding assent to the apostle Paul is made salient earlier in the verse. 

See Levinsohn, "Analysis of Non-Narrative Texts with particular reference to Paul’s Letter to Philemon in Koine Greek" (SIL International), 2008. Page 33.

For more about κατὰ + the accusative, see Daniel B. Wallace, GGBB, page 377.

Linear B

The oldest form of Greek writing known to historians: Linear B.

This image is in the public domain. See https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Linear_B_Phaistos_archmus_Heraklion.jpg

Revelation 1:1 and Jesus Christ (Edmondo Lupieri)--Divine Omniscience?

 1 Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου. Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. The Greek term must be translated in two different ways (“Apocalypse of John,” “Revelation of Jesus Christ”), even in two occurrences so close to each other in the text. The book’s title almost certainly does not originate with John, but dates from a period at which this text was already considered an “apocalypse” (as far as we know, the earliest to be referred to by its author as an “apocalypse” might be 2 Baruch; cf. Bogaert 1969, 1:96; ET by A. F. J. Klijn, in Charlesworth I 1983; IT by P. Bettiolo in Sacchi II 1989). For John, the term means “revelation”and describes the content of the book, which is disclosed by Jesus Christ. Jesus is both the subject and the object of the revelation; he manifests himself in this book, whose form indeed is that of a manual of Christology cast in the form of images. I believe, however, that in this passage John means to emphasize the role of Jesus Christ as the subject of the revelation.There is a kind of hierarchy of authority at work: the revelation originates first with God, who “gives” it to Jesus Christ. He in turn “makes it known by sending his angel” to John, who, finally, “testifies.”

EGF: A question that's been asked before is, if Jesus is omniscient or fully God, then why was the revelation given to him. This statement implies that Christ did not have the contents of the Revelation until "God" gave the contents to him, which indicates there was something "God" knew that Jesus did not know. Lupieri says that the revelation "originates first with God," who subsequently vouchsafes the revelation to his Son.

Book for Sale on Ebay: "The Reliability of the Gospel Tradition" by Birger Gerhardsson

 https://www.ebay.com/itm/387443764240

Occurrences of John 2:19 in the Ante-Nicene Fathers (Pre-Nicenes)

 John 2:19 Research

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf04.iii.xi.v.iv.html#iii.xi.v.iv-p132.1 http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf04.vi.ix.iii.xxxii.html#vi.ix.iii.xxxii-p5.1 http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf04.vi.ix.viii.xix.html#vi.ix.viii.xix-p3.1 http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf05.iii.iv.ii.i.html#iii.iv.ii.i-p36.1 http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf05.iii.iv.ii.i.html#iii.iv.ii.i-p36.1 http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf05.vi.iii.xxii.html#vi.iii.xxii-p4.1 Nota bene: This is not the opportunity for a Trinity doctrine thread. I should add that the occurrences include allusions and not just quotations.

Isaiah 11:6-9 (Minor and Major Fulfillment of Prophecy)-Modified Talk

Numerous Bible prophecies have a minor and major fulfilment; they are fulfilled in spiritual and physical senses. Isaiah 11 illustrates this principle since the prophecy applies to ancient Israelites, to our modern spiritual paradise as Jehovah's Witnesses, and to the coming earthly paradise. Tonight, we learn how the knowledge of Jehovah fills the earth today, but also how divine knowledge will pervade the earth during Jesus’ millennial reign.

Read Isaiah 11:3-5:

"And he will find delight in the fear of Jehovah. He will not judge by what appears to his eyes, Nor reprove simply according to what his ears hear. He will judge the lowly with fairness, And with uprightness he will give reproof in behalf of the meek ones of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth And put the wicked to death with the breath of his lips. Righteousness will be the belt around his waist, And faithfulness the belt of his hips."

Isaiah chapter 11 is a messianic prophecy: it speaks about the glorious reign of Jesus Christ.

Notice what kind of judge that Christ will be in the earthly paradise. Unlike human judges today, Jesus will be impartial and he will not judge based on outward appearances or external factors. Rather, Christ will judge the “secret person of the heart” (1 Peter 3:4). In this way, he sets an example for Christian elders, who must judge all sortsd of matters in the congregation today.

Christ gives reproof (correction) “with uprightness,” which serves as a model for how elders should offer counsel to erring sheep.

Counsel should be given with mildness, and for the benefit of Jehovah’s people. However, Jehovah’s knowledge fills the earth in other ways. Please turn to Isaiah 11:6-8 and let’s read those verses together:

"The wolf will reside for a while with the lamb, And with the young goat the leopard will lie down, And the calf and the lion and the fattened animal will all be together; And a little boy will lead them. The cow and the bear will feed together, And their young will lie down together. The lion will eat straw like the bull. The nursing child will play over the lair of a cobra, And a weaned child will put his hand over the den of a poisonous snake."

How will this prophecy be fulfilled?

It might seem difficult to believe that wild animals will be at peace with humans (including young children), but scientists who have carefully studied wild animals report that they do have a "tremendous capacity for warm affection.” Therefore, it’s not totally surprising when Isaiah prophesies that a little boy will lead wild animals, and “a weaned child” will place his hand “over the den of a poisonous snake.” Our Grand Creator Jehovah can remove some of the fear that animals began to experience after the flood of Noah’s day (Genesis 9:2-3). Hosea 2:18 prophesies that humans and beasts will one day “lie down in security” when knowledge of Jehovah fills the earth.

Finally, Isaiah speaks of how divine knowledge will affect humans in Isaiah 11:9, if you’ll turn there with me:

"They will not cause any harm Or any ruin in all my holy mountain, Because the earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah As the waters cover the sea."

[Use picture here]

We see a threefold fulfilment with this verse. When the Israelites were released from Babylon by Cyrus the Great in late 538 or early 537 BCE, they did not have to fear wild animals or beastly men. In today’s spiritual paradise where divine knowledge has become abundant, we already witness violent humans becoming peaceful. Beastly men have forsaken their violent ways because they’re taught by Jehovah; however, the prophecy also will be fulfilled in the paradise earth where humans will practice no harm or ruin in Jehovah’s holy mountain:

“In the new world, we will experience to the full the blessings of the spiritual paradise. Then, our spiritual paradise will have its perfect counterpart—a literal paradise under the rulership of God’s Kingdom. During that time of global restoration, Jehovah will continue to mold earth’s inhabitants, educating them to a degree that we might now find hard to imagine" (Watchtower, June 16, pages 8-9).

Matthew 13:47-ἐκ παντὸς γένους

Greek (WH): Πάλιν ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν σαγήνῃ βληθείσῃ εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ ἐκ παντὸς γένους συναγαγούσῃ·

NIV: “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish."

ESV: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind."

Jacob J. Scholtz writes:

In contrast with the previous two parables, the parable of the dragnet "is concerned with securing many items (fish) rather than just one item of value" (Bailey 1999b:282). Using a dragnet results in an indiscriminate and mixed catch of all kinds (ἐκ παντὸς γένους) and sizes, edible and inedible,
saleable and useless (Kistemaker 1980:62). The catching of "every kind" (γένος) is more commonly used for a "race" or "tribe" of people: "An allegorical meaning for these details is thereby confirmed; the different kinds of fish stand for different nationalities of human beings" (Blomberg 1990:202).
By God’s might the nations will be gathered before him (cf. Hab 1:14−16; Snodgrass 2008:488).

See Scholtz, J.J., 2015, "Reading Matthew 13 as a prophetic discourse: The four parables
presented in private," In die Skriflig 49(1), Art. #1887, 7 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/ids.v49i1.1887

Blomberg adds:

“All kinds” (v. 47) is, more literally, all races, a strange way of speaking of fish but a natural way of emphasizing the universality of God's judgment of people.31

Blomberg, Craig L. Matthew: 22 (The New American Commentary) (p. 224). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Revelation 21:21-"like transparent glass"

καὶ οἱ δώδεκα πυλῶνες δώδεκα μαργαρῖται· ἀνὰ εἷς ἕκαστος τῶν πυλώνων ἦν ἐξ ἑνὸς μαργαρίτου. καὶ ἡ πλατεῖα τῆς πόλεως χρυσίον καθαρὸν ὡς ὕαλος διαυγής. (Revelation 21:21, Nestle GNT)

"And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass." (ESV)

Compare Revelation 21:18-καὶ ἡ ἐνδώμησις τοῦ τείχους αὐτῆς ἴασπις, καὶ ἡ πόλις χρυσίον καθαρὸν ὅμοιον ὑάλῳ καθαρῷ·(WH).

John uses ὅμοιον ὑάλῳ καθαρῷ in Rev. 21:18; ὡς ὕαλος διαυγής occurs in Rev. 21:21.

E.W. Bullinger on Revelation 21:21: "as it were. Not that it is glass, but gold of a kind unknown to us."

Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament: "Transparent (διαυγής — diaugēs). Old word (from δια — dia through, αυγη — augē ray, shining through), here alone in N.T."

Stephen Smalley, Revelation, page 556: 

Ephesians 6:4-παιδείᾳ καὶ νουθεσίᾳ Κυρίου

Καὶ οἱ πατέρες, μὴ παροργίζετε τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν, ἀλλὰ ἐκτρέφετε αὐτὰ ἐν παιδείᾳ καὶ νουθεσίᾳ Κυρίου (Ephesians 6:4 WH)

Observations from Charles Hodge's Commentary on Ephesians:

"Παιδείᾳ is a comprehensive word; it means the training or education of a child, including the whole process of instruction and discipline. Νουθεσίᾳ, from νουθετέω (νοῦς, τίθημι) to put in mind, is included under the more general term, and is correctly rendered admonition. It is the act of reminding one of his faults or duties. Children are not to be allowed to grow up without care or control. They are to be instructed, disciplined, and admonished, so that they be brought to knowledge, self-control, and obedience."

An additional insight from Vincent's Word Studies:

"Νουθεσία admonition occurs only here, 1 Corinthians 10:11, and Titus 3:10. The kindred verb νουθετέω to warn or admonish, is found only in Paul's letters, with the single exception of Acts 20:31 (see note). Its distinctive feature is training by word of mouth, as is shown by its classical usage in connection with words meaning to exhort or teach. Xenophon uses the phrase νουθετικοὶ λόγοι admonitory words. Yet it may include monition by deed."

Compare Deuteronomy 6:6-9.

See https://fosterheologicalreflections.blogspot.com/2023/07/words-of-month-july-2023.html

"Bosom position"? (Screenshot for John 1:18--Keener)

 Some have criticized the NWT translating John 1:18 with "bosom position"

HCSB: "No one has ever seen God. The One and Only Son-- the One who is at the Father's side-- He has revealed Him."

Quote From William Most Dealing With Grammatical Gender

"In passing, sophia, wisdom, is grammatically feminine in Greek, as is also Hebrew hochmah. But to anyone with even a slight knowledge of the languages, these are purely artificial grammatical genders, and have nothing whatever to do with sex or gender. Further, Christ is the wisdom of the Father, and He is not feminine" (William Most).

While I do not advocate all or the majority of his beliefs and ideas, here is a site that contains writings by Most: https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/most/browse.cfm

Words of the Month

1. Nous/νοῦς (Greek)-mind, intellect,  intelligence, reason, intelligent faculty. See https://biblehub.com/greek/nous_3563.htm

https://www.billmounce.com/greek-dictionary/nous

2. Corpus (Latin)-"body, entity, group of people, collection, compendium." See https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corpus

3. Amad (Hebrew)-to take one's stand, stand, stand forth. See https://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/hebrew/kjv/amad.html