Can I ask a favour?I’ve just wound up my exegesis of 1 Cor 7:32-35, and, because I’ve been getting myself into a muddle with it for far too long, I find it hard to step back and know if my argument makes any sense. It could be a big pile of pants – and that isn’t a nice suspicion to have.
So, if you fancy reading a .pdf of that section of my exegesis and telling me if it makes sense, or if I’ve simply used far too many words to say what could have been asserted in fewer, or if my exegesis is a steaming pile of raving nonsense, then click here to download.
(P.S. By all means point out typos, but it has not been properly proof-read so their may be many – it’s the big argument I’m concerned about. And if the Greek font doesn’t display, let me know. Plus, if you feel, in order to make any comments, you need to know my bigger argument to frame this individual exegetical struggle, then drop me an e- mail).
6 comments:
Nice glasses, Chris!
Hi Volker!
My oh my, this text has been giving me trouble. I feel I lost the wood for the trees.
Hi there,
One area I'm wondering about is the connection between the unmarried woman being anxious about the Lord, and her being entirely holy; specifically what you make of HINA in this sentence. In your initial break-up of the text you word it "in order [to be]". I guess the reason I find it confusing is that it doesn't fit exactly with the "how to please x" in each of the parallel statements, since HINA introduces an additional logical step. In the main body of your exegesis you say that "Being ‘concerned about the things of the Lord’ is directly associated with the woman ‘being holy in body and spirit’". But you don't really state what you think the association is... Is it resultative? (you hint in this direction in your concluding statement: "What matters, what Paul wants to encourage, is personal devotion to the Lord, to live to please the Lord and be anxious about the things of the Lord, and so to be entirely holy.")
Jon
by the way: I note that the ESV renders this phrase "how to be holy in body and spirit", in parallel with the "how to please" statements; do you think that's a valid translation? It seems to ignore the HINA completely...
Hi Jon, Thanks so much for your helpful comments, and for reading my paper.
One area I'm wondering about is the connection between the unmarried woman being anxious about the Lord, and her being entirely holy ... But you don't really state what you think the association is ... Is it resultative?
Yes, you are right. Thanks for formulating this so well - I could have been more clear on that issue.
I guess you understood the argument then? I feel I've lost the wood for the trees, and I wasn't sure that anyone else would have a clue about the trees either!
You mentioned that I wrote: "Being ‘concerned about the things of the Lord’ is directly associated with the woman ‘being holy in body and spirit’". This is a mistake, thanks for pointing it out. I meant it is parallel to 'how to please the Lord'. Given this parallel, the ESV translation seems fair enough - 'how' isn't to ignore the hina I don't think - but I'd prefer simply the usual 'in order to'. No need to harmonise.
interesting to read a little about what you do, sadly I don't know greek (beyond formulae!) so I kinda miss half the text ... but quite interesting to revisit this passage.
To my mind, and this is outside the text, Paul has missed something of the fact that cherishing your wife is part of your spiritual service.
I guess the problem is that in the passage he (Paul) doesn't succinctly say what ultimate devotion is.
pbhj
Hey Paul! Nice to read from you.
Paul has missed something of the fact that cherishing your wife is part of your spiritual service.
A few think this is exactly what is going on - depends perhaps how one interpreets the meaning behind Paul's urgency.
Nice chatting with you!
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