Corpus-Paul

["Roy E. Ciampa" <Roy_Ciampa AT compuserve.com>]

I submit for your consideration the following observation regarding
_Paul's_ interpretation of whether his resistance in Antioch resulted in a
"win, lose, or draw":

"While the verb ANQISTHMI means 'to resist by actively opposing pressure or
power' without any necessary indication as to whether such resistance is
successful or not,  ANQISTANAI KATA PROSWPON seems to be an idiom in the
LXX which implies successful resistance to an opposing power.  KATA
PROSWPON modifies ANQISTHMI eight times in the LXX:  Deut 7:24; 9:2; 11:25;
31:21; Judg 2:14; 2 Chr 13:7-8; Jdt 6:4.   Each example of the idiom
communicates the idea of making a successful resistance to an opposing
power or force.   ANQISTHMI KATA PROSWPON is to succeed in resisting the
opposing power (Deut 9:2; 31:21; Judg 2:14; 2 Chr 13:8).  OUK ANQISTHMI
KATA PROSWPON  is not to be able to offer successful resistance to the
opposing power (Deut 7:24; 11:25; 2 Chr 13:7; Jdt 6:4).  The use of this
idiom should inform our understanding of the implied outcome of the Antioch
incident according to Paul (whether or not all parties involved would
agree)." (Roy E. Ciampa, _The Presence and Function of Scripture in
Galatians 1 and 2 [WUNT 2:102; Tuebingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1998], pp. 157-158
[minus footnotes]).

The LXX (and Paul, IMHO) is following a Hebrew idiom which was evidently
thought to communicate fine in Greek.  Given the use of the idiom and its 
use in the LXX I suggest that the KATA PROSWPON ought not to be literally
translated ("to his face") but simply understood to be part of an idiom
that means "I withstood him"[successfully].

Regards,

Roy

Roy_Ciampa AT compuserve.com