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  • From: "Carl W. Conrad" <cwconrad AT artsci.wustl.edu>
  • To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: THi ELEUQERIAi in Gal 5:1
  • Date: Thu, 10 Jun 1999 06:16:06 -0400


There has been, as those who are members of both lists are aware, an
extensive correspondence on B-Greek (off-and-on since May 31) of the topic
indicated in the subject-headerabove. I note from perusal of the digest of
yesterday's CP correspondence that Carlton Winbery (who was on vacation
during the period of the thread and didn't have his say at the time) has
already carried the discussion over from one list to the other and stated
his preference for understanding the enigmatic ELEUQERIAi ELEUQERWSEN hHMAS
constructive of Dative case with a cognate verb, after which the focus was
exclusively on the substantive argument of the verse rather than on the
grammar. It may well be that CP members are less interested in the grammar
and textual problem, but let me just briefly note points raised in the
course of the thread, pointing to the web-site address where anyone may
survey the original correspondence or any parts of it (since it's at the
same site and set up exactly like the CP archives, you'll find it familiar;
reading is open to non-members of the list who log in as guests):

http://franklin.oit.unc.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=b-greek&text_mode=0

Initially the key questions raised about Gal 5:1 (by Brian Tucker) were:
"Gal 5.1 begins with no transition and it seems a peculiar use of the dative
case. Is it better to see it as advantage or purpose? My concern is how to
understand THi ELEUQERIAi as a limitation of the verb HLEUQERWSEN. Second,
Does STHKETE require one to break the sentence or is it grammatically
connected with 5:1a?"

I pointed out that Dative of Advantage is normally with reference to persons.
There was considerable discussion of THi ELEUQERIAi dative of purpose and
whether such a dative really exists within Greek; Daniel RiaƱo has adduced
considerable evidence that it does, but the question remains whether Gal
5:1 is really an example of it (several translations do render, "For
freedom Christ has set us free ...")

A questionable alternative that I raised early on was that ELEUQERIAi
ELEUQERWSEN exemplifies a construction found frequently in the LXX to
convey the Hebrew infinitive construct to emphasize a verb. It was
subsequently noted that
Nigel Turner expressly declares that is what we have here, but the question
then raised was how likely Paul was to use that LXX idiom (the question
being, assuming that Paul was a native speaker and writer of Greek, did he
employ Semitisms beyond the liturgical formulae of the synagogue that recur
regularly in the letters?).

Dative of respect was championed by some others besides Carlton:"With
respect to liberty Christ has set us free ..." although some question
whether that's really intelligible.

Another suggestion: THi is a deictic article referring back to liberty of
the freedwoman from the preceding sequence. Edgar Krentz noted, however,
that Gal 5:1 is very abrupt and has no connective that the backward
reference would normally call for in Greek phrasing.

Brian Tucker on June 3: "After reading the discussions today one area that
I see as a possible solution is to understand THi ELEUQERIAi not as
instrumental but as emphatic. This could account for the asyndetic
structure. C.F.D. Moule
points this out Idiom p. 44. this use occurs with the dative in Romans 8:24
THi ELPIDI ESWQHMEN (for hope we are saved). This expression reflects back
on Rom 8:20. The possibility of the purpose use might relate to Deissmann's
discovery that THi ELEUQERIAi was used in the sacral manumission procedures
of the day to emphasize purpose Light from the Ancient East, 326."

This latter possibility that THi ELEUQERIAi ELEUQERWSEN might be the
language of a manumission formula did seem intriguing, but the examples
adduced seem to have EP' ELEUQERIAi with some other verb.

Bruce Metzger's commentary on the UBS text indicates the editorial
committee's judgment that the text printed in UBS4/NA27 best explains the
variants found in other MSS, inasmuch as those variants appear to be
attempts to improve upon the word-order and syntax of this supposedly
original phrasing. No doubt it is indeed the 'lectio difficilior.'
Certainly the versions of this verse into English and other languages are
dismaying in their range of quite different understandings of its structure
and meaning. For my own part, as I discern no really convincing accounting
for THi ELEUQERIAi, my inclination would be to put it in square brackets
and to doubt whether the text as we have it is exactly what Paul wrote.

Nevertheless, Jeffrey thought that this question which has vexed B-Greek
for several days might now be turned over to the Pauline experts to have a
go at. So here it is; I hope that I haven't misrepresented the persons
whose views I have attempted to summarize briefly.


Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University
Summer: 1647 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad AT artsci.wustl.edu
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/




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