Kata Markon

["L. J. Swain" <larry.swain AT wmich.edu>]

JFAlward AT aol.com wrote:
> 
> In response to Jeffrey Gibson comments about peirasmos:  Does it mean 
> "test,"
> or "tempt," I've revised one of the paragraphs in my article, "The Sleeping
> Disciples," at http://sol.sci.uop.edu/~jfalward/Sleeping_Disciples.htm
> 
> Revised paragraph:
> 
> In Mark's sleeping disciples parable above, the disciples are cautioned by
> Jesus that while they intend to serve him well (the spirit is willing), 
> their
> need for rest (the body is weak) might tempt (peirasmos) them to close their
> heavy eyes and fall asleep.  Some commentators read peirasmos as a "test, "
> or "trial."  Either way, Mark 14:38 means the same thing:  Jesus is warning
> the disciples about the contest between the will of the body to close its
> eyes, and the will of the mind to remain awake.  Thus, with either meaning 
> of
> the word "peirasmos," Jesus is telling the disciples to pray that they do 
> not
> fail the body's test, and close their eyes--in other words, succumb to the
> temptation to close their eyes.

But this doesn't work.  For a moment, let's assume that there is no
figurative, deeper meaning or intent in 14:38 other than to refer to
sleeping and waking.  So when Jesus says, Watch and Pray so that you may
not enter testing.....can you explain just how watching and praying
PREVENTS the "temptation" to sleep?  It seems to me, that just like the
disciples discovered, that watching and praying may help RESIST the
"temptation" to sleep, but will NOT prevent the temptation to sleep. 
But Jesus here is warning them about ENTERING into testing, not
resisting temptation.

Second, I think you have read far too much into the contest between body
and mind, these are not entirely seperable concepts in the ancient
world, not even in Plato (until after death).  Further, Jesus says the
SPIRIT, PNEUMA, is willing, not the mind NOUS, and I would call on you
to demonstrate that Mark at least uses the term PNEUMA to indicate mind,
i. e. their particular mind and will.  

Third, doesn't the phrase "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak"
describe Jesus who has just undergone his own "testing" of the divine
plan, so that it really has nothing to do with the desire to fall
asleep.

Fourth and most importantly, as Jeffrey has successfully shown in his
paper, ELQHTE EIS PEIRASMON everywhere else in the LXX means NOT to
resist temptation, but rather resist becoming a tester.  This being the
case, the question becomes a tester of what or whom.  It is incumbant on
you to put the language to the same rigorous test to support your
contention that "entering into temptation" refers back passively to the
disciples.  If Jesus had intended to say "Watch and Pray so that you not
be tested" why not use the passive form of the verb PEIRAZW?  That would
make it clear as a bell.  He didn't, and Jeffrey has shown that the
phrase here in Mark CAN NOT be taken as if it were the passive of
PEIRAZW, but always means that the person referred to becomes a tester
of another.

Fifth, while "tempt" may mean "to test", its more general and accepted
usage in modern English is 
"to entice" such as in "May I tempt you with some chocolate cake" or in
commercials which "tempt" us with all sorts of things, including
products named Temptation all of which have NOTHING to do with "putting
to the test or trial".  This is indicated in your own paragraph above:
"succumb to the temptation to close their eyes." I'm sure this doesn't
mean "fail the test" but rather they don't succumb to the desire or
enticement to close their eyes.  Thus, for PEIRASMOS, trial or test or
testing is a better modern equivalent than temptation, for we are not
speaking simply of enticement to do something here, or enticement not to
do something, but rather an actual test.


Larry Swain
UIC