- - , B-Greek, www, [0], 15 Apr 2005, Ephesians 2:1
- Andrew J. Birch : On the meaning of PARAPTWMA and hAMARTIA in Ephesians 2:1, in view of the 'sin-vocabulary' both in Hebrew and in Greek, with various shades of meaning, etc., and in view of the etymological considerations already referred to, might it not be legitimate to see a slight shift of emphasis between, say, 'leaving the right path' (PARAPTWMA) and 'not finding the right path in the first place' (hAMARTIA) - between 'sin' in (a) a more active, and (b) a more passive, sense?
- Carl W. Conrad: While I don't doubt that hAMARTIA is a word used in different contexts in a much broader array of senses (BDAG says "with meanings ranging from involuntary mistake/error to serious offenses against a deity") than PARAPTWMA, I would have to say nevertheless (i.e. reiterate) that the above distinction seems to me based on nothing more than etymological speculation, certainly not upon demonstrable distinction of usage in texts. I believe that Eph 2:1 is the only text in which both words appear together in the GNT.
- Andrew J. Birch: I don't want to 'press a case' where there isn't one to 'press', but I would appreciate any comments you may have on the combined use of the noun PARAPTWMA and the verb PARAPIPTW in the LXX of Ezekiel (14:13; 15:8; 18:24; 20:27). Is the verb being used in these texts in a general way (i. e. simply meaning 'to commit' sin(s)? What led me to this was the only (?) 'appearance' of the verb PARAPIPTW in the Greek New Testament (in Hebrews 6:6), where the verb seems to have a meaning closer to its etymology than is the case with the noun.
Tijdschrift , Biblical Studies on the Web, , Andreas SCHERER, "Vom Sinn prophetischer Gerichtsverkündigung bei Amos und Hosea" , Vol. 86(2005) 1-19.
Recently it has been proposed that announcements of judgment,
like the ones to be found in the minor prophets Amos and Hosea, on principle are
to be considered as vaticinia ex eventu. Even the traditions of
salvation, employed to reinforce different kinds of reproach, are held to be the
work of learned redactors. However, these hypotheses are supported neither by
the evidence from the ancient Near East nor by the logic underlying prophetical
proclamations of judgment themselves, for sheer announcements of punishment
could only be meaningless in times of doom as well as during periods of
recovery. Old Testament prophecy of doom is no complete stranger among the
religions of the ancient Near East. It owes its uniqueness not to the kind or
genus, but only to the complexity of its message.