Apozycja tytułów chrystologicznych i imienia „Jezus”

The article pays attention to the correct understanding of the Christological titles used in apposition to the name “Jesus” from the point of view of Greek syntax and the theology of the New Testament. First, the author discusses the phenomenon of apposition in the Greek language. On its basis he subsequently explains how to properly understand and interpret selected Christological titles (such as Christ, Lord, Son of God and Saviour), which are used in apposition to the name “Jesus”. This analysis leads to the conclusion that apposition was the most basic and simple element of the early church’s Christology. What is more, it seems possible that the New Testament might have introduced multiple appositions into the Greek language (e.g. the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, cf. Phil 3:20).Artykuł zwraca uwagę na poprawne rozumienie tytułów chrystologicznych, które używane są w apozycji do imienia ‘Jezus’ z punktu widzenia składni języka greckiego i teologii Nowego Testamentu. Najpierw autor przedstawił i omówił zjawisko apozycji w języku greckim. Następnie, na tej podstawie, wyjaśnił w jaki sposób poprawnie powinniśmy rozumieć i interpretować wybrane tytuły chrystologiczne (Chrystus, Pan, Syn Boży i Zbawiciel), które znajdują się w apozycji do imienia ‘Jezus’. Przeprowadzona w artykule analiza wykazała, że apozycja była podstawowym i najprostszym elementem chrystologii pierwotnego Kościoła. Wydaje się ponadto, że autorzy Nowego Testamentu wprowadzili do języka greckiego apozycje złożone (np. Zbawca, Pan nasz, Jezus, Chrystus; por. Flp 3,20)

Abraham w Pochwale Ojców (Syr 44,19-21)

The article is devoted to the presentation of Abraham in the Greek textof the Praise of the Fathers (Sir 44:19-21). Only 13 verses are devoted tothe patriarch, but his description carries a wealth of theological meaning.Sirach presents Moses as an ideal and a model to follow for himself, hiscontemporaries and all believers (cf. Sir 44:19b). First of all, he emphasizesAbraham’s moral and religious perfection (cf. Sir 44:20), which manifesteditself in his abiding by the Law (cf. Sir 44:20a) and respecting the covenantwith God, reflected primarily through the sign of circumcision (cf. Sir44:20bc). Abraham was completely loyal to God and proved his loyaltyduring a trial (cf. Sir 44:20d). Sirach stresses especially one’s attitude tothe covenant with God as the most important aspect of a believer’s life; inthis respect Abraham should be a model to emulate. In the final part of the fragment the sage focuses on the result of Abraham’s faithfulness to God.The Lord promised him numerous offspring (cf. Sir 44:21cd) and an inheritance encompassing the whole Earth (cf. Sir 44:21e-g). Sirach emphasizes the special position of Abraham’s offspring among the nations (the latter will receive blessings through the former; cf. Sir 44:21b). What is more, Abraham’s offspring will be elevated over other nations (cf. Sir 44:21d). What is particularly noteworthy in Sirach’s reinterpretation of Abraham is that the patriarch respected the Law and that the sage attributed Messianic features to him

Lending and Borrowing in the Teaching of Sirach (Sir 29:1–7)

Among the various topics and issues that Ben Sira discusses in his book is the issue of borrowing. The sage covers it in detail and at length in Sir 29:1–7, presenting it not from a financial and economic perspective, but from a sapiential viewpoint, appropriate to the nature of his work. The purpose of this article is to explore Sirach’s teaching on the subject of borrowing and lending of material goods. As a preliminary matter, the issue of borrowing in the setting of the ancient Near East and in biblical Israel is presented in a highly synthetic manner. Next, the boundaries of the literary unit that is the subject of the presented analyses and its structure are defined. In the remainder of the article, the Greek text of Sir 29:1–7 (the Hebrew version of this pericope is not known) is exegetically analyzed drawing on the historical-critical method. The examined literary unit is divided into two main parts. The first is a discussion of the general rules concerning lending and borrowing, i.e. based on the texts of the Torah, the obligation to grant a loan also reminds one of the obligation to return the debt according to the terms agreed upon. The second part of the pericope depicts the difficulties associated with not returning borrowed goods on the part of dishonest borrowers (delay in returning the loan, making excuses, even aggression towards the creditor). Fundamental to the sage’s teaching on the subject of borrowing are the texts of the Pentateuch saying that one should give loans. However, the author is a realist and therefore devotes much of his reflection on the issue to the difficulties involved in returning borrowed goods, with a view to encouraging his disciples to adopt an attitude of prudence and caution lest they suffer the loss of some of their possessions. Yet, despite these risks, he encourages them to support those in need with loans

Two Ways that Lead to the Finding of Wisdom According to Sirach. An Exegetical and Theological Analysis of Sir 51:13-30

The article constitutes an analysis of the final pericope of the Book of the Wisdom of Sirach (Sir 51:13-30) in its Greek version. The text can be divided into two parts: in the first one (vv. 13-22) the author relates his personal experience of seeking and finding wisdom, while in the second part (vv. 23-30) he admonishes those who lack education to join his school and partake of the wisdom he himself has found. The wisdom the sage refers to is of a religious character (he asked for it in prayer – vv. 13b, 14a, 19c; it manifests itself in good deeds – v. 19b). Not only does the author make it clear in the first part of the pericope that the vital requirement for finding wisdom is to start early in life (vv. 13a, 15d), but he also explains the ways in which wisdom may be found (a human being should subordinate all spheres of life to finding it – vv. 13b, 14b, 15b, 19a, 21a). The pericope lists the means necessary to find wisdom (namely, purification – v. 20b, following the path of righteousness – v. 15c, striving for goodness – v. 18a, turning to wisdom – v. 20a, complying with the Law – v. 19b, listening – v. 16a, and repentance for the mistakes made – v. 19d) as well as mentions the gifts wisdom grants those who find it (joy – v. 15b, formation – v. 16b, heart, that is intellectual capabilities – v. 20c, language thanks to which one can praise God and share wisdom with others – v. 22a; all of these gifts are called a good possession – v. 21b). The sage emphasizes the fact that finding wisdom is not particularly difficult and does not require a tremendous effort (v. 16a), but searching for wisdom should be a constant part of life for those who wish to have it (they should never stop searching for it – v. 14b). In part two (vv. 23-30), which is of a didactic character, the sage encourages the uneducated to join his school so that he can share wisdom with them. The author admonishes those who – like him – desire wisdom to take advantage of his experience and undergo formation in his school. Sirach presents two ways leading to wisdom. The first one requires personal involvement in searching for it, whilst the second one entails taking possession of wisdom from someone who has already found it. In Sir 51:13-30 the author expresses great optimism concerning the possibility of finding and possessing wisdom. His position is at odds with the pessimism of the Book of Job and the Book of Ecclesiastes in this respect. The pericope under analysis here serves as a summary of the opinions expressed by the sage earlier in his book (cf. especially 6:18-37; 14:20 – 15:10; 24, 33:18-19). Together with Sir 1:1-10 it the frames the whole book and constitutes the recapitulation of the most significant theological aspects of Sirach’s text as well as a synthesis of his theology

Takamitsu Muraoka, A Syntax of Septuagint Greek (Leuven – Paris – Bristol, CT: Peeters 2016)

Book review: Takamitsu Muraoka, A Syntax of Septuagint Greek (Leuven – Paris – Bristol, CT: Peeters 2016). Pp. 904. €105. ISBN 978-90-429-3316-

Reasons for the Omission of Ezra in Sir 44–50

Ben Sira in the Praise of the Fathers (Sir 44:1-50:21) speaks about Nehemiah, but does not mention Ezra. This peculiar omission has elicided a lively discussion concerning the reasons of this silence. The present paper presents the most important exegetical attempts to solve this problem. There are essentially two ways of approach to Ben Sira's omission: the fi rst one concentrates on the literary and historical motifs, the most important of which questions the historical character of Ezra. The second approach proposes to solve the problem by pointing to some theological motivations that might have caused the omission. One of the proposals sees a different conception of theocracy between the author of Ben Sira and the book of Ezra, where the latter is presented as an officer of Persian authority, and therefore responsible for foreign influence on Israel in Judea. This reason together with a different understanding of priesthood in these two texts have most probably led to the omission of any mention of Ezra in Ben Sira's book. The ultimate answer to that question, however, must remain hypothetical

Did Jesus raise or was he raised from the dead? Interpretation of the passive forms of the verb ἐγείρω in the New Testament

The article focuses on the interpretation of the passive forms of the verb ἐγείρωused with reference to Jesus’s resurrection. It offers a detailed analysis of the deployment of the word in the Greek text of the New Testament as well as discusses the possibility of interpreting Greek passive forms in a reflexive way. The verb ἐγείρωappears in various contexts and it is analyzed here depending on its meaning in a given context (primarily “to raise” and “to raise someone”). When the verb means “to raise,” it is intransitive, and its passive forms should be interpreted as reflexive. When it refers to resurrection, passive forms may be interpreted in the same way, but since they refer also to other persons apart from Jesus (e.g. John the Baptist), they should be treated as passive. While Jesus – as God – could have raised himself, people could not have done the same on their own – they were raised by God. It is a theological argument, then, that plays a role here. Furthermore, it seems that when used with reference to resurrection, the verb should be treated as transitive (as corroborated by its active forms), which further justifies the interpretation of the passive forms as passive

Andreas J. Köstenberger – Benjamin L. Merkle – Robert L. Plummer, Going Deeper with New Testament Greek. An Intermediate Study of the Grammar and Syntax of the New Testament (Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Academic 2016). Pp. 550. $49.99. ISBN 978-1-4336-7908-7

Book review:  Andreas J. Köstenberger – Benjamin L. Merkle – Robert L. Plummer, Going Deeper with New Testament Greek. An Intermediate Study of the Grammar and Syntax of the New Testament (Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Academic 2016). Pp. 550. $49.99. ISBN 978-1-43367908-7DOI: https://doi.org/10.31743/ba.2018.8.2.0

New Coursebook for Learning the Syntax of New Testament Greek

Artykuł jest dokładną analizą treści książki D.P. Bécharda Syntax of New Testament Greek. A Student’s Manual . W zamyśle autora tej gramatyki ma to być podręcznik lub ewentualnie główna pomoc dla studentów Papieskiego Instytutu Biblijnego w Rzymie w nauce składni greki nowotestamentalnej. Szczegółowe badanie zawartości tego opracowania wykazało, że jego autor pominął wiele ważnych zagadnień syntaksy greki biblijnej, co sprawiło, że Syntax of New Testament Greek. A Student’s Manual nie może być uznane za całościowe opracowanie podjętego zagadnienia, a jedynie za gramatykę na poziomie podstawowym (wstępnym).The article constitutes an in-depth analysis of D.P. Béchard’s Syntax of New Testament Greek: A Student’s Manual. The author conceives of the book as a coursebook for the students of the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome that will aid them in learning the syntax of New Testament Greek. Detailed analysis of the content of the book makes it clear that the author has overlooked many important aspects of biblical Greek. Because of that, Syntax of New Testament Greek: A Student’s Manual cannot be treated as a comprehensive overview of New Testament Greek but only as a grammar coursebook at the rudimentary level