Ignatius to the Ephesians 18:1

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Matthew Longhorn
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Ignatius to the Ephesians 18:1

Post by Matthew Longhorn »

In the Greek of Ignatius’s epistle to the Ephesians Holmes has
Περίψημα τὸ ἐμὸν πνεῦμα τοῦ σταυροῦ
I am confused on a few things here. It seems that there is an implied ηγουμαι between περιψημα and το εμον πνευμα is this correct?
Where I really struggle is with the genitive at the end.
Holme’s English translation is as follows “My spirit is a humble sacrifice for the cross”. I guess I haven’t come across a benefactive genitive. It could be a genitive if respect but then I am confused as to what he is trying to say, but it doesn’t make Holmes translation make much sense
I am aware that the labelling of genitives can be a bit contentious, ignore the labels if necessary - I am after hell with the meanings

Thanks
Barry Hofstetter
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Joined: May 6th, 2011, 1:48 pm

Re: Ignatius to the Ephesians 18:1

Post by Barry Hofstetter »

Yes, I remember coming across this as well. The BDAG article directly addresses it:

περίψημα, ατος, τό (Vi. Aesopi G 35 P.; from περιψάω= ‘wipe all around, wipe clean’) that which is removed by the process of cleansing, dirt, off-scouring (Jer 22:28 Sym.) πάντων περίψημα the off-scouring of all things 1 Cor 4:13. But reflection on the fact that the removal of the περίψ. cleanses the thing or the pers. to which (whom) it was attached, has given the word the further mng. ransom, scapegoat, sacrifice (cp. Tob 5:19. Hesychius equates it w. περικατάμαγμα [cp. καταμάσσω ‘wipe off’] and ἀντίλυτρα, ἀντίψυχα. Photius p. 425, 3 explains περίψ. w. ἀπολύτρωσις and then continues, referring to the custom of making a human sacrifice every year for the benefit of the rest of the people [s. on this Ltzm. and JWeiss on 1 Cor 4:13]: οὕτως ἐπέλεγον τῷ κατʼ ἐνιαυτὸν ἐμβαλλομένῳ τῇ θαλάσσῃ νεανίᾳ ἐπʼ ἀπαλλαγῇ τῶν συνεχόντων κακῶν· περίψημα ἡμῶν γενοῦ· ἤτοι σωτηρία καὶ ἀπολύτρωσις. καὶ οὕτως ἐνέβαλον τῇ θαλάσσῃ ὡσανεὶ τῷ Ποσειδῶνι θυσίαν ἀποτιννύντες ‘in this wise they spoke over the young man who was being cast into the sea in accordance with annual custom for deliverance from afflictions: “Be our means of cleansing; in truth, our salvation and deliverance.” And so they cast him into the sea, a sacrificial payment in full, as it were, to Poseidon.’). But it must also be observed that περίψ. had become more and more a term of polite self-depreciation, common enough in everyday speech (Dionys. of Alex. in Eus., HE 7, 22, 7 τὸ δημῶδες ῥῆμα. S. also the grave-inscription [in WThieling, D. Hellenismus in Kleinafrika 1911, p. 34] in which a wife says w. reference to her deceased husband ἐγώ σου περίψημα τῆς καλῆς ψυχῆς); the sense would then be someth. like most humble servant. So certainly in περίψ. τοῦ σταυροῦ IEph 18:1. But prob. also 8:1; B 4:9; B 6:5 (s. HVeil: EHennecke, Hdb. zu den ntl. Apokryphen 1904, 218; also JToutain, Nouvelles Études ’35, 144–46).—Frisk s.v. ψῆν. M-M. TW. Spicq.

Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 808). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
N.E. Barry Hofstetter, M.A., Th.M.
Ph.D. Student U of FL
Instructor of Latin
Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy
καὶ σὺ τὸ σὸν ποιήσεις κἀγὼ τὸ ἐμόν. ἆρον τὸ σὸν καὶ ὕπαγε.
Matthew Longhorn
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Re: Ignatius to the Ephesians 18:1

Post by Matthew Longhorn »

Thanks Barry. I missed that last bit in BDAG. Will try reading more closely in the future
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