epignosis

How do I work out the meaning of a Greek text? How can I best understand the forms and vocabulary in this particular text?
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Eiji Koyama
Posts: 13
Joined: July 13th, 2011, 2:04 am

epignosis

Post by Eiji Koyama »

I wnat you to help me understand clearly how Paul use "epignosis."
O'Brien (Philippians, NIGTC) points out that Paul uses it 15 times.
My question is as he said, "whether Paul intended a different meaning from gnosis when he used this word epignosis."
David Lim
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Joined: June 6th, 2011, 6:55 am

Re: epignosis

Post by David Lim »

Eiji Koyama wrote:I wnat you to help me understand clearly how Paul use "epignosis."
O'Brien (Philippians, NIGTC) points out that Paul uses it 15 times.
My question is as he said, "whether Paul intended a different meaning from gnosis when he used this word epignosis."
In my opinion, "επιγνωσις" has the connotation of "recognition" or "realisation" or "acknowledgement", whereas "γνωσις" simply means "knowledge" generally.
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Eiji Koyama
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Joined: July 13th, 2011, 2:04 am

Re: epignosis

Post by Eiji Koyama »

Do you mean "epi" has special significance?
David Lim
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Joined: June 6th, 2011, 6:55 am

Re: epignosis

Post by David Lim »

Eiji Koyama wrote:Do you mean "epi" has special significance?
Compound words were originally formed by joining two or more words, often a preposition or adverb with a verb, but etymology usually doesn't mean anything other than a historical derivation. So "γνωσις" is one word and "επιγνωσις" is another word. You should refer to a lexicon such as LSJ for a fuller picture of each word. LSJ also tells you some meanings that "επι" might have when in compound words (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/mor ... ek#lexicon, section E.G.), but not "επιγνωσις" though.
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cwconrad
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Re: epignosis

Post by cwconrad »

Eiji Koyama wrote:I wnat you to help me understand clearly how Paul use "epignosis."
O'Brien (Philippians, NIGTC) points out that Paul uses it 15 times.
My question is as he said, "whether Paul intended a different meaning from gnosis when he used this word epignosis."
Note, please, that the title of this sub-forum is, "What does this text mean?" Your question as posed doesn't seem to be asking about a text at all but rather about a word that appears in several texts.

When posting to this sub-forum, it would be helpful both to those seeking to respond and to those who may search the forum later if you would (a) indicate in your subject-header what verse or verses in which you find the word you're asking about, and (b) cite that text in the Greek before putting your question. Words don't always have the precise same meaning or nuance in every text in which they are used. So: you'll get more useful answers to your questions when you make it easier for a responder to know exactly what you're asking about.
οὔτοι ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς πάντα θεοὶ θνητοῖς ὑπέδειξαν,
ἀλλὰ χρόνῳ ζητέοντες ἐφευρίσκουσιν ἄμεινον. (Xenophanes, Fragment 16)

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
Eiji Koyama
Posts: 13
Joined: July 13th, 2011, 2:04 am

Re: epignosis

Post by Eiji Koyama »

As I read where Paul uses "epignosis" (such as Romans 10:2), I don't think there is any big difference between "gnosis" and "epignosis." However I heard a pastor preached that we shoudn't just "know intelectually (gnosis)" Jesus, but "know by experience (epignosis)". I wonder there is such difference in NT Greek. I was trying to quote, but I can not find any difference. Maybe I posted wrong forum, but I want to understand what the NT Greek said.
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