Re: Matthew 11:12

From: Alan Repurk (lars@repurk.mw.com)
Date: Tue Jul 16 1996 - 17:40:57 EDT


Philip L. Graber wrote:
>
> On Mon, 15 Jul 1996 guyette_ref@infoave.net wrote:
>
> > verse. Translations I have seen are about equally divided
> > on the identity of these "violent ones" -- are they the ones
> > who kill the prophets, or are they whole-hearted followers
> > of Jesus? Kittel's lists the Greek words as "biazomai" and
> > "biastes." Would appreciate any light shed here - grammatical
> > or rhetorical.
>
> If you have not looked at Davies and Allison (ICC commentary on Matthew,
> vol. 2), you should. They discuss no less than 7 options for
> understanding this verse, prefaced by the statement: "Out of the wealth
> of proposals the following deserve mention." Their conclusion is similar
> to that of Norman Perrin's in that the violent ones are those responsible
> for John's death and the ones who are a threat to Jesus and his
> disciples. The statement is eschatological, referring to the conflict
> between good and evil in the last days, conflict that was manifest in the
> fate of John and Jesus. This conclusion reflects a concern for
> ascertaining what Jesus actually said and meant, but D & A point out that
> Matthew seems to have meant the same thing. In the context, Mt 8-9
> records a mixed response to Jesus' words and deeds, and the discourse of
> Mt 10 indicates the hostility which will greet the disciples as they
> assume their master's mission. Then the conflict and negative response
> to Jesus is shown to escalate in Mt 11-12, followed by the explanation in
> Mt 13 of why some of Jesus' hearers don't understand or accept his message.
>
> Philip Graber Graduate Division of Religion
> Graduate Student in New Testament 214 Callaway Center
> Emory University
> pgraber@emory.edu Atlanta, GA 30322 USA

I am a bit confused over the translation of this passage and the apparent lack
of consistency over the translation of the word BIA/ZW when compared to the
parallel account found in Luke 16:16, particularly in renderings found in the
KJV and RSV.

While both of these translate BIA/ZW in Mt 11:12 as 'violent' and 'take by force',
they translate it in Luke 16:16 as 'every man presseth into it' [the kingdom].

This makes a big difference in the interpretation. As the Living Bible says of
Mt 11:12 "And from the time John the Baptist began preaching and baptizing until now,
ardent multitudes have been crowding toward the Kingdom of Heaven, " (LIV)

Mt 11:12 "But from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of
the heavens is the goal toward which men press, and those pressing forward are
seizing it." (NWT)

The translation of BIA/ZW to mean those that intend violence and hostility to
Jesus's diciples in Mt 11:12, appears to be ignoring the context ot Mt 11:11, which
talks about those in the kingdom of the heavens being greater than John the Baptist
by nature of their heavenly hope. The thought flows quite well into verse 12, when
it is made clear that the new goal for these righteous men would now to be to
press on into the kingdom of the heavens.

It appears that this is also the meaning of the word BIA/ZW in the following quotation
from Thucydides Histories 7.67.4 [thuc. 7.67.4] (thanks to Perseus) with it's
reference to 'forcing their passage.' Considering the oposition to Jesus's followers
it might well feel to them as if they had to force their way into the kingdom out
of the midst of all that oposition !

[4] Indeed, if you would know the plain truth, as we are credibly informed, the excess of
their sufferings and the necessities of their present distress have made them desperate;
they have no confidence in their force, but wish to try their fortune in the only way they
can, and either to force their passage and sail out, or after this to retreat by land, it
being impossible for them to be worse off than they are.
 
[ biasamenoi ekpleusosin e kata gen meta touto ten apochresin poiontai, ]

Sincerely,
-lars



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