Re: Mk 8:35-37, YUCH

From: dixonps@juno.com
Date: Mon Dec 20 1999 - 13:02:31 EST


On Mon, 20 Dec 1999 04:37:04 -0600 Steven Craig Miller
<scmiller@www.plantnet.com> writes:
> To: Joe A. Friberg,
>
> << 1. This question could easily go outside the list bounds. That is
one of
> the reasons that in my initial post I gave several pairs of suggestive
> alternatives for the two nuances of YUCH found in 8.35 :-) :
> >- a lower and higher life, or
> >- temporal vs. eternal life, or
> >- present life only vs. life continuing to afterlife.
> Choosing a specific alternative is likely going to depend on the
theology
> and anthropology of choice perceived to be relevant to this context
> (Biblical Greek, NT, Gospel, Synoptic, Mark, sayings of Jesus). >>

If I understand Carl correctly (in a private post), interpretations of
specific passages
is not out of bounds on this list, but it is the theologizing that is out
of bounds. This
is a delicate line, to be sure.

> The question was originally why in the KJV is YUCH translated as
> "life" in verse 35 and "soul" in verses 36-37. This seems to have
evolved to
> the question of whether or not one could even translate the same term
in
> verse 35 differently. IMO the sayings at Mk 8:35-37 are meant to be
> paradoxes. By over-translating these sayings one would destroy their
> paradoxicalness.

> Also, in passing I will note that Louw & Nida's lexicon based on
> semantic
> domains does not list "soul" as a possible meaning for YUCH.
> Curious, isn't it?

> And as I've already noted, the NRSV translates YUCH as "life" each
> time at Mk 8:35-37. This would allow the reader to try to puzzle out
the
> various shades of meaning of this term. Anything more, IMO, would
destroy
> the paradoxicalness of these sayings. After all, if the Markan Jesus
> wanted to be more specific, he could have added clarification (e.g.
> adjectives) to these sayings in order to clarify what he meant.
Sometimes a paradox
> is best left as a paradox.

Well, my twin sister and I are a paradox (we are both docs). But, the
kind of
paradox you are talking about is certainly something else and needs to be
defined, if we really want to go that route.

Assuming for the sake of argument that the passage was meant to be
understood and can be understood, I suggest the following interpretation
of verse 35:

Whoever desires to save his soul eternally (explained by the use of YUCH
in
v. 36 where the forfeiture of an eternal spiritual gain is set in
opposition to the
acquisition of much temporal physical gain) shall deny himself
(particularly of
the love and pursuit of the temporal things of this physical life, v. 34
& 36) and take
up his cross and follow Christ (v. 34). This is what is meant by losing
his YUCH
(understood by AUTHN) in v. 35.

Then from the last half of v. 35, he who so denies himself and takes up
his cross
and follows Christ, shall find eternal life.

If we retain the same translation of YUCH throughout, as per RSV, Carlton
and others,
we might add for clarification something like:

whoever desires to save his life (eternally) shall lose it (temporally)
and whoever
loses his life temporally on account of me and the gospel, shall find it
eternally.

I like that.

Paul Dixon

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