RE: Hebrews 12:2, "our" faith

From: Bill Ross (wross@farmerstel.com)
Date: Sun Jun 04 2000 - 16:39:55 EDT



<Carl>
...One could paraphrase the sense adequately, however: "the one who sets our faith into action and brings it to fulfillment." ...

<Bill>
I have been out of town and have not had a chance to get back to this, so I hope it has not got too "cold".

My previous post was hasty, contained an error, and led to some confusion. My intended points were these:

#1: the oft-quoted KJV mistranslates (I was not appealing to it as the proof of anything, only attempting to show that it was inaccurate, hence misleading):

* there is a definite article present
* there is no personal pronoun

Hence, the notion that Jesus is the one who "authors" our individual
"faiths" is not in view.

#2:

* ARCHGON KAI TELEIWTHN designate Jesus as an example of a faith man

Here is the text in Koine:

Hebrews 12 2 AFORWNTES EIS TON **THS PISTEWS** ARCHGON KAI TELEIWTHN IHSOUN hOS ANTI THS PROKEIMENHS AUTW CARAS UPEMEINEN STAURON AISCUNHS KATAFRONHSAS EN DEXIAi TE TOU QRONOU TOU QEOU KEKAQIKEN

Now, does this verse support the notion that Jesus is being set forth as an example? Let's see...

"...hOS ANTI THS PROKEIMENHS AUTW CARAS UPEMEINEN STAURON AISCUNHS KATAFRONHSAS EN DEXIA TE TOU QRONOU TOU QEOU KEKAQIKEN"

The phrase immediately after the phrase in question begins with "hOS". The phrase immediately before begins with "AFORWNTES EIS TON...". The wider context - the section caps the many examples/heros of faith of Hebrews 11, and opens with:

Hebrews 12:1 TOIGAROUN KAI HMEIS TOSOUTON ECONTES PERIKEIMENON HMIN NEFOS MARTURWN...

So, which is more compelling? The coincidence of a sense of beginning and ending? Or the context?

Further, the word translated "author" (ARCHGOS) occurs four times in the NT, in precicely the same form:

Acts 3:15, Acts 5:31, Heb 2:10, Heb 12:2

I call attention to the other Hebrews usage and how it is translated by the "major" translations:

Heb 2:10
NIV In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the **author** of their salvation perfect through suffering. &&
RSV For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in
bringing many sons to glory, should make the **pioneer** of their salvation perfect through suffering.
KJV For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the **captain** of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
DBY For it became him, for whom [are] all things, and by whom [are] all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make perfect the **leader** of their salvation through sufferings.
YLT
For it was becoming to Him, because of whom [are] the all things, and through whom [are] the all things, many sons to glory bringing, the **author** of their salvation through sufferings to make perfect,

From "The Complete Biblical Library":

"In the LXX, ARCHEGOS translates 9 different Hebrew words and 2 other forms in 30 appearances (34 including the Apocryphal writings). The term Ro'sh is usually (16x) translated. It was used for the "heads" of households (Ex 6:14; Num 10:4, 1 Chron 8:28) and "leaders" in general (Num 14:4). Archegos twice translateds "NASI" as "prince, captain, leader" (Num 13:3 [LXX 13:4]; 16:2) In the Greek writings, both concepts are present. It can refer to the head of a house (1 Esdras 5:1), a captain (Judith 14:2) and in Maccabes the
idea of "originator" probably comes through (1 Mac 9:61 - cf 10:47)."

So I prefer Chief, Prince, Captain, Leader as showing that Jesus is:

* accorded highest rank or office of the faith
* of greatest importance or influence concerning the faith
* the essence of the faith in its purest and most concentrated form
* the most typical example or representative of the faith

But what of the coupling with TELEIWTHN that was so conclusive to Carl and others?

There is a coupling. But it is not "he gave us belief and will keep us
believing" as so many read it with delight, but flies in the face of the
context of the book of Hebrews!

Here is some light on TELEIWTHN:
* it is a hapax
* it comes from the word "Goal" [TELOS]
* it has the sense "the one who gets it to the goal"

So, Jesus is the Chief Faith-Man and the One who "got it to the goal". It is not saying "He is the one who originates *our* belief and sustains *our belief* to the goal. We are told to "look away to Him...run with patience" because He is the perfect, main *example* of the One who reached the goal. More so than Abe, more so than Paul.

Bill Ross


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