[b-greek] Re: Fwd: Destroy and Abolish

From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Sun Mar 10 2002 - 07:34:33 EST


At 4:38 PM -0800 3/9/02, tmcos@canada.com wrote:
>------- Start of forwarded message -------
>
>Subject: Destroy and Abolish
>To: bgreek@franklin.oit.unc.edu
>From: tmcos@canada.com
>Date: 09 Mar 2002 16:36:42 PST
>
>Dear Friends,
>
> I had a question re: Matt 5:17 and Eph 2:15 and the use of the words
>KATALUSAI and KATARGHSAS respectively. The former word is usually
>translated "destroy", "overthrow", "break up". The latter word is
>translated "abolished", "annulled" and I understand that the word
>literally carries the meaning of rendering something inactive. However,
>the Revised Standard Version translates both these words "abolish" in both
>Matt 5:17 and Eph 2:15. Are these words different from each other? Are
>they etymologically related? KATALUSAI comes from KATA + LUW and means "I
>loosen thoroughly". KATARGHSAS comes from KATA + ARGOS and means to reduce
>to inactivity. Your comments would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

It really would help if the text of the relevant verses were cited when a
question like this is posed:

Mt 5:17 MH NOMISHTE hOTI HLQON KATALUSAI TON NOMON H TOUS PROFHTAS; OUK
HLQON KATALUSAI ALLA PLHRWSAI.
Eph 2:14-15 AUTOS GAR ESTIN hH EIRHNH hHMWN, hO POIHSAS TA AMFOTERA hEN KAI
TO MESOTOICON TOU FRAGMOU LUSAS, THN ECQRAN EN THi SARKI AUTOU, TON NOMON
TWN ENTOLWN EN DOGMASIN KATARGHSAS, hINA TOUS DUO KTISHi EN AUTWi EIS hENA
KAINON ANQRWPON POIWN EIRHNHN.

Eric Weiss has given the full range of L&N accounts for these two verbs
without further comment. I think I'd go a bit further and say that KATALUW
essentially means "undo utterly something that is fixed/bound" and KATARGEW
essentially means "render inactive/ineffective." In the context of these
two passages it seems to me that the contexts suggest that the verbs should
be understood in a legislative or judicial sense, so that KATALUW might
well be conveyed by "abrogate" or "repeal" (an established law or
ordinance), while KATARGEW might be conveyed by "nullify" or "abolish."

They are etymologically related only in that the KATA- prefix has the same
force in each of intensification of the sense of the simple verb; LU- means
essentially "undo/dissolve" (a tie of any sort), while ARGEW does come from
ARGOS = A-ERGOS (adj.), "inactive" or "inefficacious" so that KATARGEW
means "render inactive/inefficacious." Still, I think it is the
legistlative or judicial context in which these words are used that is key
to choice of words to convey their meanings.
--

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
Most months:: 1647 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu OR cwconrad@ioa.com
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/

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