the import of κεκοινώνηκεν in Hebrews 2:14

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jgibson000
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the import of κεκοινώνηκεν in Hebrews 2:14

Post by jgibson000 »

I'm wondering whether the author of Hebrews 2:14a ( ἐπεὶ οὖν τὰ παιδία κεκοινώνηκεν αἵματος καὶ σαρκός) was claiming in his use of the perfect indicative active 3rd person singular form of the verb κοινωνέω that the "partaking" he speaks of was not only a conscious choice on the part of the "children" he mentions but one that was made at a particular time in their lives. In other words, what is the type and time of action that κεκοινώνηκεν conveys?

Jeffrey
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Jonathan Robie
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Re: the import of κεκοινώνηκεν in Hebrews 2:14

Post by Jonathan Robie »

jgibson000 wrote: October 20th, 2022, 11:16 am I'm wondering whether the author of Hebrews 2:14a ( ἐπεὶ οὖν τὰ παιδία κεκοινώνηκεν αἵματος καὶ σαρκός) was claiming in his use of the perfect indicative active 3rd person singular form of the verb κοινωνέω that the "partaking" he speaks of was not only a conscious choice on the part of the "children" he mentions but one that was made at a particular time in their lives. In other words, what is the type and time of action that κεκοινώνηκεν conveys?
I think this means that the children have become incarnate, sharing in flesh and blood. I don't think we consciously chose to be born. Mommy and Daddy loved each other very much, and the rest is history.

I think this resonates with the rest of verses 14-16:
ἐπεὶ οὖν τὰ παιδία κεκοινώνηκεν αἵματος καὶ σαρκός, καὶ αὐτὸς παραπλησίως μετέσχεν τῶν αὐτῶν, ἵνα διὰ τοῦ θανάτου καταργήσῃ τὸν τὸ κράτος ἔχοντα τοῦ θανάτου, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν τὸν διάβολον, καὶ ἀπαλλάξῃ τούτους, ὅσοι φόβῳ θανάτου διὰ παντὸς τοῦ ζῆν ἔνοχοι ἦσαν δουλείας. οὐ γὰρ δήπου ἀγγέλων ἐπιλαμβάνεται ἀλλὰ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ ἐπιλαμβάνεται.
Only those who live in bodies, sharing flesh and blood, can die. We are the ones who he freed from the slavery and fear of death. So he took on flesh and blood, just like us, and died, just like us, to destroy the devil's power of death.
ἐξίσταντο δὲ πάντες καὶ διηποροῦντο, ἄλλος πρὸς ἄλλον λέγοντες, τί θέλει τοῦτο εἶναι;
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jgibson000
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Re: the import of κεκοινώνηκεν in Hebrews 2:14

Post by jgibson000 »

I think it begs the question to assume, as you do, that the expression αἵματος καὶ σαρκός meant the same thing that σὰρξ καὶ αἵμα did at the time of the writing of Hebrews. And you seem to be saying that the author of Hebrews believed that what destroys the power of the adversary is taking on human nature, not to mention that the death of his readers was what would do so.

In any case, wouldn't it be odd for the author of Hebrews to make his claim that Jesus was not ashamed to call the readers of Hebrews his brothers if what he was not ashamed of was being human, especially since it is never said in the Epistle, not to mention never thought in the culture in which the author and readers of Hebrews lived and moved and had their being that being human was what it was that brings shame upon a person or a group?

Besides that, I don't think that what the author of Hebrews was saying was that Jesus' death was the result of being human or that because of his being human he was destined to die at some point in time.

More importantly, you haven't said anything that actually addresses my question about what the action that the use of the particular form of the verb κοινωνέω that is used in Heb. 2:14 is.

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Re: the import of κεκοινώνηκεν in Hebrews 2:14

Post by Jonathan Robie »

jgibson000 wrote: October 21st, 2022, 12:12 pm More importantly, you haven't said anything that actually addresses my question about what the action that the use of the particular form of the verb κοινωνέω that is used in Heb. 2:14 is.
I thought I had, actually. And I started my thought process by asking that question of the text, not with any particular assumptions. I may have gotten it wrong, but here's the process I followed.

To me, the perfect implies a change of state, and the nature of that change of state depends on the lexical semantics of the verb. I hadn't looked this up when I wrote that, but here's the semantics BDAG gives to this verb:
ⓐ τινός in someth. (X., Rep. Lac. 1, 9, Mem. 2, 6, 23; Pla., Leg. 12 p. 947a; Diod S 5, 49, 6 τοὺς τῶν μυστηρίων κοινωνήσαντας=those who participated in, i.e. were initiated into, the mysteries; 5, 68, 3 τῆς τροφῆς ταύτης; 15, 68, 1; 19, 4, 3; Herodian 3, 10, 8; ins [Kl. T. 121 no. 32, 41]; pap; Pr 1:11; 3 Macc 2:31; Philo, Post. Cai. 160 al.; Jos., Ant. 4, 75, C. Ap. 2, 174; ὁ μιλίας ἢ ἑστίας Just., D. 47, 2; τραπέζης Orig., C. Cels. 2, 21, 6 and 17; αἰσθήσεως Did., Gen. 149, 2.—B-D-F §169, 1; Rob. 509f) of human beings αἵματος καὶ σαρκός share in flesh and blood Hb 2:14 (ins fr. Commagene in IReisenKN, Humann-Puchstein p. 371, 46–47 [I B.C.] πᾶσιν ὅσοι φύσεως κοινωνοῦντες ἀνθρωπίνης).

William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 552.
The perfect implies that there was a change in state, a prior time before this sharing, before these people were incarnate, sharing flesh and blood, but in their current state they do. That is how I understand the significance of the verb form. These are people who have come into this world, taking on human form, and are now subject to sin and death. It was the verb form that led me to that conclusion.
ἐξίσταντο δὲ πάντες καὶ διηποροῦντο, ἄλλος πρὸς ἄλλον λέγοντες, τί θέλει τοῦτο εἶναι;
http://jonathanrobie.biblicalhumanities.org/
Gregory Hartzler-Miller
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Re: the import of κεκοινώνηκεν in Hebrews 2:14

Post by Gregory Hartzler-Miller »

Jonathan Robie wrote: October 21st, 2022, 6:34 pm To me, the perfect implies a change of state, and the nature of that change of state depends on the lexical semantics of the verb. I hadn't looked this up when I wrote that, but here's the semantics BDAG gives to this verb:
τινός in someth. (X., Rep. Lac. 1, 9, Mem. 2, 6, 23; Pla., Leg. 12 p. 947a; Diod S 5, 49, 6 τοὺς τῶν μυστηρίων κοινωνήσαντας=those who participated in, i.e. were initiated into, the mysteries; ...of human beings αἵματος καὶ σαρκός share in flesh and blood Hb 2:14 ...

William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 552.
The perfect implies that there was a change in state, a prior time before this sharing...
In light of the parallel usage in Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica: "τοὺς τῶν μυστηρίων κοινωνήσαντας=those who participated in, i.e. were initiated into, the mysteries"
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/tex ... 08.01.0540

Cf. 1 Cor 10:16-22 (NASB 1977)

Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing (κοινωνία) in the blood of Christ?
Is not the bread which we break a sharing (κοινωνία) in the body of Christ?
Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.

Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers (κοινωνοὶ) in the altar?
What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?

No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God;
and I do not want you to become sharers (κοινωνοὺς) in demons.
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons;
you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?

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What about interpreting the language of Heb 2:14 ("ἐπεὶ οὖν τὰ παιδία κεκοινώνηκεν αἵματος καὶ σαρκός") as polysemia, i.e. not only in the literal context of sharing in a blood relation by natural birth; but also, in the symbolic context of voluntary adult ritual participation?
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