From: Revcraigh (Revcraigh@aol.com)
Date: Sun Jan 25 1998 - 14:15:32 EST
In a message dated 1/25/98 2:51:09 AM, someone wrote:
<< 1 Corinthians 1:28: "TA MH ONTA."
Is there any precedent for this phrase that I should
be aware of? What exactly are these "things that are not"
Cheers
S.
>>
Here's an interesting question: Why, after beginning with masc. plurals (OU
POLLOI SOFOI KATA SARKA, OU POLLOI DUNATOI, OU POLLOI EUGENEIS (v. 26)) does
Paul switch to neut. plurals (TA MH ONTA, TA MWRA TOU KOSMOU, TA ASQENH TOU
KOSMOU (v. 27), TA AGENH TOU KOSMOU KAI TA EXOUQENHMENA (v. 28)) in the next
two verses?
Although it is possible that the neuter plurals refer to things which Paul has
in mind which are grammatically neuter (but what indeed?), my thought (I
wonder what others think?) is that TA MH ONTA et. al. all refer to the
Corinthians. Is it possible that Paul is deliberately depersonalizing them,
not because Paul himself thinks of them in this way but because those who are
wise according to the flesh, powerful, and well-born look thus down on them as
not attaining to their standards? Paul's point seems to be that, however
rejected and abused the Corinthian Christians may be by the "greats" of the
world, God deliberately chose them to put the big shots in the world's eyes to
shame. I notice that Paul depersonalizes the SOFOI KATA SARKA, the DUNATOI,
and the EUGENEIS by calling them TA ONTA (v. 28, if indeed that is what TA
ONTA refers to).
Anyway, that's what I think.
Rev. Craig R. Harmon, pastor
Lutheran Church of the Apostles
5100 W. 115th Street
Alsip, IL 60803
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