Metaphorical Extensions of ἐγγύς

[MAubrey]

I've been reading in John Chrysostom's Homilies on Colossians and came across this instance of ἐγγύς:

Ἐν ᾧ καὶ περιετμήθητε περιτομῇ (55)
ἀχειροποιήτῳ, ἐν τῇ ἀπεκδύσει τοῦ σώματος τῶν
ἁμαρτιῶν τῆς σαρκὸς, ἐν τῇ περιτομῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ.
Ὅρα πῶς ἐγγὺς γίνεται τοῦ πράγματος. Ἐν
τῇ ἀπεκδύσει, φησίν. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ἐκδύσει.

LSJ:
ἐγγύς [ῠ], Adv., Comp. ἐγγυτέρω (-τέρῳ Hell.Oxy.6.3), also -ύτερον Pl.Lg.704e: Sup. ἐγγυτάτω or -ύτατα (first in Hp., and Att.); also ἔγγῑον, ἔγγιστα (v. ἐγγίων).
I. of Place, near, nigh, at hand: freq. in Hom., ἐ. γὰρ νυκτός τε καὶ ἤματός εἰσι κέλευθοι Od.10.86: c. gen., hard by, near to; so λύπας ἐγγυτέρω nearer to grief, S.OC1217: c. dat., Il.11.340, E.Heracl.37; ἐγγὺς ὁδῷ dub. in IG12.974: mostly with Verbs of rest, ἐ. ἑστάναι, παρεστάναι, A.Pers.686, Eu.65, τολν ἔνγιστά σοι μένοντα POxy.3314.23 (iv A.D.); but ἐ. χωρεῖν Id.Th.59: c. gen., οἱ ἐγγυτάτω τῆς ἀγορᾶς κατεσκευασμένοι Lys.24.20, etc.
II. of Time, nigh at hand, Il.22.453; ἐ. ἡμῖν ὁ ἀγών X.Cyr.2.3.2.
III. of Numbers, etc., nearly, ἔτεσι ἐ. εἴκοσι Th.6.5; μισθὸς ἐ. ἐνιαυτοῦ X.HG3.1.28: generally, nearly, almost, ἐ. ἔγνως S.Ichn.301; οὐδʼ ἐ. τινος not nearly, i.e. not by a great deal, nothing like it, Pl.Smp.198b; ἔχει οὐχ οὕτω ταῦτα οὐδʼ ἐ. not so .. nor yet nearly so, D.21.30; οὐκ ἐποίουν τοῦτο, οὐδʼ ἐ. Id.18.96; mostly, Hp.Mochl.34.
IV. of Qualities, coming near, ἐ. τι καὶ παραπλήσιον Pl.Grg.520a; ἐγγύτατα τοῦ νῦν τρόπου, τῆς ξυμπάσης γνώμης, Th.1.13, 22; ὅτι ἐγγύτατα τούτων Id.7.86; κοινῇ δὲ πᾶσιν οὐδεὶς ἐγγυτέρω D.18.288; δοκεῖς δηλῶσαι ἐγγύτατα τὴν ῥητορικήν Pl.Grg.452e; ἐ. εἶναι, c. gen., Id.Phd.116b; ἐ. τυφλῶν Id.R.508c; ἐ. τι τείνειν τοῦ τεθνάναι very near death, Id.Phd.65a; κακῶς παθεῖν ἐγγύτατα D.21.123.
V. of Relationship, akin to, οἱ Ζηνὸς ἐ. A.Fr.162; ἐγγυτέρω γένει or γένους, Pl.Ap.30a, Is.3.72; ἐγγύτατα γένους A.Supp.388, Lys.Fr.41, Pl.Hp.Ma.304d; ἐγγυτάτω γένους IG1.77, Ar.Av.1666.

But for this particular instance, could we get away with something like "precise, where metaphorical proximity entails precision?

Something like:
Ὅρα πῶς ἐγγὺς γίνεται τοῦ πράγματος. Ἐν τῇ ἀπεκδύσει, φησίν. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ἐκδύσει.
Notice how precise he's being on the issue. He says Ἐν τῇ ἀπεκδύσει. He did not say, ἐκδύσει.

[MAubrey]

Anyone? Has anyone seen usage like this before?

[Stephen Carlson]

This sense is not in Lampe, who just has the spatial meaning, and Sophocles does not have an entry for ἐγγύς.

[Scott Lawson]

Mike,
Please forgive both my boldness and ignorance. Why couldn't it be:

Ὅρα πῶς ἐγγὺς γίνεται τοῦ πράγματος. Ἐν τῇ ἀπεκδύσει, φησίν. Οὐκ εἶπεν, ἐκδύσει.
Look how close it comes to the (actual) deed! He says, stripping off. He did not say removing.

Scott

[MAubrey]

I thought about that, Scott, the problem is that I don't really know what that means...particularly in this context.

What does it mean for him to say that Paul is coming close to the actual deed? And why should his audience be impressed (or surprised?) by how close Paul gets to it? And what does that have to do with Paul's choice of ἀπεκδύσει rather than ἐκδύσει.

[Scott Lawson]

Hmm...but don't the same questions apply equally to:

"Notice how precise he's being on the issue. He says Ἐν τῇ ἀπεκδύσει. He did not say, ἐκδύσει."

Did Paul coin the term ἀπέκδυσις? The terms seem close (ἐγγύς)
in meaning perhaps just more vigorous with ἀπέκδυσις.