Jerome H. Neyrey, «"First", "Only", "One of a Few", and "No One Else". The Rhetoric of Uniqueness and the Doxologies in 1 Timothy», Vol. 86 (2005) 59-87
The distinctive way of honoring gods or God was to celebrate
what is unique about them, that is, praise of persons who were the "first",
"only", or "one of a few" to do something. Rhetoric from Aristotle to Quintilian
expounded the theory of "uniqueness", which the authors of Greek hymns and
prayers employed. One finds a Semitic counterpart in the "principle of
incomparability" describing Israelite kings. "Uniqueness" pervades the New
Testament, especially its doxologies. In them, "uniqueness" was richly expressed
in rhetorical mode, as well as by predicates of negative theology which elevated
the deity above those praising.
82 Jerome H. Neyrey
three expressions claim uniqueness for God simply by being cast in
the superlative mode. As we saw in the list of grounds for praise, those
who “only†or “most†do something deserve respect and glory. Here
God “most†acts like king, lord and god; or God is the ultimate or
unique sovereign (77). Finally, it was part of the ancient grammar of
honor to exalt the name of someone, just as it was shameful to have
one’s name slandered. In a study of the doxologies and benedictions in
Paul’s letters, L.G. Champion pointed out how praise of the name of
God was a significant feature in the Old Testament and synagogue
Judaism (78). In comparison with synagogal and other Jewish prayers,
New Testament doxologies are quite modest in celebrating the name
of God and attributing to God many titles and functions. 1 Tim 6,15-
16 is unusual among NT doxologies precisely for its expansiveness in
regard to the names of God (79).
(5) Movno" e[cwn ajqanasivan. In 1,17, the author praised God
as “immortal†(a[fqarto"), whereas in 6,16 God is said to “have
immortalityâ€. Since we consider “immortal†and “to have immorta-
lity†to be virtually the same predication of God, we ask readers to
return to the comments on a[fqarto". As we saw, Epicurean theology
regularly paired a[fqarto" and makavrio" as the defining qualities of
the philosopher’s god, thus distinguishing deathless deities from
mortals. Hence we assess God’s immortality in 1,17 and 6,16 as
a singular uniqueness, because God alone (movno") enjoys this
extraordinary quality (80).
(6) Fw'" oijkw'n ajprovsiton. We focus here on the sense of
exclusivity contained in the term ajprovsiton. Ancient monarchs were
notorious for limiting and denying access to themselves as a mark of
their worth and high status; hence, the more inaccessible, the more
honorable. To the body of negative predicates used to speak of
(77) G.W. Knight (The Pastoral Epistles. A Commentary on the Greek Text
[Grand Rapids, MI 1992] 269) comments “He [God] is sovereign over every
other kind of rulership .... The statement in its entirety says that God is the
possessor of the highest power over all who possess power and has full control
over all who exercise controlâ€.
(78) L.G. CHAMPION, Benedictions and Doxologies in the Epistle of Paul
(unpublished dissertation; Heidelberg, 1934).
(79) Compare 1 Timothy 6,15-16 with this: “Blessed is the Lord of the Spirits
— the Lord of kings, the Lord of rulers, and the Master of the rich — the Lord of
glory and the Lord of wisdom†(1 Enoch 63,2).
(80) It is generally conceded by the commentators to reflect Greco-Roman
god-talk; see SPICQ, Épitres Pastorales , I, 547; REDALIÉ, Paul après Paul, 91.
FOLLOW US