Juan Manuel Granados Rojas, «Is the Word of God Incomplete? An Exegetical and Rhetorical Study of Col 1,25», Vol. 94 (2013) 63-79
The common reading of plhro/w in Col 1,25 has emphasized the apostolic task of preaching the gospel everywhere. We agree with other scholars that such a completion has not only spatial meaning but also a qualitative one. Yet, our research goes further: what kind of quality is this? The rhetorical devices of «accumulation» and «reversal» combined in 1,24-29 point to an ethical purpose. In this sense, «bringing to completion the word of God» means preaching the word, but also making everyone mature in Christ. The phrase includes both the diffusion of the gospel and the achievement of its ethical purpose.
70 JUAN M. GRANADOS ROJAS
C. 26
to. musth,rion to. avpokekrumme,non avpo. tw/n aivw,nwn kai. avpo. tw/n genew/n
Revelation
– nun de.. evfanerw,qh toi/j a`gi,oij auvtou/(
/
of the mystery
C’. 27
oij hvqe,lhsen o` qeo.j gnwri,sai
-
Recipients & content ti, to. plou/toj th/j do,xhj tou/ musthri,ou tou,tou evn toi/j e;qnesin(
of the mystery o[ evstin Cristo.j evn u`mi/n( h` evlpi.j th/j do,xhj\
28
on h`mei/j katagge,llomen nouqetou/ntej pa,nta a;nqrwpon
]
B’. Proclamation kai. dida,skontej pa,nta a;nqrwpon evn pa,sh| sofi,a|(
ina parasth,swmen pa,nta a;nqrwpon te,leion evn Cristw/|\
[
A’. 29
eij o] kai. kopiw/ avgwnizo,menoj
v
Paul’s labor
kata. thn. evne,rgeian auvtou/
& struggling
th.n evnergoume,nhn evn evmoi. evn duna,mei
(1st singular)
The syntax in 1,24 shows an accumulation of prepositional phra-
ses: evn toi/j paqh,masin u`pe.r u`mw/n and evn th/| sarki, mou u`pe.r tou/
sw,matoj auvtou/. One can also notice here the pattern: verb + evn (da-
tive) + u`pe,r (genitive). In 1,25-26 the phrase h-j evgeno,mhn evgw.
dia,konoj is amplified by the prepositional phrases with kata, and
eivj. See the duplication of avpo, in 1,26. See also in 1,29 the con-
struction eivj o[ + kata, + evn 24.
The accumulation of relative phrases is also a main feature of
the section. See for example o[ evstin h` evkklhsi,a at the end of 1,24
which takes up the previous sw/ma, while the last term (evkklhsi,a) is
further developed by the next phrase h-j evgeno,mhn evgw. dia,konoj.
Another sequence of relative clauses is found in 1,27: the phrase
oi-j hvqe,lhsen o` qeo.j gnwri,sai amplifies the previous toi/j a`gi,oij
and at the end of the verse the expression o[ evstin Cristo.j evn u`mi/n
refers back to musth,rion. See o[n in 1,28 which surely expands the
previous Cristo,j.
See another example of accumulation of prepositional phrases in 2,2:
24
i[na + evn + eivj (2x).
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