Norbert Baumert, «'Epi-gnosis' bei Paulus 'Eifer der Juden' - ohne 'Erkenntnis'? (Röm 10,2)» filologia-neotestamentaria, Vol. 22 (2009) 133-148 page 133

Norbert Baumert, «'Epi-gnosis' bei Paulus 'Eifer der Juden' - ohne 'Erkenntnis'? (Röm 10,2)», Vol. 22 (2009) 133-148

There is 'consensus' that the composed words epigignoskein / epignosis would be synonymous with the simple gignosko / gnosis in the sense of 'to know'. But the preposition epi always indicates a special connotation, e.g. 'clear, fully or 'additional knowledge'. In the three cases in which it appears in Rom, the sense is the following: in Rom 1,28 underlines, after what has been said in Rom 1,18-27, that there is a clear natural knowledge of God and therefore also knowledge of good and evil. Rom 3,20 says that God gave by the Law an additional knowledge of sin. Finally Rom 10,2 says that the Jews have religious zeal, but not in the sense of that additional knowledge that is now given in Christ. So Paul does not say they would have no knowledge at all, but only that they have not got this specific additional knowledge (German: Zu-Erkenntnis)1.

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133 ᾽Επί-γνωσις bei Paulus “Eifer der Juden” - ohne “Erkenntnis”? (Röm 10,2) NORBERT BAUMERT There is ‘consensus’ that the composed words ἐπιγιγνώσκειν / ἐπίγνωσις would be synonymous with the simple γινώσκειν / γνώσις in the sense of ‘to know’. But the preposition ἐπί always indicates a special connotation, e.g. ‘clear, fully or ‘additional knowledge’. In the three cases in which it appears in Rom, the sense is the following: in Rom 1,28 underlines, after what has been said in Rom 1,18-27, that there is a clear natural knowledge of God and therefore also knowledge of good and evil. Rom 3,20 says that God gave by the Law an additional knowledge of sin. Finally Rom 10,2 says that the Jews have religious zeal, but not in the sense of that additional knowledge that is now given in Christ. So Paul does not say they would have no knowledge at all, but only that they have not got this specific additional knowledge (German: Zu-Erkenntnis)1. Es gilt als ausgemacht: Die Bedeutung von ἐπιγινώσκω / ἐπίγνωσις “deckt sich weitgehend mit der des Simplex” γιγνώσκω / γνῶσις. Hacken- berg (EWNT II,61) fügt allerdings hinzu: “Das Kompositum ἐ. bedeutet im engeren Sinn: a) genau, vollständig erkennen; b) wiedererkennen; c) anerkennen.” Dies sind Bedeutungen, die in den Lexika (z.B. Passow, LSJ, MG) beim verbum simplex nicht aufscheinen, wohl aber beim Komposi- tum. Also deckt dieses im Unterschied zum verbum simplex semantisch zumindest einen speziellen Teilbereich ab; dieses Phänomen ist zu sehen im Rahmen der allgemeinen Tendenz, daß die Bildung von Komposita und Bikomposita in der Koine sehr zunimmt, weil die Grundbedeutung (!) mit ihren möglichen verschiedenen Nuancen abgeschliffen erscheint 1 Literatur: Balz, H. - Schneider, G. (Hgg.), Exegetisches Wörterbuch zum Neuen Testament I-III, Stuttgart 1980-1983 (EWNT). Bauer, W. - Aland K. und B., Wörterbuch zum NT, 61988 (WNT). Blass, F. - Debrunner, A. - Rehkopf, Grammatik des neutestamentlichen Griechisch, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht 151979. (BDR) Bultmann, R., γινώσκω κτλ., s. Kittel I 688-715. Haacker, K., Der Brief des Paulus an die Römer (ThHKNT 6), Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt 1999. Filología Neotestamentaria - Vol. XXII - 2009, pp. 133-148 Facultad de Filosofía y Letras - Universidad de Córdoba (España)