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.
“Firstâ€, “Onlyâ€, “One of a Fewâ€, and “No One Else†77
is without beginning (a[narco"), whose truth is unchangeable
(ajnalloivwto"), whose work is without mediation (ajmesivteuton),
whose might is not liable to attack (ajnepibouvleuton), whose
monarchy is without successor (ajdiavdoco"), whose kingdom is
without end (ajteleuvthto"), whose strength is irresistible (ajnanta-
gwnisto") (7.35.9) (55).
v
Again, the negative predicates deny that God has any weakness or
limitation, such as all earthly creatures have. Hence God is not merely
the “only†Mighty One nor is there any god “beside himâ€, but God’s
uniqueness especially lies in his unique perfection, which is expressed
in the flood of negative predicates removing from him the physical
and temporal weaknesses to which all other beings are subject.
(4) Movno". Delling’s study of movno" (56) distinguishes three usages
of the term: (1) the superlative expression of polytheistic piety, (2) the
statement of philosophers, and (3) the predication of monotheistic
religion. In the exposition of god-talk in the Orphic Hymns above, we
observed that various gods were credited with unique tasks, an
example of Delling’s first category:
Nike: she alone (mouvnh) frees man from the eagerness for contest
(33.2).
Eros: you alone (mou'no") govern the course of all these (aether, land,
and Tartarus, 58.8).
Nomos: he alone (mou'no") steers the course of everything that
breathes (64.8).
Leukothea: you alone (mouvnh) save men from wretched death at sea
(74.6).
Palaimon: you alone (mou'no") appear incarnate to save men (75.7).
Sleep: you alone (mou'no") are master of us all (85.3).
In this polytheistic context it is possible for one or another deity to
be unique in one function, situation, or domain. As regards Delling’s
second use of “onlyâ€, scholars generally ascribe it to the purification
of the notion of god by the philosophers, a liberation from anthropo-
morphism to apophatic theology (57). Nothing more needs be said
(55) Apos. Const. 7.35.9; text and translation are by D.A. FIENSY, Prayers
Alleged to be Jewish. An Examination of the Constitutiones Apostolorum (Chico,
CA 1985) 70-71; see also D.A. FIENSY – D.R. DARNELL, “Hellenistic Synagogal
Prayersâ€, OTP II, 681-682.
(56) G. DELLING, “Movno" Qeov"â€, Studien zum Neuen Testament und zum
hellenistischen Judentum (Göttingen 1970) 391-400, reprinted from ThLZ 77
(1952) 470-475.
(57) YOUNG, “God of the Greeksâ€, 48-53. See R.M. GRANT, Gods and the One
God (Philadelphia 1986) 75-83.
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