05_Biblica_Do_Layout 1 08/07/13 12:57 Pagina 416 416 TOAN DO tou/ ko,smou (in 2d) refers. The seemingly incidental nature of the el- lipsis tw/n a`martiw/n in 2d could shift the theological interpretation by calling into question the syntactic parallel found in 2b // 2c // 2d 5. This essay strives, in some small measure, toward the resolution of this syntactical conundrum by proposing a contextual reading of 2a // 2d. I pose a simple question: is it more probable to read 2d as syn- tactically following 2cb, or as theologically following 2a (given the use of the i`lasmo,j-concept within 2,2; 4,10) 6? Let us begin by nam- ing the syntactic issues of v. 2abcd 7. I. Syntactic issues in interpreting peri. o[lou tou/ ko,smou Four important factors make the syntax of the clause in 2d prob- lematic. First, the ellipsis of a`marti,ai in 2d is unusual 8. One might argue from silence that a`marti,ai is implicitly understood in the con- struction of 2c because the expression tw/n h`mete,rwn agrees in case, number, and gender with tw/n a`martiw/n in 2b. Further, the posses- sive adjective h`mete,rwn in 2c adds to the parallel and agrees with the personal pronoun h`mw/n (in 2b); the two agree in case, number, and gender. In this argument, the object “our sins” is implied. How- ever, one cannot speak with the same degree of clarity regarding tou/ ko,smou in 2d, which agrees in neither number nor gender (but only in the genitive) with h`mete,rwn in 2c. As a result, the absence of a`marti,ai in 2d raises considerations regarding grammatical con- sistency and theological interpretation. The first scholar who recognized an unusual ellipsis in tw/n a`martiw/n in 5 2d seems to be B.F. WESTCOTT, The Epistles of St John. The Greek Text with Notes (London 1883) 45. See discussion below. A context-critical analysis, supported by the grammar and syntax of 6 verse 2, suggests that peri. o[lou tou/ ko,smou does not imply the “sin(s)” of the world per se. ROBERTSON, Grammar, 618, suggests the three peri,-clauses in 2bcd should be viewed as ablative cases in parallelism with kai. auvto.j ilasmoj evstin in 2a. However, Greek has no ablative case. See Graph 1 below ` , for further illustration. For convenience the text of 1 John 2,2 is offered here: (a) kai. auvto.j 7 i`lasmo,j evstin (b) peri. tw/n a`martiw/n h`mw/n( (c) ouv peri. tw/n h`mete,rwn de. mo,non (d) avlla. kai. peri. o[lou tou/ ko,smou. T.C.G. THORNTON, “The Meaning of kai. peri. a`marti,aj in Romans 8,3”, 8 JTS 22 (1971) 515-517, explains why difficulties exist in interpreting Paul’s use of this phrase in “and as a sacrifice for sin” or “and for sin”. © Gregorian Biblical Press 2013 - Tutti i diritti riservati