Parainesis on ἁγιασ�ός (1 Th 4: 3-8) 145 4. The use of κτᾶσθαι, understood strictly inchoatively, ‘to acquire’, has been considered a more serious objection to rendering σκεῦος with body. How can one be said to acquire his own body? The sense of ‘wife’ is supposed to suit the verb, in asmuch as it would then refer to “acquiring”, i.e. ‘marrying’ a wife. Unfortunately, however, this solution is not possible here, because the sense demanded by the context is not a one-occurrence event, but a continuous or repeated action. The Thessalonians are to learn how to continuously κτᾶσθαι their body (or, hypothetically, ‘their wife’) in holiness and honour. The root idea obviously contains both the inchoative and the durative types of action. This is proved by the follow- ing considerations: (a) The inchoative sense of ‘to acquire’ ‘to get’ easily passes on to the durative sense ‘to possess’, ‘to have’ (especially in the perfect)79. (b) The durative sense of κτᾶσθαι is seen from its compounds, e.g. κατακτάομαι = ‘to have in my possession’80. (c) Moreover, derivatives from this root have the durative sense of (continuous) possession81. (d) In Ignatius the perfect normally has linear sense82. (e) Chrysostom himself83, who spoke practically the same language as Paul, explains the present in- finitive κτᾶσθαι duratively: Ἄρα ἡμεῖς αὐτὸ κτώμεθα, ὅταν ᾗ καθαρόν· ὅταν δὲ ἀκάθαρτον, ἡ ἁμαρτία. (f) There is Papyrological evidence for a durative sense not only for the perfect, but also for the present as well as the future.84 Cf. A. N. Jannaris, An Historical Greek Grammar etc., London 1897, §1868. For 79 examples see 1 Enoch 97:8-10; Aristeas 229; Philo, Cherubim 119; De Vita Mosis I, 157; Aeschines, Against Ctesiphon 212. E.g. Thucydides IV. 86 ἐχθίονα ἀρετὴν κατακτώμενοι. 80 κτῆμα(τα) (‘possession(s)’, from Homer to Modern Greek), ἀκτήμων (‘without pos- 81 sessions’, this, too, from Homer to Modern Greek), κτήτωρ (‘owner’, from Diodorus Siculus to Modern Greek, cf. also New Documents Illustratimg Early Christianity, ed. G. H. R. Horsley, Vol. 2, Macquarie University, 1982, 89). Ignatius, Ephesians 1:1, 3; 14:2; 15:1; Magnesians, 15:1; Philadelphians 1:1; 6:3 (fut.); 82 Polycarp 1:3; 8:1. Crysostomus, Πρὸς Θεσσαλονικεῖς, 454. 83 In a number of Papyri the present infinitive κτᾶσται occurs in legal documents ensur- 84 ing the right of possession, use, and disposal of the real estate purchased or inherited, e.g. SB XVI, 12946, r, 12 (A.D. 474): ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν κρατεῖν (κρατιν) σε καὶ κυριεύειν… καὶ ἐξουσίαν σὲ ἔχειν χρᾶσθαι κτᾶσθαι διοικεῖν οἰκονομεῖν περὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς ἐὰν αἱρῇ [παντὶ τρόπῳ ἀνεμπο]δίστως καὶ ἐξεῖναί [σο]ι ταύτης διὰ παντὸς κυ[ρι]εύειν τῆς [ἀ]ρο(ύ)ρης καὶ δεσπ[ό]ζειν καὶ δι[ο]ικ[εῖν καὶ] [οἰ]κονομεῖν καὶ νέμεσθαι καὶ κτᾶσθαι ἢ καὶ φορολογεῖν καὶ ἐκμισθο(ῦ)ν… ἀνεμπο]δίτως; PCair. Mas II, 67169,7 (A.D. 566-70): καὶ ἐξεῖναί [σο]ι ταύτης διὰ παντὸς κυ[ρι]εύειν τῆς [ἀ]ρο(ύ)ρης καὶ δεσπ[ό]ζειν καὶ δι[ο]ικ[εῖν καὶ] [οἰ]κονομεῖν καὶ νέμεσθαι καὶ κτᾶσθαι ἣ καὶ φορολογεῖν καὶ ἐκμισθο(ῦ)ν… ἀκωλύτως κ(αὶ) ἀνεμποδίστως. It is quite obvious that the meaning of κτᾶσται is durative; “to be in possession of”. Sometimes κτᾶσθαι occurs before χρᾶσθαι, which might lead us to render κτᾶσται with “to take possession of”, i.e. “to buy”. However, the fact that other Papyri from the same period have the opposite order, as well as the use of other terms preceding which are