Grammatical And Syntactical Analysis
In order
to understand the meaning of the phrase the “first day day of the week” (16:2), we need to consider the meaning of the
Greek phrase κατα μιαν σαββατων and παρ εαυτω τιθετω. There
are two possible meaning of κατα μιαν σαββατων.[1] The first possibility denotes to “the every one of the Sabbath”. The second possibility refers to the “every
one of the week.” It means the that phrase “κατα μιαν σαββατων” can be translated to both of them. However, most bible
translations[2]
translated the phrase Greek κατα μιαν σαββατων as
‘the first day of the week”.
The second phrase παρ εαυτω τιθετω is the phrase which has essential to
understand the meaning of κατα μιαν σαββατων. As Laanasma observes, although
traditionally 1 Cor 16:2 has been regarded as presupposing that Sunday was
a special day for Christians, one major objection to this view arises from private nature of the collecting, especially if παρ εαυτω
τιθετω is understood to men let him or
her put aside at home. However, in a sense he also
hedges his bets: ‘This point… can be made to prove too much if it is made to
suggest that the church did not meet on that day.[3]
The
greek grammar of and syntax of the rest verse assist our exegesis. Τιθετω is
present imperative, as we should expect, to underline the continuous and
regular nature of the process putting
aside savings for the needs of fellow Christians in Jerusalem. It is not
entirely clear why this collection should take place at home (παρ εαυτω, at his or her own house).[4]
Scholars Interpretation of phrase κατα μιαν σαββατων
According
to Anthony C. Thielson, in his book The
First Epistle to the Corinthians, A
Commentary on the Greek Text, 1 Cor 16:2 provide a very early explicit reference
to every Sunday as a worship day (strictly,
every first day of the week; Gk. κατα μιαν σαββατων). In accordance with regular LXX rendering of
the semitic idiom in the Hebrew text, Paul uses cardinal numeral in place of the more strictly correct ordinal
πρῶτον (Mar 16:9 BYZ). Similarly, the synoptic
gospels allude to marry Magdalene and the other women visiting the tomb of
Jesus τῇ μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων ( Mark16:2; cf. Luke
24:1). Κατα occurs in the distributive
sense to denote every (as in καθ᾽ ἡμέραν elsewhere ), σαββατων more usually occurs in the plural to
denote week as (in Mark 16:2), but
sometimes the singular form is used elsewhere in the New Testament (e.g. Luke
18:2), ηστεύω δὶς τοῦ σαββάτου, I fast twice a week.[5]
Furthermore,
Hans Conzelmann, in his book, 1
Corinthians; A Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians, κατα
μιαν σαββατων, “on the first day of the week”: Paul abides by the Jewish
calendar, with one modification; even if the collection is not made during the
community meeting, it may be concluded from this statement of date that the
Sunday is already the day of meeting.[6] In addition
Frederic Louis Goded stated ih his book, Commentary
on first Corinthians, “The kata
is distributive: every first day; the
cardinal numeral Mia, one, used instead of the ordinal first, is a Hebraism; comp. mark xvi. 2, 9. The term sabbaton
(sometimes sabbas) and sabbata gradually took the meaning of the week; comp.
Luke xviii:12; for weeks are measured by Sabbath.[7]
[2]King James Version (KJV), New American Bible (NAB),
New American Standard Version (NAS), New International Version (NIV), New
Jerusalem Bible (NJB), New King James Version (NKJ), New Revised Standard
Version (NRS), Revised Standard Version (RSV).
[3]Laanasma,
“Lord’d Day,” Laanasma’s work is based on in part on doctoral thesis (Ph.D.
dissertation, University of Aberdeen, 1995).
[4]Anthony
C. Thielson, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, A Commentary on the Greek Text, ( Grand
rapids, MI: Eerdsman, 2000), p.1332
[5]
Anthony C. Thielson, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, A Commentary on the Greek Text, ( Grand
rapids, MI: Eerdsman, 2000), p.1332
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