Re: Biblical Greek question (Matthew 16)




DylanBD wrote:

>The second text today at church was Matthew 16:21-28. It contains the famous
>line "For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world,
>and forfeit his life?" (ASV)
>
>Except the guy giving the homily said that the word given as "life" is
>really "psyche" in the original Greek, which he preferred to translate as
>"true self."

("psyche" is also transliterated as "psuche"...)

I believe that the above is in error.

When translating a word, the context matters. One could, for example,
make an error by looking up "day" in the dictionary, seeing the
"24 hours" definition, and applying it to "day and night" or "the
present day."

So, let's look at some definitions in context. Could it be "a cheval
glass?" Not in this context. I think we can also dispose of "a greek
word for butterfly", "Psyche the asteroid", "Bagworms, a family of
Lepidoptera", "Psyche, a Gothic band", and "Psyche, code name for Red
Hat Linux 8.0."

Could it be "A beautiful princess of classical mythology loved by Cupid?"
Not in this context. Could it be "A lovely maiden, daughter of a king and
mistress of Eros, or Cupid. She is regarded as the personification of
the soul?" Perhaps, but that depends strongly on how you define "soul."
Could it be "The soul; the vital principle; the mind?" that assumes
that one thinks of those three as being the same thing. Could it be
"A young woman who loved and was loved by Eros and was united with him
after Aphrodite's jealousy was overcome. She subsequently became the
personification of the soul?" Again it depends strongly on how you
define "soul." But we are getting closer...

Could it be "The mind functioning as the center of thought, emotion,
and behavior and consciously or unconsciously adjusting or mediating
the body's responses to the social and physical environment?" Not a
good fit for this context. Could it be "that part of the mind wherein
psychic activity takes place of which the person is unaware?" Nope.
How about "A ghost; the visible disembodied soul of a dead person?"
Not a chance.

How about "A word the ancient Greeks created to describe the difference
between a dead body and a living body. It is whatever it is that gives
life to a body: 'breath,' 'spirit,' 'self,' 'personality,' 'soul,'
'life-force,' etc. We might say that the 'psyche' is what makes me, me."
or "the vital principle or animating force within living things?"
I do believe that we have a winner. The above fits the context.

The Septuagint (LXX) (Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures)
uses the Greek word Psyche to render the Hebrew word Nephesh. This
gives us a clue as to what Psyche meant to those listening to Jesus.

Genesis 2:7 says "The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a
living soul." The word for soul is Nephesh. NIV translates Nephesh
in Genesis 2:7 as "a living being." The word Nephesh is often applied
to animals as well as human beings, which supports the "vital principle
or animating force within living things" definition. Also see Matthew
20:28 "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to
give his life as a ransom for many." The word used for life is Psyche.

Also see "Ruach" and "Pneuma."

The concept of gaining the whole world while forfeiting your true self
is accurate - it can and does happen, and it is something to be wary
of. It is not, however, a concept found in the biblical passage in
question. That passage is talking about being dead, not about losing
your soul or your true self.













.

Quantcast