Διὸ ἀναζωσάμενοι τὰς ὀσφύας τῆς διανοίας ὑμῶν : “Gird Up the Loins of Your Mind” - A Refutation of a Popularized Atheist Credo Against Christians

Διὸ ἀναζωσάμενοι τὰς ὀσφύας τῆς διανοίας ὑμῶν : “Gird Up the Loins of Your Mind” - A Refutation of a Popularized Atheist Credo Against Christians

 

Kerry A. Shirts, MM, 32°, CM, RAM, KT

Ritualist/Education Officer

Eagle Rock Lodge # 19

Idaho Falls, Idaho

December 23, 2010

 

The texts which I will exercise rigorous hermeneutical, exegetical, historical, and theological analysis are, for the most part, going to be 1 Peter 1:13 (hence the title of my paper) and Philippians 1:9-11. Investigating the Greek grammar, semantic range of meanings for words, exegetical and hermeneutic interpretations shed a great amount of light on the meaning of many biblical verses that are either misunderstood, mistranslated, or simply ignored.

 

The popularized atheist credo which the title of my paper alludes to is the general idea that we Christians are basically too stupid to critically think. Our belief in the Bible is misguided because it teaches us, in a nutshell, to simply sit down, shut up and accept our beliefs with “blind faith”which have no evidence. Never think critically for ourselves, but simply accept what our pastors, bishops or other church leaders teach from the pulpit. We don’t have the intellectual capacity to be “objective,” “scientific,” or even “realistic,” because the Bible proclaims that we are to accept things using “blind faith.” We can’t prove anything we believe in because we are taught not to think, but only believe and be naïve, both intellectually and realistically. The Bible programs us for dumb belief and to live in blind faith, hence we are brain washed stupid.

 

Granted the charges against us are emotionally laden, however, a close look at what the Bible actually does teach demonstrates that the atheist paradigm concerning our Christian intellect is itself terribly naïve and subjective, and worse still, completely wrong. Lets take a more careful look at what the Bible actually does say and teach, not relying merely on English translations, which miss the force of the Greek, but exploring the Greek meaning itself. The question is, just what does the Bible teach us about how to use our brains? Are we truly to simply shut up, sit down, and accept everything that is told without ever thinking for ourselves? Are we taught in the Bible to ignore the intellect and simply believe? This is what I will investigate in this paper.

 

The Mormon prophet Joseph Smith taught “A man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge, for if he does not get knowledge, he will be brought into captivity by some evil power in the other world…”[1] He also taught “the things of God are of deep import; and time, and experience, and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts… stretch as high as the heavens. No short cuts or easy lessons here! Note well that the Prophet makes no distinction between the things of the spirit and the things of the intellect.”[2] And this is what gave me the impetus for the title of my paper. The Greek in the title - Διὸ ἀναζωσάμενοι τὰς ὀσφύας τῆς διανοίας ὑμῶν – translates as “girding up the loins of your mind. ” The image is a good one! An alternative translation gives us “Have your minds ready for action is literally ‘gird up the loins of your mind.’ To ‘gird the loin’ was an appropriate metaphor for people in the Middle East at that time. These people normally wore long gowns, and when someone prepared for any strenuous activity, he ‘girded’ his robe, that is, he tied his robe securely (by using a belt, for example), to make sure that his robe would not be in the way. The metaphor therefore came to mean ‘be ready for action.’ The area of readiness in this verse is the mind… The NIV reads ‘prepare your minds for action.’”[3] The Greek phrase declares this clearly - ἀναζώννυμαι τὰς ὀσφύας τῆς διανοίας (anazōnnymai tas osphuas tēs dianoias), be ready to learn, prepare for action, formally, gird (bind) the loins of the mind, culturally equal to “roll up your sleeves for mental action.” (1Peter 1:13)[4] Louw and Nida in their Lexicon of Semantic Domains show that ἀναζώννυμαι τὰς ὀσφύας τῆς διανοίας: (an idiom, literally ‘to bind up the loins  of the mind’) to prepare oneself for learning and thinking—‘to get one’s mind ready for action, to be ready to learn and to think, to be alert.’ διὸ ἀναζωσάμενοι τὰς ὀσφύας τῆς διανοίας ὑμῶν ‘so then, have your minds ready for action’ 1 Peter 1.13.[5] Cf. Proverbs 31:17 – “She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.”

 

M. R. Vincent noted that this metaphor is appropriate because the girding up of the clothes or loins is “preparatory to running or other exertion. Perhaps recalling the words of Christ (Luke 12:35 – “Be properly dressed and have your lamps be lit”). Christ’s call is a call to active service. There is a fitness in the figure as addressed to sojourners and pilgrims who must always be ready to move (and whom Peter addressed as such at 1 Peter 1:1 and 2:11).”[6]

 

Kenneth Wuest in his characteristic excellent style of exegesis noted:

 

The word “to gird up” is in the aorist tense which refers to a past once-for-all act. Bringing this oriental expression over to the occidental manner of thinking, enables us to translate, “Wherefore, having put out of the way, once for all, everything that would impede the free action of your mind.” Peter treats this as a God-expected obligation on the part of the believer. In 1:3 we learned that as the believer definitely subjected himself to the ministry of the Holy Spirit, He would produce in his life through the Word, that Christian optimism that always looks for the best and not for the worst, that always sees the silver lining on every cloud. By the power of the same Holy Spirit, he is able to exert his will in putting out of his mind those things that would impede its free action. Thus, the Christian has the privilege of enjoying the wholesome mental atmosphere called “Christian optimism and a care-free mind,” not a mind devoid of an appreciation of the seriousness of life and its responsibilities, but a mind not crippled and frozen by worry, fear, and their related mental attitudes. Living in this blessed mental state, the believer is ready and able to obey the exhortations to which the apostle now addresses himself.

The first one is, “be sober.” The Greek word means, “to be calm and collected in spirit, to be temperate, dispassionate, circumspect.” It speaks of the proper exercise of the mind, that state of mind in which the individual is self-controlled, and is able to see things without the distortion caused by worry, fear, and their related attitudes. The second admonition is, “hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” The words, “hope to the end,” do not refer to the Christian living in a state of hopefulness to the end of his life. The word “end” is the translation of teleios (τελειος)  which means “perfectly, completely.” The root idea of the word refers to that which is in a state of completeness. Thus this adverb qualifies the verb “hope” and describes this hope. It is to be a hope that is complete, a perfect hope, wanting nothing, being in its character an assured expectation. One could translate, “set your hope perfectly, unchangeably, without doubt and despondency.”[7]

 

F. J. A. Hort noted that the Greek genitive noun τῆς διανοίας (the mind, disposition, or thought) partially limits the meaning of “disciplined promptness” being the opposite of “slackness and indolent heedlessness.” διάνοια is usually meant “mind, and includes all in man that thinks.”[8] The Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains  : Greek (New Testament) notes that διάνοια  includes mind, reasoning, understanding, thinking (Ephesians 4:18); 2. way of thinking, disposition, manner of thought (Colossians 1:21); 3. thought, the content of what one is thinking (Luke 1:51); 4. To be ready to learn, prepare for action (1 Peter 1:13)[9] Hort further noted that in Hebrew the idea of mind was the heart. “The heart according to Hebrew speech [was] being treated as the centre of thought as well as of every other human energy. [Greek] καρδία is immeasurably oftener the rendering…”[10] In the Sefer Yetzirah, we learn that “It is in the heart that the action of the Mind is manifest in the body. As soon as the influence of the mind ceases, the heart ceases to function, this being the definition of death. The heart also provides the life-force to the brain and nervous system. When the heart stops pumping, the nervous system can no longer function, and the mind no longer exerts influence on the body. The heart therefore serves as a casual link between mind and body. It is for this reason that Sefer Yetzirah calls the heart – ‘the king over the soul.’ It also describes the mystical experience as a ‘running of the heart.’”[11]

 

J. H. A. Hart noted that νήφοντες τελείως (nēphōntes teleiōs - the verb and adverb saying to be “completely sober”) is a recognized equivilant of the Hebrew lev – “heart.” He notes that “in cases like this it is natural to take the adverb with the preceding verb. τελείως [“completely”] (only here in the N.T.) has much the same force as τῆς διανοίας (the mind)... sobriety is necessary for watchfulness.”[12] Compare the metaphor in Eccles. 10:2 – “’The heart of a wise man is on his right, but the heart of a fool on his left.’ The exact meaning of the proverb, however, is obscure. Heart is probably to be taken for the judgment or understanding, and the sentiment is that a wise man has his understanding and is always at ready and vigorous command, while the opposite is the case with the fool.”[13]

 

When we turn to Paul’s comments to the Philippians we find something extremely interesting. I will analyze this piece by piece from verse 9 through verse 11.

 

καὶ τοῦτο προσεύχομαι, ἵνα ἡ ἀγάπη ὑμῶν ἔτι μᾶλλον καὶ μᾶλλον περισσεύῃ ἐν ἐπιγνώσει καὶ πάσῃ αἰσθήσει 10 εἰς τὸ δοκιμάζειν ὑμᾶς τὰ διαφέροντα, ἵνα ἦτε εἰλικρινεῖς καὶ ἀπρόσκοποι εἰς ἡμέραν Χριστοῦ, 11 πεπληρωμένοι καρπὸν δικαιοσύνης τὸν διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς δόξαν καὶ ἔπαινον θεοῦ.[14]

 

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰ so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.(ESV)

 

καὶ τοῦτο προσεύχομαι, ἵνα – “And I pray this...”

The syntactical force of the deponent finite verb for “pray,” the Greek προσεύχομαι (proseuchomai in the present tense), is in a subordinate conjunctive relation and is modified by ἵνα (hina, meaning “in order that, ” or “so that”), hence Paul is continually praying, showing concern and desire for the Philippians. The Greek τοῦτο indicates what comes after it in this sentence. This is understood because of the ἵνα that follows.[15] Gerald F. Hawthorne indicates that καὶ τοῦτο προσεύχομαι, ἵνα shows that Paul is not only praying for them, but that he reveals the content of his prayer, “and I pray this, namely, that.... ” “The ἵνα here is a conjunction that introduces a clause explaining or expounding on τοῦτο (“this”) which Moule advocates this ἵνα denoting content. The content of his prayer then, is that the Philippians love may increase.[16] The verb προσεύχομαι – “pray” has a basic meaning which is stative or linear and is thus found in the present tense – “and I pray this, that your love may abound yet more and more…”[17] The epexegetical or appositional ἵνα in the subjunctive mood expresses a possibility, or an uncertainty, which Paul expresses here as καὶ τοῦτο προσεύχομαι... ἵνα ἦτε εἰλικρινεῖς καὶ ἀπρόσκοποι εἰς ἡμέραν Χριστοῦ - “and I pray this… that you may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ…”[18]

 

ἵνα ἡ ἀγάπη ὑμῶν ἔτι μᾶλλον καὶ μᾶλλον – “that your love may abound more and more…”

J. B. Lightfoot says ἔτι μᾶλλον καὶ μᾶλλον (eti mallon kai mallon) is “an accumulation of words to denote superabundance...”[19] “The comparative adverb μᾶλλον is repeated for emphasis, and the emphasis is heightened by the ἔτι - “yet more and more.”[20] But in Philippians 1:23 note πολλῷ μᾶλλον κρεῖσσον (“a very much better thing”) where all this emphasis is due to Paul’s struggling emotion. The ancient Greek used all these devices very often.[21]

 

ἐν ἐπιγνώσει καὶ πάσῃ αἰσθήσει - “with knowledge and all discernment”

With that background, we arrive at the 2^nd crux of the matter for this paper. What appears in English translations however is lost from the Greek. This is saying something different than is translated, the same in some respects, but truly different. Sumney says this entire prepositional phrase can be understood to indicate the sphere of which the love of the Philippians is to abound. Hence the word ἐν denotes place (locative). Another angle to see this is ἐν may be instrumental, that is, indicating the means by which love is to grow. And here is what caused me to write this paper. What we lose in the English translations is powerfully in the Greek. Knowledge and insight are the causes of the growing love which will also help the Philippians discern what matters. The Greek καὶ πάσῃ αἰσθήσει (“perception, discernment”) is a hapax legomenon, which means this word - αἰσθήσει -  occurs only once in the entire New Testament. The broad meaning gives us the idea of perception, “but in the proper context it signifies intellectual, especially moral perception or insight.”[22] This carries forward into the next phrase of verse 10 as well.

 

εἰς τὸ δοκιμάζειν ὑμᾶς τὰ διαφέροντα – This phrase is one of those rare instances where the articular infinitive with εἰς signifies result. It “expresses the goal or purpose pf the Philippians abounding in love through knowledge and (intellectual and moral) insight. The accusative articular infinitive τὸ δοκιμάζειν [δοκιμάζω - the verb dokimazō – means  “examine, try to out, test” (Luke 14:19; 1 Corinthians 3:13; 11:28; 2 Corinthians 8:8; Galatians 6:4; 1 Timothy 3:10); 2. regard as worthwhile (Romans 1:28), judge as good, regard something as genuine or worthy (Romans 1:28; 14:22][23] establishes the idea of proving something, to examine it, work it in our intellects and minds. This is the actual object of εἰς, which means ὑμᾶς is the subject and τὰ διαφέροντα (“to be worth more than, or be superior to”) is the object of “you” (the Philippians. In other words, The Philippians are to use their minds, turn on their brains, examine things, prove truths, and gain insights which increases love for each other.)[24]

 

The entire point of Paul encouraging the Philippian Saints to “use your brains” and improve the intellect, is the subjunctive desire and hope of Paul that the Philippians be found “blameless,” and “spotless.” The Greek shows this with the ἵνα clause which “expresses the purpose of their being able to properly discern.”[25] It is through the intellectual powers of our minds, the focus, the concentration, which gives us the power of discerning what truly matters, as Paul properly taught the ancient Philippians. Dr. Nicoll puts it this way: “Apparently an eager and enthusiastic spirit prevailed in this church. As so commonly it might be accompanied by a slight want of discernment. That would lead, on the one hand, to misunderstandings over trifling matters (cf. chap 4. 2?), on the other, to give heed to plausible teachers. As the Galatians combined enthusiasm and fickleness, perhaps at Philippi, enthusiasm was apt to prevail over spiritual common sense… a firm conception of those spiritual principles which would guide them in their relations with one another and the world - αἰσθήσει – a moral sensibility, quickness of ethical tact. Originally of sense-perception, but applicable to the inner world of sensibilities.”[26]

 

Notice, the spiritual principles are understood and able to be used because of, not in spite of intellectual efforts and moral thinking. The mind is every bit as engaged as the heart and soul is to be. Lightfoot mentions that αἰσθήσει (being the capacity to understand, the faculty for distinguishing the real nature of something, hence the idea of perception) “is concerned with practical applications.”[27] Robert Hanna described the Greek τὰ διαφέροντα (the idea of making a difference, to be able to surpass, carry about or differ) as the ability to make moral distinctions and understand inferior from superior values. “Paul’s deep concern for the Philippian believers is that they continue to grow toward maturity.” [28] That maturity process was an intellectual one as well as spiritual one. The same theme of Paul was taught to the Ephesians when he was there.

 

At Ephesians 3:18-19 we find Paul saying “…that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹ and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

 

The Greek for having the strength to comprehend is κατα-λαβέσθαι the aorist infinitive middle voice -λαμβάνω seize, apprehend; also mentally, grasp.[29] Larkin says that the middle voice here “reinforces the subject’s role in ‘grasping, finding, understanding.’”[30] Like his desire to the Philippians, the Ephesians are also very seriously strongly encouraged to use their intellect. Engage your brain, learn, and gain the strength, ability, and power to grasp truth, in the Ephesians instance, the truth of God’s love through Jesus Christ. Markus S. Barth says “Paul points out that knowledge of the full dimensions of God’s secret cannot be easily mastered…” He further noted that this theme of grasping belongs to the vocabulary of fighting against an opponent, since strength is required to seize an opponent or to sack an acropolis. The verb “to grasp” at 3:18 however, is used metaphorically. This is at least as common as the physical says Barth: “Here it means to comprehend, to acknowledge a fact.”[31] Clearly Paul puts knowing God’s love, learning to differentiate significant from insignificant things, and basically gaining for oneself the knowledge of God in the intellectual realm of the mind, which includes a spiritual, ethical element of belief and action as well. As Ellicott so properly noted, the entire purpose of Paul’s concern was to teach, to encourage the saints to “discriminate,” learn and use our brains in “proving or approving of what is excellent…”[32] Or as another scholar wrote, “discern what is vital. Frequently in Stoicism the verb dokimazo here means to examine, hold an inquiry, or make a test in order to evaluate and judge and finally to retain what is of value. The present participle diapheronia was also current in Greek and Hellenistic philosophy to denote what was important or essential.”[33] This is achieved through “a discriminating love. It is to be accompanied by knowledge (ἐπιγνώσει) and understanding (αἰσθήσει), intellectual and moral insight... Paul is not averse to taking up ideas and traditions from the intellectual world around him to put them to good use...”[34]

 

This cursory look into a few of the ideas of the Bible from the Apostle Paul indicates that he was very concerned, enough concerned to seriously advocate, indicate, and inculcate the idea of using our brains, testing things for ourselves, proving, and then using that knowledge to good effect in our lives. It is indeed an intellectual, spiritual, and practical necessity and possibility as Paul well taught. And we admit, this teaching was first given anciently, and yes, we incorporate it into our own lives. There is nothing here which indicates a propounding of a doctrine of “shut up, sit down, and belief with blind faith.” The generalized atheist attitude against Christians on this score is simply not sustainable from looking at the foundation text of Christian doctrine and practice, the Bible. Unless the atheists are simply just too subjectively biased against the Bible, or else they are simply misreading and misunderstanding what it teaches. Imagine that. An “objective scientific thinking” atheist misreading the Bible! Who woulda thunk it?

 

Endnotes

1. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, compiled by Joseph Fielding Smith, Deseret Book Co., 22^nd printing, 1973: 217.
2. Hugh Nibley, “Zeal Without Knowledge,” in Truman Madsen, editor, Nibley on the Timely and Timeless, BYU Religious Studies Center, 1978: 268.
3. Daniel C. Arichea, Eugene A. Nida, A Translator’s Handbook on the First Letter From Peter, United Bible Societies, 1980: 33-34.
4. Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains  : Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.) (DBLG 350). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
5. Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996, c1989). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament  : Based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition.) (1:332). New York: United Bible societies.
6. M. R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, MacDonald Publishing, 2^nd edition, 1888: 303.
7. Wuest, K. S. (1997, c1984). Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament  : For the English Reader (1 Peter 1:13). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
8. F. J. A. Hort, “The First Epistle of Saint Peter,” in Expository and Exegetical Studies: Compendium of Works Formerly Published Separately, Kloch and Kloch Christian Publishers, Limited Classical Reprint Library, 1980: 65.
9. Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains  : Greek (New Testament) (electronic ed.) (DBLG 1379, #4). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

10.  Hort, Ibid., p. 65. Cf. Duncan Black MacDonald, The Hebrew Philosophical Genius, Russell & Russell, 1965:12-13.

11.  Aryeh Kaplan, Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation, Samuel Weiser, Inc., Revized, 1997: 9. See Milton S. Terry, Biblical Hermeneutics: A Treatise on the Interpretation of the Old and New Testaments, Academie Books, n.d., p. 178 where the Greek word for heart – καρδία (kardia) is etymologically related to the English word “core.”

12.  J. H. A. Hart, “Petroh A,” in The Expositor’s Greek Testament, (Vol. 5), Wm. B. Eerdmans, reprint, 1976: 48.

13.  Milton S. Terry, Biblical Hermeneutics: A Treatise on the Interpretation of the Old and New Testaments, Academie Books, n.d., p. 333.

14.  The Greek New Testament, Aland, K., Black, M., Martini, C. M., Metzger, B. M., Robinson, M., & Wikgren, A. (1993; 2006). Fourth Revised Edition (with Morphology) (Php 1:9-11). Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.

15.  Jerry L. Sumney, Philippians: A Greek Student’s Intermediate Reader, Hendrickson Publishers, 2007: 14.

16.  Gerald F. Hawthorne, Word Biblical Commentary Philippians, (Vol. 43), Word Books Publishers, 1983: 25.

17.  Wesley J. Perschbacher, New Testament Greek Syntax, Moody Press, 1995: 340.

18.  Perschbacher, New Testament Greek Syntax, p. 339.

19.  J. B. Lightfoot, St. Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians, Hendrickson Publishers, 2^nd printing, 1982: 86.

20.  Sumney, Philippians, p. 14.

21.  Robertson, A. T. (1919; 2006). A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research (664). Logos.

22.  Sumney, Philippians, p. 15.

23.  Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains  : Greek (New Testament)  (DBLG 1507, #3).

24.  Sumney, Philippians, p. 15.

25.  Sumney, Philippians, p. 15.

26.  W. Robertson Nicoll, The Expositor’s Greek Testament, (Vol. 3), “The Epistle of Paul to the Philippians,” Wm. B. Eerdmans, Reprint, 1979: 421, note on vv.9-11.

27.  Lightfoot, Philippians, p. 86, note 9.

28.  Robert Hanna, A Grammatical Aid to the Greek New Testament, Baker Book House, reprint, 1983: 359.

29.  Zerwick, M., & Grosvenor, M. (1974). A Grammatical Analysis of the Greek New Testament (584). Rome: Biblical Institute Press.

30.  William J. Larkin, Ephesians: A Handbook on the Greek Text, Baylor University Press, 2009: 63.

31.  Markus S. Barth, Ephesians 1-3, Anchor Bible, Doubleday and Co., 1974: 372.

32.  Rt. Rev. Chas. J. Ellicott, Ellicott’s Commentaries, Critical and Grammatical, on the Epistles of Saint Paul with Revised Translations, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, The James Family, Christian Publishers, reprint, 1978: 28.

33.  Jean-Francois Collange, The Epistle of Saint Paul to the Philippians, translated from the French by A. W. Heathcote, London, Epworth Press, 1979: 49.

34.  Hawthorne, Word Bible Commentary, Philippians, p. 26-27.

Comments

[gina]

Again
Great writing from brilliant and imaginetive people but still no proof their is a God.

[moncler sweden]

I like you on facebook and follow through google reader!