|
Psalm 110:1 (LXX: 109:1) |
1 Corinthians 15:25 |
|
εἶπεν ὁ
κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ
μου κάθου ἐκ
δεξιῶν μου ἕως
ἂν θῶ
τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου
ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν
σου |
δεῖ γὰρ αὐτὸν βασιλεύειν ἄχρι οὗ θῇ πάντας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑπὸ τοὺς
πόδας αὐτοῦ. |
|
The Lord said to my lord, “Sit on my right
hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” (NETS) |
For he must reign, till he hath put all
enemies under his feet. |
In 1 Cor 15:25, Paul changes εως αν θω to αχρι
ου θη. It has been noted by scholars (e.g., Joachim Jeremias; C. K. Barrett)
that whenever αχρι
is
coupled with ου and
lacks the particle αν, and is coupled with a verbal subjunctive (here, θη),
the main clause comes to a cessation at the “until.” Another example in the
same epistle is found in 1 Cor 11:26:
For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup,
ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come (ἄχρι οὗ ἔλθῃ).
One is to “shew” (Greek: καταγγελλω “to announce/proclaim”) the Lord’s death, but once He
returns, we will no longer announce such. We will no longer celebrate the Lord’s
Supper, but instead, participate in the Messianic Banquet. As Jeremias noted:
This clause is not a
simple time reference, but ελθη is a prospective subjunctive which, as appears from
the omission of αν, has a certain affinity with the final clause and may
therefore be freely translated 'until (matters have developed to the point at
which) he comes', 'until (the goal is reached, that) he comes'. Actually, in
the New Testament αχρι
ου
with the aorist subjunctive without αν regularly introduces a reference to reaching the
eschatological goal, Rom. 11.25; I Cor. 15.25; Luke 21.24. 'Until he comes'
apparently alludes to the maranatha of the liturgy with which the community
prays for the eschatological coming of the Lord. (Joachim Jeremias, The
Eucharistic Words of Jesus [trans. Norman Perrin; London: SCM Press LTD,
1966], 253)
Other instances of
this construction in contemporary literature include¨
Behold, I waited for your
words; I gave ear to your reasons, whilst ye searched out (ἄχρι οὗ ἐτάσητε) what to say. (LXX Job 32:11)
And they shall fall by the
edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and
Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the
Gentiles be fulfilled (ἄχρι
οὗ πληρωθῶσιν καιροὶ ἐθνῶν). (Luke 21:24)
For I would not, brethren,
that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own
conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of
the Gentiles be come in (ἄχρι
οὗ τὸ πλήρωμα τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσέλθη). (Rom 11:25)
Wherefore then serveth the
law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come (ἄχρις οὗ ἔλθῃ τὸ σπέρμα) to whom the promise was made; and it
was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. (Gal 3:19)
In light of this, and in light of 1 Cor 15:28 (“And when
all things shall be subdued to him, then shall the Son also himself be subject
unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all), there will
be a cessation of the main clause of 1 Cor 15:25 (i.e., Christ reigning until [αχρι ου]
all his enemies have been subject to him).
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