Λογιζομαι in texts contemporary with the New Testament, part 6: Modern Scholarly Lexical Sources

This is the 6^th instalment on the meaning of the term λογιζομαι in Greek literature contemporary with the New Testament. Here are the links to the previous instalments:

Part 1 (LXX Apocrypha)

Part 2 (Greek Pseudepigrapha)

Part 3 (Apostolic Fathers)

Part 4 (Josephus)

Part 5 (Philo)

This instalment will present the findings of some recent scholarly Greek lexicons on the meaning of the verb λογιζομαι.

Strong, J. (2009). A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible (Vol. 1, p. 45). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.:

λογίζομαι lŏgizŏmai, log-id´-zom-ahee; mid. from 3056; to take an inventory, i.e. estimate (lit. or fig.):—conclude, (ac-) count (of), + despise, esteem, impute, lay, number, reason, reckon, suppose, think (on).

Thomas, R. L. (1998). New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek dictionaries : updated edition. Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc.

λογίζομαι logizomai; from 3056 (in the sense of an account or reckoning); to reckon, to consider:—consider(6), considered(2), counted(1), counting(1), credit(1), credited(9), credits(1), dwell(1), maintain(1), numbered(2), propose(1), reason(1), reckoned(2), regard(4), regarded(3), suppose(1), take into account(3), thinks(1).

Barbara Friberg, Timothy Friberg, and Neva F. Miller, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker, 2000):

λογίζομαι impf. ἐλογιζόμην; 1aor. mid. ἐλογισάμην; 1aor. pass. ἐλογίσθην; 1fut. λογισθήσομαι; from a basic meaning think according to logical rules; (1) as an objective reckoning; (a) as keeping a mental record take into account, keep in mind, count (up) (1C 13.5); (b) charge or credit to someone's account, reckon to (RO 4.11); (2) as the result of an objective evaluation consider, look on as, regard as (AC 19.27); (3) as a subjective act of thought have in mind, ponder, think (about) (1C 13.11); (4) as the result of a subjective evaluation have an opinion, think, believe; followed by ὅτι (that) (RO 8.18); followed by the accusative and an infinitive (RO 3.28)

Johannes E. Louw and Eugene A. Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains (2 vols; 2d ed.: New York: United Bible Socities, 1988):

λογίζομαι ; λογισμός, οῦ m: to think about something in a detailed and logical manner - 'to think about, to reason about, to ponder, reasoning.' λογίζομαι: ὅτε ἤμην νήπιος ... ἐλογιζόμην ὡς νήπιος 'when I was a child ... I reasoned as a child' 1 Cor 13.11. λογισμός: συμμαρτυρούσης αὐτῶν τῆς συνειδήσεως καὶ μεταξὺ ἀλλήλων τῶν λογισμῶν κατηγορούντων ἢ καὶ ἀπολογουμένων 'their consciences also show that this is true, since in their reasoning within themselves, they either accuse or excuse themselves' Ro 2.15.

Liddell and Scott's Greek-English Lexicon (Abridged):

λογίζομαι

λογίζομαι, Dep.: f. Att. -ιοῦμαι: aor. i ἐλογισάμην: pf. λελόγισμαι:-aor. i ἐλογίσθην and sometimes pf. λελόγισμαι in pass. sense: (λόγος):-to count, reckon, calculate, compute, Hdt.; λ. ἀπὸ χειρός to calculate off hand, Ar.:-c. acc. rei, λ. τοὺς τόκους to calculate the interest, Id.; τρεῖς μνᾶς ἀναλώσας λογίσασθαι δώδεκα to spend 3 minae and set down 12, Id.

2. c. acc. et inf. to reckon or calculate that, Hdt., Dem.

3. λ. τί τινι to set down to one's account, charge to one, Lat. imputare, Dem., N.T.

4. λογ. ἀπό. . to deduct from. . , Dem.

II.. without reference to numbers, to take into account, calculate, consider, Hdt., Att.; λ. περί τινος to form calculations about. . , Hdt., Xen.

2. c. acc. et inf. to count, deem, consider that. . , Hdt., Att.; with the inf. omitted, to reckon or account so and so, τὸν καθ᾽ ἡμέραν βίον λογίζου σόν Eur.; μίαν ἄμφω τὰς ἡμέρας λ. to count both days as one, Xen.

3. c. inf. fut. to count or reckon upon doing, to calculate or expect that. . , Hdt., Xen.;-c. acc. only, to count upon, Soph.

4. to conclude by reasoning, infer that a thing is, Plat., Xen.

III. the aor. i ἐλογίσθην and sometimes pf. λελόγισμαι are used in pass. sense, to be counted or calculated, Xen.

J.H. Moulton and G. Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament:

λογίζομαι [pg 377]

λογίζομαι

     is common in the sense of “reckon,” “put down to one’s account” as in Rom 46 al., e.g. P Eleph 518 (B.C. 284–3) ἐλογισάμην πρὸς Ἑρμαγόραν ὑπὲρ τοῦ οἴνου …, P Par 62iv. 1 (c. B.C. 170) ἃ οὐ λογισθήσεται τοῖς τελώναις, P Oxy XII. 14348 (A.D. 107–8) τὰ ἀργυρικὰ καὶ σειτικὰ καθ(ήκοντα) [ἐν]θάδε λογίζεται, “the due amounts in money and corn are reckoned here,” ib. III. 5339 (ii/iii A.D.) αἱ πρόσοδοί μου … παρὰ τῷ ταμείῳ ἐ[ν π]αραθέσει λογισθήτωσαν, “let my revenues be placed on deposit at the storehouse” (Edd.), P Flor II. 1237 (A.D. 254) λογιζομένου αὐτῷ τοῦ μονοχώρου δραχμῶν δεκά-εξ, “reckoning the wine to him at sixteen drachmae the monochore,” P Oxy VII. 10565 (A.D. 360) τῆς ἀρταβῆς μίας λογισζομένης ἐκ δηναρίων μυριάδων ἑκατὸν ὀγδοήκοντα, “a single artaba being reckoned at one hundred and eighty myriads of denarii.” ib. X. 1329 (A.D. 399) ἐπὶ τῷ με ταῦτά σοι λογίσασθαι, and OGIS 59515 (ii/A.D.) τὰ γὰρ ἕτερα ἀναλώματα … ἑαυτοῖς ἐλογισάμεθα, ἵνα μὴ τὴν πόλιν βαρῶμεν. The verb is construed with εἰς, as in Ac 1927, Rom 43, in P Fay 9 (A.D. 134) νυνεὶ δὲ συνλήβd[ην π]er[ὶ πάν]των ὁπωσou|ν διδομένων  … ]] ἢ λογιζομένων εἰς τὸ δημόσιον, “I now give orders generally with regard to all payments actually made or credited to the government.” From this meaning of the verb comes the λογιστήριον, “finance-office” (see s.v. κατακλείω). The verb has the more general sense of “number,” “class amongst,” as in Lk 2237 in a return of camels P Lond 3288 (A.D. 163) (= II. p. 75) πώλου ἑνὸς loγiζομένου νυνεὶ ἐν τελείοiv, “one foal being now numbered among the full-grown (camels).” Cf. also BGU IV. 102817 (ii/A.D.) αἱ δὲ λοιπ(αὶ) πρὸς ἡμίσιαν λογίζ(ονται), P Thead 818 (A.D. 306) διὰ τὸ τὰ προκίμενα ἐρύφιά τε καὶ αὐτὰ τέλεια λογείζ[εσθ]αι ἐπὶ τῷ μεμισθωμένῳ, “puisque les chevreaux de l’année précédente pourront être comptés comme adultes” (Ed.), and the late P Giss I. 564 (vi/A.D.) ἐpὶ δεκαετῆ χρ(όνον) λογιζόμε(νον) ἀπὸ καρπῶν τῶν νῦν ὄντων ἐν ἀγροῖς. Such a passage as OGIS 66528 (A.D. 49) ἐὰν δέ τις δῶι ἢ ὡς δεδομένον λογίσηται κτλ. prepares us for the meaning “think,” “consider,” in ib. 76367 (ii/B.C.) οἰκειοτάτην ἐλογιζόμην τὴν ἀνάθεσιν(τοῦ ἀνδριάντος) ἔσεσθαι ἐν ταύτηι (τῇ Μιλησίων πόλει): cf. P Par 6395 (B.C. 164) (= P Petr III. p. 26) τίς γὰρ οὕτως ἐστιν ἀνάλητος ἢ avliτρὸς ἐν τῶι λογίζεσθαι ; “for who is so utterly wanting in reason and the capacity for making distinctions?” (Mahaffy).

     On the Pauline metaphorical use of λογίζομαι see Ramsay Luke, p. 286 f., and Griffith Thomas, Exp T xvii. p. 211 ff. For the form λογισθείη in 2 Tim 416 see Moulton Gr. ii. p. 217. MGr λογιάζω, “consider,” “think upon,” λο(γ)αριάζω, “reckon,” “value.” 

Verlyn D. Verbrugge, ed. New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (abridged ed.: Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2000):

Logizomai is sometimes used for one’s relationship to God and often for God’s purposes with us, whether they are thoughts of peace (2 Sam. 14:14) or punitive judgements (Jer. 49:20 = LXX 29:20; 50:45 = LXX 27:45), or whether he will change them, if his people will only repent (26:3 = LXX 33:3; 36:3 = LXX 43:3). Hence, this concept, which in Heb. Expresses the emotional and personal and in Gk. The objective understanding of calculation and evaluation, can express both sides of the biblical message. God’s personal, righteous dealings with his people on the basis of his law alone enable them to believe and to count on God. God does not act in an arbitrary and incalculable fashion; he has revealed his purpose and plan of salvation through the prophetic word.

Horst Balz and Gerhard Schneider, eds. Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament (3 vols: Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1991)

λογιζομαι logizomai. Reckon, appraise, consider.

1.     Of 40 NT occurrences of the vb., about half are in direct citations of the LXX or formulations influenced by OT citations. This is the case esp. in the Pauline Epistles, from which Mark 15:28 . 1 par. Luke 22:37 (citing Isa 53:12) stands out in relief, insofar as only here mana (niphal: “be numbered with”) forms the foundation in the Hebrew text. The only other use of λογιζομαι for mana in the LXX is 2 Chron 5:26. The other NT occurrences of λογιζομαι outside the Pauline Epistles are in John 11:50; Acts 19:27; Heb 11:19: consider, be of the opinion; 1 Pet 5:12; Jas 2:23: believe. Jas 2:23 refers to Abraham’s “work of faith,” citing Gen 15:6, which is also decisive for Paul in Rom 4:3ff.

2.     For the Pauline letters secular Greek usage must be taken into account along with the LXX. In secular usage λογιζομαι refers, on the one hand, to objective “reckoning/account” of value and debit in commerce; on the other hand in classical philosophy it is used of objective “affirmation” of matters by the philosophers (cf. Plato Phd. 65c; see H.W. Heidland, TDNT IV 284-86). In political contexts, the vb. could also take on a political significance . . . . In the religious realm, the vb. is used of both the plan of God (Jer 18:8, 11; 27:45 LXX, etc. ) and to his judgment(Gen 15:6; Ps 105:31 LXX; negatively in 31:2 LXX). The meaning “credit, reckon,” which resonates here already, appears in the cultic realm in Lev 7:18; 17:4 (cf. G. von Rad, TZ 76 [1951] 129-32). In rabbinic literature other vbs. Beside hasab are used to mean “reckon something as. Thus the idea in gen 15:6 and the controversial passage Lev 17:4 is extended, so that the unrighteousness that is committed is reckoned as credit after the repentance of the perpetrator (cf. Billerbeck III, 121-23).

3.     Paul uses λογιζομαι in close connection with the LXX . . . The vb. is used in dependence on LXX usage where it is followed by the acc. with the inf. in Rom 3:28: “For we are of the opinion (= believe) that the person is justified”; correspondingly Rom 6:11; 14:14; Phil 3:13. The vb. has the same meaning with a connecting οτι in Rom 8:18; Heb 11:19, where it is equivalent to πιστευω: “[Abraham] believed that God can also raise the dead.

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (BDAG):

λογίζομαι

• λογίζομαι (λόγος) impf. ἐλογιζόμην; fut. λογιοῦμαι LXX; 1 aor. ἐλογισάμην; pf. λελόγιμαι LXX. Pass.: 1 aor. ἐλογίσθην; 1 fut. λογισθήσομαι. Mid. dep. (B-D-F §311; Rob. 816; 819) (Soph., Hdt.+) prim. a mathematical and accounting term, then of cognitive processes. In our lit. esp. used by Paul.; s. GThomas, ET 17, 1906, 211ff.

1. to determine by mathematical process, reckon, calculate, freq. in a transf. sense

a. count, take into account τὶ someth. ἡ ἀγάπη οὐ λογίζεται τὸ κακόν love keeps no score of wrongs (REB) 1 Cor 13:5 (cp. Zech 8:17). λ. τί τινι count someth. against someone, to punish the person for it (Simplicius in Epict. p. 79, 15 τὴν ἁμαρτίαν οὐ τῷ πράττοντι λογίζονται; TestZeb 9:7; Just., D. 141, 2f) μὴ λογιζόμενος αὐτοῖς τὰ παραπτώματα 2 Cor 5:19.—οὗ (v.l. ᾧ) οὐ μὴ λογίσηται κύριος ἁμαρτίαν Ro 4:8; 1 Cl 50:6 (both Ps 31:2; cp. 1 Cl 60:2). Pass. (Lev 17:4) μὴ αὐτοῖς λογισθείη (on the form s. Mlt-H. 217) 2 Ti 4:16.—But ‘place to one’s account’ can also mean credit τῷ ἐργαζομένῳ ὁ μισθὸς οὐ λογίζεται κατὰ χάριν a worker’s wages are not credited as a favor (but as a claim) Ro 4:4. ᾧ ὁ θεὸς λογίζεται δικαιοσύνην vs. 6. Pass. εἰς τὸ λογισθῆναι αὐτοῖς τ. δικαιοσύνην vs. 11.—λ. τινί τι εἴς τι credit someth. to someone as someth. pass. ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην (after Gen 15:6; cp. Ps 105:31; 1 Macc 2:52) Ro 4:3, 5, 9, 22 (WDiezinger, NovT 5, ’62, 288-98 [rabbinic use of λογ.]); Gal 3:6; Js 2:23; 1 Cl 10:6.—Cp. also Ro 4:10, 23f.—H-WHeidland, D. Anrechnung des Glaubens zur Gerechtigkeit ’36; FDanker, in Gingrich Festschr. ’72, 104.—λ. εἴς τινα put on someone’s account, charge to someone (cp. the commercial terminology OGI 595, 15 τὰ ἕτερα ἀναλώματα ἑαυτοῖς ἐλογισάμεθα, ἵνα μὴ τὴν πόλιν βαρῶμεν; PFay 21, 9) μή τις εἰς ἐμὲ λογίσηται so that no one may credit me 2 Cor 12:6.

b. as a result of a calculation evaluate, estimate, look upon as, consider (Hyperid. 2, 20; TestSol 4:11) εἰς οὐθὲν λογισθῆναι be looked upon as nothing (Is 40:17; Wsd 3:17; 9:6) Ac 19:27. τὰ τέκνα τ. ἐπαγγελίας λογίζεται εἰς σπέρμα the children of the promise are looked upon as seed Ro 9:8 (cp. La 4:2). οὐχ ἡ ἀκροβυστία αὐτοῦ εἰς περιτομὴν λογισθήσεται; will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 2:26. οὔτε τοὺς νομιζομένους ὑπὸ τῶν Ἑλλήνων θεοὺς λογίζονται they do not recognize the deities honored by the Greeks Dg 1:1.—Count, class (PLond II, 328, 8 p. 75 [II AD] of a camel’s colt: λογιζομένου νυνὶ ἐν τελείοις=‘which is now classed among the full-grown’) μετὰ ἀνόμων ἐλογίσθη he was classed among the criminals (Is 53:12) Mk 15:27 [28] v.l.; Lk 22:37. Also (exactly like the LXX) ἐν τοῖς ἀνόμοις ἐλογίσθη 1 Cl 16:13. μετὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐλογίσθησαν they were counted with the nations Hs 8, 9, 3.—οὐκ ἐλογίσθη he was held in disrespect 1 Cl 16:3 (Is 53:3).—λ. τινα ὡς w. acc. consider, look upon someone as: ἡμᾶς λογιζέσθω ἄνθρωπος ὡς ὑπηρέτας Χριστοῦ 1 Cor 4:1. λ. ἡμᾶς ὡς κατὰ σάρκα περιπατοῦντας 2 Cor 10:2b. Pass. ἐλογίσθημεν ὡς πρόβατα σφαγῆς Ro 8:36 (Ps 43:23). πιστοὶ λογισθέντες regarded as believers Dg 11:2. ὁ σήμερον υἱὸς λογισθείς who today is celebrated as a Son 11:5 (Ps 2:7). λ. τινα foll. by acc. and inf. (Is 53:4) λογίζεσθε ἑαυτοὺς εἶναι νεκρούς consider yourselves dead Ro 6:11. ἡμεῖς ἐλογισάμεθα αὐτὸν εἶναι ἐν πόνῳ we deemed him to be in pain (as punishment) 1 Cl 16:4.

2. to give careful thought to a matter, think (about), consider, ponder, let one’s mind dwell on τὶ someth. (PsSol 2, 28b; ApcEsdr 3:9; Philo, Leg. All. 3, 227 ταῦτα; Jos., Ant. 6, 211) Phil 4:8. Foll. by ὅτι (PsSol 2, 28a; Philo, Somn. 2, 169; Jos., Ant. 11, 142; Ath., R. 9 p. 57, 30) J 11:50; Hb 11:19. τοῦτο λ. ὅτι 2 Cor 10:11, 7 (here ἐφ᾽ [v.l. ἀφ᾽ ἑαυτοῦ in his own mind is added); B 1:5. W. ἐν ἑαυτῷ and direct speech Hs 5, 2, 4 (cp. GrBar 4:12); w. ἐν ἑαυταῖς and direct question foll. Lk 24:1 D; also ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν πότερον … ἤ Hs 9, 28, 4.—Have in mind, propose, purpose Dg 7:3 (Mel., P. 63, 455); w. inf. foll. (X., An. 2, 2, 13; 1 Macc 6:19) 2 Cor 10:2a. Think out τὶ someth. (Ps 51:4) ὡς ἐξ ἑαυτῶν as (if) of ourselves 3:5. Reason or make plans (Wsd 2:1) ὡς νήπιος like a child 1 Cor 13:11.

3. to hold a view about someth., think, believe, be of the opinion w. ὅτι foll. (Just., A I, 8, 1 al.) Ro 8:18. W. acc. and ὅτι foll.: λογίζῃ τοῦτο …, ὅτι; do you imagine that? 2:3. Foll. by acc. and inf. (Wsd 15:12; Just., A I, 53, 1; Tat., Ath.) λογιζόμεθα δικαιοῦσθαι ἄνθρωπον we hold a person to be justified 3:28. λ. τι κοινὸν εἶναι 14:14. ἐμαυτὸν οὐ (v.l. οὔπω) λ. κατειληφέναι I consider that I have not yet attained Phil 3:13. ὃν λογίζομαι καὶ τοὺς ἀθέους ἐντρέπεσθαι whom, I think, even the godless respect ITr 3:2. Foll. by the inf. alone 2 Cor 11:5; Dg 3:3 (Just., D. 102, 7 al.).—ὡς λογίζομαι as I think 1 Pt 5:12; Mk 11:31 v.l.—DELG s.v. λέγω 2. M-M. EDNT. TW. 

The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Septuagint (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012).

λογίζομαι

logizomai, v., count; credit; consider. 120× +NT +AF

Hebrew Alignment

חשׁב—to weave; to respect, hold in high regard; to assume, impute, reckon, devise, invent (68): Gen 15:6; 31:15; Lev 7:8; 17:4; 25:31; 27:23; Nu 18:27, 30; Dt 2:11, 20; 1 Kgdms 1:13; 18:25; 2 Kgdms 4:2; 14:13, 14; 3 Kgdms 10:21; 2 Ch 9:20; Esd B 16:2, 6; 23:13; Job 41:20, 23; Ps 31:2; 34:4; 35:5; 40:8; 43:23; 51:4; 105:31; 139:3, 5; 143:3; Pr 16:1; 17:28; 24:8; Isa 5:28; 10:7; 13:17; 29:16, 17; 32:15; 33:8; 40:15, 17; 53:3, 4; Je 11:19; 18:8, 11, 18; 23:27; 27:45; 29:21; 30:8; 31:2; 33:3; 36:11; 43:3; Lam 4:2; Eze 11:2; 38:10; Hos 7:15; 8:12; Amos 6:5; Mic 2:1, 3; Nah 1:9; Zec 8:17

מנה—to divide into parts, count; to reckon as; to count out, remit; to apportion, allot; to send, appoint (2): 2 Ch 5:6; Is 53:12

Unique Hebrew Alignment

קרא1—to call, to shout; to name, appoint, summon, proclaim, announce; to recite, read: Dt 3:13; היה—to come to pass, occur, happen; to be, become, have: 2 Kgdms 19:43; ספק1—to clap one’s hands; to slap oneself; to beat: Job 34:37; שׁבת—to cease, stop; to be absent; to come to an end, perish, die; to rest, celebrate (the Sabbath): Ps 118:119; אמר1—to say, mention, think, command: Ec 10:3; נטל—to impose, lay upon; to weigh; to lift up: Is 40:15; שׁוב—to turn back, return: Is 44:19

English Gloss

consider (23): Wis 2:16, 21; 3:2; 5:4; 7:9; 8:17; 9:6; 14:20; 15:12, 15; 17:13; 1 Mac 2:52; 3 Mac 4:4; 5:16; 4 Mac 3:15; 8:16, 19; Ps Sol 1:3; 2:32; Tob 3:10 (var.); 14:4 (var.); Dan 4:32 (var.); 11:24 (var.)

reckon (4): Wis 3:10, 17; Sir 40:19; Ps Sol 16:5

count (3): Job 31:28; Sir 29:6; Tob 10:1

determine (1): 1 Mac 6:19

counted as (1): Wis 15:2

reason (1): Wis 2:1

devise (1): Da 11:25 (var.)

plan (1): 1 Mac 3:52

compare (1): Bar 3:36

realize (1): 1 Mac 6:9

considering them (1): 1 Mac 10:38

regard them as (1): 2 Mac 6:12

intend (1): 2 Mac 11:2

considered it (1): 4 Mac 3:15

track of (1): Tob 10:1 (var.)

The Brill Dictionary of Ancient Greek

 

λογίζομαι λόγος impf. ἐλογιζόμην ‖ fut. λογιοῦμαι, rar. λογίσομαι ‖ aor. ἐλογισάμην ‖ pf. λελόγισμαι ‖ ppf. (ἐ)λελογίσμην ‖ aor. pass. ἐλογίσθην ‖ fut. pass. [λογισθήσομαι] ① mid. ⓐ to calculate, count, estimate ▶ abs. Hdt. 2.16.1 etc.; ψήφοισι with stones Hdt. 2.36.4; καί …πεντακισχίλια καὶ μύρια λογίζονται εἶναι (τὰ ἔτεα) they calculate that (the years) are 15,000 Hdt. 2.145.2; μὴ ψήφοις ἀλλʼ ἀπὸ χειρός not with pebbles, but with the fingers Aristoph. Ve. 656; τοὺς τόκους interest Aristoph. Nub. 20; ▶ with acc. τὰς βλάβας ἃς ἐλογίζετο αὑτῷ γεγενῆσθαι the damage he estimated he had suffered Demosth. 21.176; τὴν ἀξίαν ἑκάστου the value of each thing Arr. EpictD. 2.23.6 | to include: τὸν Πᾶνα τῶν ὀκτὼ θεῶν λογίζονται εἶναι they include Pan among the eight gods Hdt. 2.46.1 ‖ to put sthg. on one’s account, charge, debit: δώδεκα (μνᾶς) twelve (minas) Aristoph. Pl. 381; τἀνηλωμένα expenses Demosth. 18.113; τῇ τύχῃ to fate Xen.¹1.16.3; ▶ τί τινι sthg. to s.o. Lys. 32.24 ‖ to verify accounts ▶ τινι of s.o. Aristot. Ath. 48.3, al. ⓑ to consider, reflect, think ▶ τι sthg. Soph. O.T. 461 Hdt. 9.53.4 Thuc. 1.76.2 NT Phil. 4:8 (also in a voluntary sense, cf. infra c) etc.; ▶ περί τινος concerning, on sthg. Hdt. 2.22.2 Xen. Mem. 4.3.11 etc.; Σμέρδιν τὸν Κύρου μηκέτι ὑμῖν ἐόντα λογίζεσθε consider that Smerdis son of Cyrus is no longer alive Hdt. 3.65.5; ἐλογίσατο αὐτήν …εἰς μεθύουσαν he considered her to be drunk VT 1 Sam. 1:13; ▶ with ὡς or ὅτι that …λογισάμενος ὅτι οἷόν τε εἴη thinking it to be possible Xen. Hel. 2.4.28; ἐλογίζοντο ὡς εἰ μὴ μαχοῖντο, ἀποστήσοιντο μὲν αἱ περιοικίδες αὐτῶν πόλεις they considered that if they had not fought, the surrounding cities would have defected Xen. Hel. 6.4.6; πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν δʼ οὖν ἀπιὼν ἐλογιζόμην ὅτι τούτου μὲν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐγὼ σοφώτερός εἰμι when I went home, I thought I knew more than that man Plat. Ap. 21d; ▶ with inf. that …ἐκ τούτων τῶν λόγων τοιόνδε τι λογίζομαι συμβαίνειν I think that a conclusion such as this follows from such reasonings Plat. Gorg. 524b; οὐκ ἐλογίσατο παρʼ ἑαυτῷ ὅτι δούλων …ἥδε ἐστὶν ὑπηρεσία he did not reason with himself that this service is for slaves Phil.² Somn. 2.30 ‖ to conclude, deduce, establish: ἐλογισάμην …με φῦναι I concluded that I had been born Eur. Or. 555; ὅτι …τὴν ὑμετέραν πόλιν δυναίμην ἂν παραστήσασθαι ἔξεστί σοι ἐκ τῶνδε λογίζεσθαι you can deduce from this that I could enslave your city Xen. Hel. 6.1.5 ⓒ to count on, rely, expect: εἴ τις δύο ἢ κἀπὶ πλείους ἡμέρας λογίζεται if one counts on two or even more days Soph. Tr. 944; ἐλογίζετο κατύπερθέ οἱ τὰ πρήγματα ἔσεσθαι τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν he was convinced that he would be superior to the Greeks Hdt. 8.136.3; λογιζόμενοι ἥξειν ἅμα ἡλίῳ δύνοντι counting on arriving at sunset Xen. An. 2.2.13; δῆλος ἦν εὐδαίμονα μὲν αἰεὶ ἔσεσθαι τὴν πατρίδα λογιζόμενος his idea clearly was that the nation would be forever prosperous Xen. Ag. 7.3 ⓓ in a voluntary sense to think, contrive, plot: ἀδικίαν injustices VT Ps. 51:4; εἰς ἐμὲ ἐλογίσαντο πονηρά they plotted malicious acts against me VT Hos. 7:15 | ▶ int. obj. λ. ἐπί τινα λογισμόν to contrive a plot against s.o. (of God) VT Jer. 18:11 ② pass. (aor. and pf., rar. pres.) ⓐ to be counted, calculated, estimated Hdt. 3.95.1 etc.; χρήματα …εἰς ἀργύριον λογισθέντα a sum calculated in silver Xen. Cyr. 3.1.33; ὁπλῖται …ἐλογίσθησαν οὐκ ἐλάττους δισμυρίων it was estimated that there were no less than 20,000 hoplites Xen. Hel. 6.1.19 | ▶ with dat. to be taken into account, fig. NT 2 Cor. 5:19; ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην it was reckoned as justice for him VT Gen. 15:6 , Ps. 105:31 etc. ‖ fig. to be estimated, considered: ὡς αἱ ἀλλοτρίαι λελογίσμεθα αὐτῷ we have been considered by him as strangers VT Gen. 31:15 ⓑ to be considered, pondered Plat. Tim. 34b, Phaedr. 246c; subst. ptc. τὸ λελογισμένον reflection, judgment, common sense Eur. I.A. 386 Luc. Nigr. pref. (Franco Montanari, The Brill Dictionary of Ancient Greek [Leiden: Brill, 2015], S.V. λογιζομαι)

 

1 Cor 5:9-10 and the "missing books of the Bible" argument

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral persons not at all meaning the immoral of this world, or the greedy and robbers, or idolaters, since you would then need to go out of the world. (1 Cor 5:9-10 NRSV)

This verse has often been cited by Latter-day Saints as evidence that Paul wrote letters that, while referenced in his epistles, are no longer extant. Some Protestant apologists (e.g, Norman Geisler) has tried to counter this claim by arguing that this is a device called the “epistolary aorist,” and Paul was referencing the letter he was writing at the time (i.e., First Corinthians itself), notwithstanding the vast majority of modern biblical scholarship rejecting this claim (see the discussion by D. Charles Pyle in this paper here). I am currently reading a hefty (1,300+ pages) commentary on this epistle, and the author, commenting on this passage, writes:

Several of the Church Fathers (followed by Erasmus) interpret εγραψα in v. 9 as an epistolary aorist denoting the present act of writing (as in Gal 1:11; Philem 19, 21; and Col 4:8). But this is excluded by ἐν τῇ ἐπιστολῇ, in my [the] letter. The view that this verse makes it certain that Paul wrote "a previous letter" goes back to the early Latin commentator Ambrosiaster, and is endorsed by Calvin, Beza, Estius, Grotius, Bengel, and virtually all modern commentators. (Anthony C. Thiselton, The First Epistle to the Corinthians [The New International Greek Testament Commentary: Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2000], 408-9; emphasis in original.)

As Thiselton noted, Calvin also held to the view that this letter is no longer extant; in his commentary 1 Cor 5:9, Calvin writes (emphasis added):

The epistle of which he speaks is not at this day extant. Nor is there any doubt that many others are lost. It is enough, however, that those have been preserved to us which the Lord foresaw would suffice. But this passage, in consequence of its obscurity, has been twisted to a variety of interpretations, which I do not think it necessary for me to take up time in setting aside, but will simply bring forward what appears to me to be its true meaning. He reminds the Corinthians of what he had already enjoined upon them—that they should refrain from intercourse with the wicked. For the word rendered to keep company with, means to be on terms of familiarity with any one, and to be in habits of close intimacy with him. Now, his reminding them of this tends to expose their remissness, inasmuch as they had been admonished, and yet had remained inactive.

He adds an exception, that they may the better understand that this refers particularly to those that belong to the Church, as they did not require to be admonished to avoid the society of the world. In short, then, he prohibits the Corinthians from holding intercourse with those who, while professing to be believers, do, nevertheless, live wickedly and to the dishonor of God. "Let all that wish to be reckoned brethren, either live holily and becomingly, or be excommunicated from the society of the pious, and let all the good refrain from intercourse and familiarity with them. It were superfluous to speak as to the openly wicked, for you ought of your own accord to shun them, without any admonition from me." This exception, however, increases the criminality of remissness, inasmuch as they cherished in the bosom of the Church an openly wicked person; for it is more disgraceful to neglect those of your own household than to neglect strangers.

While acknowledging (correctly) Paul is referencing a letter no longer extant in this text, Calvin engages in special pleading by arguing that God did not allow its preservation in his sovereignty as the extant Pauline letters (and rest of the canon) would “suffice” (be formally sufficient). However, outside his ipse dixit, and fallacious reasoning, he and any other Protestants who holds to, not just sola, but tota scriptura, cannot ever be sure of this.

While it is true that just because a volume is referenced in the Bible does not mean that the biblical authors imputed to it the status of God-breathed scripture, can a Protestant claim with 100% confidence this lost epistle was not inspired by God? If they will argue that if it were, God would have preserved it, then what about the book of Deuteronomy that was lost for years until it was rediscovered in 2 Kgs 22? Furthermore, what about "missing books" which are not secular texts (e.g., annals), but said to have been written by prophets? For instance, in 2 Chron 9:29, we read:

Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, are they not written in the history of the prophet Nathan, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of the seer Iddo concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat?

All the descriptions of these prophets and their writings reflect the language of divine inspiration, not merely historical works the biblical authors refer the reader to for further secular information, such as "prophet" (נָבִיא); "prophecy" (נְבוּאָה); "visions" (חֲזוֹת) and "seer" (חֹזֶה). Again, only by engaging in special pleading can a Protestant apologist brush off the "missing books in the Bible" argument for these and similar prophetical/apostolic writings.

The myth of the impeccability and infallibility of Church leaders

In a previous post, "The importance of one's assumptions and presuppositions," I reproduced part of an email I sent to a member of the Church who was struggling due, in large part, to fundamentalist assumptions (read: inerrancy of scripture; infallibility and impeccability of Church leadership). in Alongside the information reproduced there, I am adding some further information to the discussion where we learn from Brigham Young and the apostle Paul, where the impeccability and personal infallibility of Church leaders is deemed a fiction with no basis in reality (such quotes could be multiplied):

As you have been told hundreds of times, how easy it would be for your leaders to lead you to destruction unless you actually know the mind and will of the Spirit yourselves. (Brigham Young; JOD 4:368)

I do not wish any Latter-day Saint in this world, nor in heaven, to be satisfied with anything I do, unless the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, the spirit of revelation, makes them satisfied . . . Suppose that the people were heedless, that they manifested no concern with regard to the things of the kingdom of God, but threw the whole burden upon the leaders fo the people, saying, 'if the brethren who take charge of matters are satisfied, we are,' that is not pleasing in the sight of the Lord. (Brigham Young; JOD 3:45)

And when James and Cephas and John, who were acknowledged pillars, recognised the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was eager to do. But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood self-condemned; for until certain people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But after they came, he drew back and keep himself separate for fear of the circumcision faction. And the other jews joined him in this hypocrisy so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. But when I saw that they were not acting consistency with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, "If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?" (Gal 2:9-14 [NRSV])

Jonah 3:9-10 and free will

"Who knows, God may turn and relent and withdraw His burning anger so that we will not perish." When God saw their deeds, that they turned form their wicked way, then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared he would bring upon them. And He did not do it. (Jonah 3:9-10 [1995 NASB])

This text, alongside similar ones, show that man has a genuine free will that can affect their relationship to God. Another potent example would be Zech 1:3:

Therefore, say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.

Uriel Simon, commenting on this pericope, writes:


9. Who knows An expression of wishing and hoping (like the captain’s “perhaps”; see Comment to 1:6), used by someone who knows clearly that even the most severe self-affliction (such as by David during the illness of Bathsheba’s son [2 Sam. 12:22]) and even absolute and total repentance (like that demanded by the prophet Joel [2:12–14]) are no guarantee that the fatal decree will be revoked. This is because according to strict justice, even sinners who repent still deserve punishment, and the expunging of their transgressions remains an unmerited act of mercy. (Compare the self-abasement through which Ben-hadad’s ministers hoped to attain clemency for their defeated king: “We have heard that the kings of the House of Israel are magnanimous kings. Let us put sackcloth on our loins and ropes on our heads, and surrender to the king of Israel; perhaps he will spare your life” [1 Kings 20:31].)

may turn and repent Change his mind and decision. The concept of measure for measure in the relationship between the purging of sins and God’s repenting is expressed by the use of the root sh-w-v to indicate both what is demanded of the condemned—“Let every person turn back from his evil ways” (3:8)—and what it is hoped the judge will grant: “God may turn and repent, and turn back from His wrath.” For another use of this rhetorical device, cf. “Turn back to me—says the LORD of Hosts—and I will turn back to you—said the LORD of Hosts” (Zech. 1:3).

so that we do not perish The king concludes his decree with a cautious hope that at the same time makes tangible the significance of the city’s overthrow: we have all been condemned to perish.

10. God saw Like the king (see Comment to v. 8), the narrator too refers to the unnamed “God” (ha-Elohim), probably to emphasize that God responds even to those who do not have full knowledge of Him.

what they did In penitence, deeds have greater weight than words (cf. Isa. 1:15–16; Amos 5:14–15). Accordingly it is not written that God heard their prayer but that He saw their deeds. At first sight, the reference is to both physical mortification and the return of ill-gotten gains. Since however, the text does not say “and that they had turned back,” it may be that “how they had turned back from their evil ways” is simply an explanation of “what they had done.” This is how the sages read the verse when they cited the Ninevites’ repentance as an exemplary model for what Jews should do at a public fast called because of prolonged drought: “What is the procedure on the days of fasting?… The eldest among them utters before them words of admonition: ‘Brethren, it is not written of the men of Nineveh that ‘God saw their sackcloth and fasting,’ but that ‘God saw what they did, how they had turned back from their evil ways’ ” (M. Taʿanit 2, 1).

from their evil ways Measure for measure: they “turned back from their evil ways” and correspondingly “God repented the evil” (cf. Jer. 18:8; 26:3); and again, “God saw what they did,” and correspondingly God repented what “He had said to do to them, and did not do it.”

and did not do it The narrator’s concluding words (ve-loʾ ʿasah) echo the end of the king’s order “that we do not perish” (ve-loʾ noʾved) (v. 9), to indicate that the royal decree and the Ninevites’ compliance with it achieved their objective in full (Sasson). (Simon, U. (1999). Jonah (pp. 33–34). Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society.)

Jonah, Nineveh, and the contingent nature of prophecy

The book of Jonah is often cited as an example of how prophecy is contingent; in this volume, God relents against the promise of destruction of Nineveh, a Gentile city, after their repentance, notwithstanding no contingencies being provided in his decree against the city (see this page from Russell Ashdown against Eric Johnson's pathetic attempt to downplay the significance of this). On this theme, Jewish OT scholar, Uriel Simon, wrote the following on this issue:

Prophecy: Realization versus Compliance. The third reading, which focuses on Jonah’s stubborn refusal to prophesy against Nineveh and his anger at its deliverance, grounds the story on Jonah’s jealous concern for the veracity of prophecy and his apprehension lest his credibility be undermined. The midrash illuminates Jonah’s expectations by recalling his success in Samaria and his forebodings by a hypothetical reconstruction of his failure in Jerusalem:

Why did he run away? The first time, God sent him to restore the territory of Israel and His word was fulfilled, as it is stated: “He [Jeroboam II] restored the territory of Israel from Lebo-hamath [in accordance with the promise that the Lord … made through His servant, … Jonah son of Amittai]” (2 Kings 14:25). The second time, He sent him to Jerusalem to destroy it. Because [its people] repented, the Holy One Blessed be He acted in accordance with His great mercy and repented of His fatal intention and did not destroy it. Thus Israel called him a “false prophet.” The third time, He sent him to Nineveh. Jonah reasoned with himself, saying, “I know that this nation is quick to repent. Now they will repent, and the Holy One Blessed be He will dispatch his anger against Israel. Is it not enough that Israel calls me a false prophet, but idol-worshippers will do so as well! I shall run away instead.…” (Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 10)

According to this view—which was adopted by Daniel al-Kumissi the Karaite, Saadiah Gaon (Beliefs and Opinions 3, 5), Rashi, Joseph Kara, and David Kimḥi (who combined it with the second theme reviewed above), Abraham bar Ḥiyya, Abravanel, and many modern scholars—the Book of Jonah seeks to teach us about the educational purpose of prophecies of doom (cf. Ezek. 3:16–21 and 33:1–9) through the medium of a story that criticizes a prophet who viewed announcing future events as his role and full realization of the prophecy as his only test. Jonah runs away because he cannot resolve two contradictions: between the categorization of prophecies that do not come to pass as “false prophecies” (Deut. 18:21–22) and the revocation of the verdict against Nineveh, in response to its repentance; and between the concept of God as unchanging and resolute (cf. Num. 23:19) and His attributes of compassion and forgiveness. Nevertheless the Lord compelled him to prophesy against Nineveh to teach him the paradoxical nature of true prophets, who “foretell punishment to make it unnecessary” (St. Jerome in his commentary on Ezek. 33:1, cited by Bickerman, p. 40).

Such a definition of the prophet’s role is undoubtedly an appropriate and weighty theme for a prophetic narrative, but there is no real sign in the Book of Jonah of the prophet’s anguish that his prediction did not come to pass, nor anything like this elsewhere in the Bible. This is why the author of the midrash quoted above had to assume that Jonah had previously been mocked by the people of Jerusalem, while Bickerman (p. 38) is forced to rely on a strained comparison with Jeremiah’s distress (20:7–8) when he is ridiculed by the sinful inhabitants of Jerusalem, who, seeing that the word of the Lord is slow to be realized, persist in their transgressions. Hence it is not surprising that most commentators who consider contingent prophecy to be the theme of the book combine it with some other theme. (Simon, Uriel (1999). Jonah (pp. x-xi). Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society.)