oikoumene

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To: cf01@zeus.odyssey.net (Chris Foster)
From: wcopes@communique.net (Walter Copes)
Subject: oikoumene

 CF> I think that the historic record of the suffering of the Jews is
 CF> the result of them rejecting the Saviour.  What do you think of
 CF> the scripture that says 'Let his blood be upon us and our
 CF> children'?

     I agree. However, the point was that the suffering at the de-
struction of Jerusalem in 70 AD cannot be said to be of such a nature
that it was never know in the past nor will be duplicated or exceeded
in the future. It was exceeded in WWII.

 CF> The gospel would be preached in all the world (oikoumene - Roman
 CF> empire) look it up, it is the same word used in Luke 2:1, Acts
 CF> 11:28, but most importantly in Romans 10:18.  Do you think that
 CF> Paul was saying that the gospel was heard at the ends of the
 CF> oikoumene or the global earth?

     The word "oikoumene" is used 15 times in the New Testament
(Matthew 24:14; Luke 2:1; 4:5; 21:26; Acts 11:28; 17:6, 31; 17:31;
24:5; Romans 10:18; Heb 1:6; 2:5; Rev 3:10; 12:9; 16:14). In the KJV
it is consistently translated as "world." (Translation committee
consisted of 48 scholars all who could speak, read, and write Greek.)

Luke 2:1
     KJV--world
      LB--Roman Empire
     TEV--Empire
     NIV--Roman world
     PME--inhabited world
     RSV--all the world
      JB--Whole world
     NEB--Roman world
     TAB--whole Roman Empire

Acts 11:28
      KJV--all the world
       LB--land of Israel
      TEV--all the earth
      NIV--entire Roman world
      PME--the world
      RSV--all the world
       JB--whole empire
      NEB--world-wide famine
      TAB--the whole world

Romans 10:18
      KJV--end of the earth
       LB--ends of the earth
      TEV--ends of the earth
      NIV--ends of the world
      PME--ends of the world
      RSV--ends of the world
       JB--ends of the world
      NEB--bounds of the inhabited world
      TAB--far bounds of the world

     In Romans 10:18 not a single translation uses "Roman empire",
"Roman world", or "Empire." The New English Bible would be the clos-
est. However, we do know that 6 of the 7 continents were inhabited at
the time the New Testament was written.

     Vine,s says "OIKOUMENE, the inhabited earth (See Earth, No. 2) is
used (a) of the whole inhabited world, Matthew 14:14; Luke 4:5; 21:26;
Romans 10:18; Heb 1:6; Rev 3:10; 16:14; by metonymy of its inhabi-
tants, Acts 17:31; Rev 12:9 (b) of the Roman Empire, the world as
viewed by the swriter or speaker, Luke 2:1; Acts 11:28; 24:45; by
metonymy, of its inhabitants, Acts 17:6; 19:27; (c) the inhabited
world in a coming age, Hebrews 2:5.

     Earth, No. 2 [OIKOUMENE]--the present participle, Passive Voice,
of "oikeo," to dwellk inhabit, denotes the inhabited earth. It is
translated "world" in every place where it has this significance, save
in Luke 21:26, A.V., where it is translated "earth."=7F

     In the light of the evidence I do not believe that your under-
standing that the Gospel will be preached in all the world, meaning
Roman Empire, is accurate. Had it been the 48 members of the KJV
translating committee would have used the expression "Roman Empire."
Yet we know that they did not do so. Thus the preaching of the Gospel
is not JUST to the Roman Empire but to the inhabited world.

Walter Copes
The joy of the Lord is my strength
(wcopes@communique.net)
Walter L Copes=20