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κερδαίνω As a Missionary Term1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 August 2011

David Daube
David Daube
Affiliation:
Caius College, Cambridge, England
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Extract

It seems agreed that κερδαίνω in the sense of ‘to win over an unbeliever to one's faith’ (I Cor. 9.19–22, I Pet. 3.1) or ‘to win back a sinner to the way of life required by his and your faith’ (Matt. 18.15) is an echter terminus technicus der Missions-sprache; by which is meant, apparently, that there is no precedent for this sense of the word in either Hellenistic or Rabbinic language. I wish to suggest that this view is not correct; and that the use of κερδαίνω in the passages in question, while conceivably reflecting a specifically Christian trend, is in the main determined by the Rabbinic vocabulary.

Type
Research Article
Information
Harvard Theological Review , Volume 40 , Issue 2 , April 1947 , pp. 109 - 120
Copyright
Copyright © President and Fellows of Harvard College 1947

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References

2 J. Weiss, Der erste Korintherbrief, 9th ed., 10th impr., 1925, p. 243; adopted by A. Schlier, κέρδος, κερδαίνω, in Theologisches Wörterbuch zum Neuen Testament, ed. G. Kittel, vol. III, 1938, p. 672.

3 See I. Raffalovitch, Anglo-Hebrew Modern Dictionary, s.vv. ‘earn’ and ‘profit,’ and M. D. Gross, Hamilton Hashalem, part I (Hebrew-German), s.v. śakhar.