Did Jesus raise or was he raised from the dead? Interpretation of the passive forms of the verb ἐγείρω in the New Testament
Andrzej Piwowar
Instytut Nauk Biblijnych KUL , PolandAbstract
The article focuses on the interpretation of the passive forms of the verb ἐγείρω used with reference to Jesus’s resurrection. It offers a detailed analysis of the deployment of the word in the Greek text of the New Testament as well as discusses the possibility of interpreting Greek passive forms in a reflexive way. The verb ἐγείρω appears in various contexts and it is analyzed here depending on its meaning in a given context (primarily “to raise” and “to raise someone”). When the verb means “to raise,” it is intransitive, and its passive forms should be interpreted as reflexive. When it refers to resurrection, passive forms may be interpreted in the same way, but since they refer also to other persons apart from Jesus (e.g. John the Baptist), they should be treated as passive. While Jesus – as God – could have raised himself, people could not have done the same on their own – they were raised by God. It is a theological argument, then, that plays a role here. Furthermore, it seems that when used with reference to resurrection, the verb should be treated as transitive (as corroborated by its active forms), which further justifies the interpretation of the passive forms as passive
Keywords:
ἐγείρω, passive voice, resurrection, being raised from the dead, raising someone from the deadReferences
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