Abstract
The New Testament (NT) κύριος problem forms part of a larger interconnected network of challenges, which has the divine name Yhwh as the epicentre. To put it plainly, if the term κύριος is an equivalent for the divine name Yhwh and if the term κύριος in the Yhwh sense is applied to Jesus, the implication is that Jesus is put on par with Yhwh. This problem therefore, forms part of a matrix of interconnected issues in a constant push and pull relation. There is no easy way to address this problem, but one must start somewhere. This study will attempt to introduce, illustrate and explain the complexity of the NT κύριος problem to contribute to a deeper understanding of the problem and to appreciate its intricacies. The aim is therefore to illustrate the intricacy of the problem by showing where the NT κύριος problem might have originated and how it evolved. These intricacies will then be pulled into a singular focus made possible by the explicit κύριος citations. These citations, in turn, will be categorised as Theos, Davidic and Jesus speeches and analysed in an attempt to contribute to a possible solution. Contribution: This article fits in well with the contestation of ‘historical thought’ and ‘source interpretation’. It deals with significant religious expressions found in the Hebrew Scriptures (in both the Hebrew and Greek vernacular). It not only interprets these sources, but it also aims to show the history of how these expressions were interpreted, thus, contributing to interdisciplinary discourses.
Highlights
The translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek was one of the biggest undertakings of its kind
Two theories will be put to test in this regard: (1) whether the term κύριος as an equivalent for יהוהis a theological rendering designating ‘master of the universe,’
The only option is to keep on addressing every single aspect of the κύριος problem against a multilayered complex background
Summary
The translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek was one of the biggest undertakings of its kind. The NT κύριος problem is both conceptual and linguistical in nature; conceptually, it is a matter of who Jesus was perceived to be predominately in relation to a Hebrew deity, and albeit to a lesser extent, the Emperor as dominus Speaking, it is a culmination brought about by the complexities of all the Hebrew and Aramaic terms used to reference a Hebrew deity and finding a suitable Greek equivalent in translating these terms.[1] A few assumptions are made that form the basis for the NT κύριος problem: 1. What the study wants to convey with this idea of an interconnected web is that no issue, irrespective of when it occurred in history or where and how it is situated in the process (conceptualisation, transmission and translation), ever reach a static state; they remain fluid and ever-evolving Think of it as a circular web with lines cutting across; forming nodes (connections) where they cut across the circular lines. Are some of these nodes, of which only a few will be discussed in detail: 1. a Hebraic concept of Yhwh 2. transmission of the term in the Hebrew tradition 3. the translation of the term into Greek 4. transmission of the term in the Greek tradition 5. a Hellenistic/Graeco–Roman concept of the term κύριος 6. the theology and kyriology of the NT; using the term κύριος for Jesus
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