2 Corinthians 3 (authentic or not?)

[DCHindley]

The answer is yes!

τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης = "the old covenant." The Greek word diatheke means "through the sheath" meaning to put away one's sword by stowing it in its holster. The idea is that the end of hostilities signifies that a treaty had been agreed to. Covenant, in English, is just an old fashioned way of saying treaty.

There is another use I am aware of where the term diatheke can mean "a will," or again in old fashioned English, "Testament." The testament writer's terms under which a son may share in his father's estate. Those terms could at times be harsh, if he considers a certain son to be a lay-about or immoral. So, we're back to "covenant."

DCH

2 Cor 3 reads rather oddly. Is it a later forgery?

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?s ... rsion=NRSV

In particular:

12 Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, 13 not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. 14 But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. 15 Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; 16 but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.

Did Paul really say "the old covenant"?

[Kunigunde Kreuzerin]

I wonder if the the concept "old covenant" can be found in the OT or LXX.

Jeremiah - MT 31:31 = LXX 38:31

Behold, the days come, says Yahweh, that I will make a new covenant (διαθήκην καινήν) with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

[davidmartin]

I give up with Paul!

[GakuseiDon]

Other covenants struck by God in the OT:

With Noah:

Gen 9:8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him,
9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you,
10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth.
11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations:
13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

With Abraham:

Gen 17:7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee...
9 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
10 This is my covenant, H1285 which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant H1285 betwixt me and you.

[Bernard Muller]

For Paul, there is only one old covenant, the one proclaimed by Moses:

2 Co 3:13-14 "not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not see the end of the fading splendor.
But their minds were hardened; for to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away."

Gal 4:24 "Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar"

Cordially, Bernard