Confusing word and concept in "spiritual gifts": Have we forgotten James Barr's exhortations?

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Mar 2000 by Berding, Kenneth

The primary goal of this paper is not to suggest new directions in exegesis of individual passages (which in any case is impossible in such a short paper) but to synthesize and bring new perspectives (where possible) to work which has been done by recent exegetes, particularly those who show some awareness of Barr's concerns. 12

II. LEXICAL CONCERNS

(...) is found rarely in sources outside of Paul's seventeen usesla (twice in variants in the LXX, twice in Philo, a few times in secular Greek, and once in 1 Pet 4:10-all with varying meanings), and scholars agree that little is gained toward understanding Paul's use of the word from those extra-Biblical sources. 14 The patristic writings give us little help, because they seem to have been influenced by the term as found in the NT.15

As to Paul's usage, 16 we are confronted with a broad semantic range for the term, with overlapping borders of meaning in various passages. 17 Outside the list-passages we are faced with a variety of meanings of the same term, as Fee has summarized: "it includes such diverse 'gifts' as eternal life (Rom 6:23; cf. 5:15, 16), the many special privileges granted to Israel (Rom 11:29, referring to 9:4-5), celibacy and marriage (1 Cor 7:7), and deliverance from a deadly peril (2 Cor I:10)."18 Even within the list-passages, (...) can be broad or narrow, and its referents can vary considerably,

1. A technical force for (...)? There is no agreement among NT exegetes as to whether xaptaua has a technical for semi-technical) force in the list-passages and perhaps by extension in other verses like Rom 1:11 or 1 Cor 1:7). For example, Turner and Carson argue that there is not a technical use of (...) for Paul,19 whereas Dunn and Schatzmann argue that there is.20 Nate, however, that the general force for Carson and for most others includes a connection to Paul's use of(...),21 whereas for Turner there is no such connection.22 Also, Dunn and Schatzmann's technical meanings are somewhat distinct from one another.23

The difficulties for those who try to defend a technical use by Paul are significant. To be considered a technical or somewhat technical term, a word must be used consistently in related contexts with more or less the same meaning. But this is precisely the problem for the word (...).

First, Paul does not use the word very often (only 17 times), and the only passage in which he uses it more than twice is 1 Corinthians 12 (where he uses it five times). The diversity of the passages outside 1 Corinthians 12 supports the idea that Paul did not immediately associate the word with a narrower technical meaning.

Second, as our later discussion will show, the only other Pauline listpassage in which (...) is found, Rom 12:3-8, focuses upon ministries. The role of the Spirit is not mentioned at all.

Third, another list passage, Eph 4:11-13, does not even use the word (...).

Fourth, Paul has used the term twice already in 1 Corinthians (1:7; 7:7) before he arrives at the discussion beginning in chap, 12, and apart from 1 Corinthians 12 there would be no reason to take those appearances in any way but in a general sense.