- πειθός
- πειθός, ή, όν (fr. πείθ[ω]) persuasive ἐν πειθοῖς σοφίας λόγοις in persuasive words of wisdom 1 Cor 2:4. The word is found nowhere but here; its attestation is extremely good (as early as P46), though it is in a context that is subject to considerable variation in detail (the situation is well reviewed in Ltzm., Hdb. ad loc.). The word is formed quite in accordance w. st. Gk. usage (cp. φειδός ‘sparing’ fr. φείδομαι), and the Gk. Fathers let it pass without comment (so Ltzm., Bachmann, Sickenberger, Herm-vSoden; Mlt-H. 78). Despite this, many (e.g. Heinrici, Schmiedel, JWeiss) reject this word because of its rarity and prefer the explanation that it originated in dittography of the ς (or perh. through an error in hearing the passage dictated): ἐν πειθοῖ σοφίας, s. πειθώ; B-D-F §47, 4; 112; W-S. §16, 3 n. 20; Rob. 157; GZuntz, The Text of the Epistles ’53, 23–25.—Rdm.2 p. 63 takes πειθοῖς as a rare genitive formation from πειθώ, influenced by the dat. πειθοῖ; the mng. then would be ‘words of persuasion from wisdom (herself)’.—DELG s.v. πείθομαι B. M-M. TW. Spicq.
Ελληνικά-Αγγλικά παλαιοχριστιανική Λογοτεχνία. 2015.