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In the NT the basic term,
translated variously as
‘communion’, ‘fellowship’,
‘communicate’, ‘partake’,
‘contribution’, ‘common’ (in
the sense of the Latin
communis), stems from
the Greek root
koin-. There are two
adjectives,
koinoµnos (found 10
times) and
synkoinoµnos (found 4
times), which are used as
nouns also; and two verbs
koinoµneoµ (8 times)
and synkoimoµneo
(3 times); and the noun
koinoµnia (20 times).
The fundamental connotation
of the root
koin- is that of
sharing in something
(genitive) with someone
(dative); or the simple
cases may be replaced by a
prepositional phrase. In
both constructions nouns may
be replaced by prepositions.
Very rarely it may mean ‘to
give a share in’ something;
the most characteristic NT
usage is that which employs
koin- with the
genitive of the thing (or
person) shared. There is
also another NT use in which
the term is found actively
of a ‘willingness to give a
share’; hence the meaning
‘generosity’. A third
meaning emerges from the
first use, with the sense of
‘sharing’ or ‘fellowship’
(which arises out of a
common sharing of
something). The results of
the recent linguistic
researches of such scholars
as H. Seesemann and A. R.
George may be stated in the
latter’s words: ‘The
important thing is that
these words (belonging to
the
koin- family) refer
primarily, though not
invariably, to participation
in something rather than to
association with others: and
there is often a genitive to
indicate that in which one
participates or shares’ (A.
R. George, Communion with
God in the New Testament,
p. 133). From this
ground-plan of the word, the
NT passages may be divided
into three classes,
according to whether the
predominant idea is (a)
having a share; (b)
giving a share; or (c)
sharing.
Under this heading we may
classify, first of all, the
adjectives which are used to
describe partners in some
common enterprise, e.g.
Christian work (2 Cor.
8:23), or secular business
(Lk. 5:10); also those who
share in a common experience
(e.g. persecution,
Heb. 10:33; Rev. 1:9;
suffering, 2 Cor. 1:7;
worship, 1 Cor. 10:18;
murder, Mt. 23:30; the
compact with demons in pagan
cult worship, 1 Cor. 10:20).
Then it is used similarly of
those who enjoy certain
privileges in common,
e.g. Rom. 11:17; 1 Cor.
9:23. References to a common
sharing in direct spiritual
realities are Phil. 1:7; 1
Pet. 5:1; and 2 Pet. 1:4,
although in the first text
the ‘grace’ in question may
be that of apostleship in
which both the apostle and
church share, and of which
Paul writes in Rom. 1:5;
Eph. 3:2, 8.
The verb
koinoµneoµ and its
cognate form, which adds the
prefix syn meaning
‘together with’, occur in 11
passages in the NT; but some
of these will fall more
naturally under section
b, i.e. they will lend
themselves best to the
translation ‘generosity’.
But under this heading we
may note Rom. 15:27; Eph.
5:11; 1 Tim. 5:22; 2 Jn. 11;
Rev. 18:4; Phil. 4:14; Heb.
2:14.
The noun is found to denote
the corporate Christian life
with the thought that
believers share together in
certain objective realities.
These references are most
notably:
1. 1 Cor. 10:16
(‘participation in the blood
and body of Christ’);
2. 1 Cor. 1:9, where
Anderson Scott’s view aims
at seeing
koinoµnia as a
designation of the church;
but his interpretation here
and elsewhere is being
increasingly abandoned in
favour of the objective
sense of the genitive. So
the best translation of a
difficult verse is
‘fellowship with his Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord’
whether in the sense of
‘sharing in’ or ‘sharing
with’ him;
3. Phil. 2:1, where
the issue is to decide
between a subjective
genitive (‘any fellowship
wrought by the Spirit’), or
an objective genitive
(‘fellowship with the
Spirit’, ‘participation in
the Spirit’);
4. 2 Cor. 13:14,
where again the choice is
between
koinoµnia as
fellowship which is created
by the Holy Spirit and
fellowship as participation
in the Holy Spirit, a
translation which is much in
favor.
5. 2 Cor. 8:4,
‘taking part in the relief
of the saints’; and
6. Phil. 3:10, where
the genitive is clearly
objective, meaning that
Paul’s ‘own actual
sufferings are a real
participation in Christ’s
sufferings, suffered by
virtue of his communion with
Christ’.
The main texts which support
the interpretation of
koinoµnia as ‘giving
a share’ are 2 Cor. 9:13,
‘the generosity of your
contribution for them and
for all others’. ‘Your
contribution’ represents the
Greek
teµs koinoµnias, for
which Seesemann proposes the
translation, in this
context, generosity. This
same rendering may be
suggested also for Phil. 1:5
in which case the object of
Paul’s gratitude to God is
the generosity of the
Philippian Christians in
their support of the
apostolic ministry for the
progress of the gospel.
Similarly, the same
translation clarifies Phm.
6.
Another reference under this
heading is Rom. 15:26, which
indicates that
koinoµnia can take on
a concrete form as a
generosity which clothes
itself in practical action,
and is so applied to the
collection for the saints of
the Jerusalem church in
their poverty-stricken
condition (cf. 2 Cor.
8:4).
Under this heading there are
only three possible
occurrences where
koinoµnia is used
absolutely or with the
preposition
meta (with). These
are Acts 2:42; Gal. 2:9 and
1 Jn. 1:3ff.
[1]Pfeiffer,
Charles F.,
Wycliffe Bible
Encyclopedia,
(Chicago, IL: Moody
Press) 1975.
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