Proclaimed Everywhere: IS or IS BEING?

In Colossians 1:23, Paul writes about the Evangel which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven. A statement that sounds strange when you consider that Paul wrote these words only a few decades after Christ’s resurrection. That the Evangel was being preached worldwide is certain—but that by then it had already been proclaimed everywhere is surprising.

When this verse was recently brought up on the forum, with emphasis placed on the past tense, I consulted (as always) the ISA program. To my surprise, I read there: being proclaimed. So: is being proclaimed instead of has been proclaimed.

When I looked further into the grammar, I discovered that the word “proclaim” in Colossians 1:23 is NOT a perfect (completed action), but an aorist. An aorist is a verb form that literally means “without horizon.” It points to the bare fact—without limitations of time.

In other words: in Colossians 1:23, Paul points to the fact that the Evangel, in his day, is being proclaimed in all creation under heaven. This proclamation was not completed in Paul’s time—on the contrary, it was still taking place everywhere.

And that, by the way, is still the case today.

Delen: