What Lies Beneath (4)

he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.  Romans 12:8  NASB

With liberality – Yesterday we examined ho metadidous (translated as “the (one) giving” in Romans 12:8).  We discovered that this person is at his or her best when imparting, giving, communicating or otherwise making available some benefit (whether material or otherwise) to someone else.

But Paul’s description is not simply ho metadidous.  The full phrase is ho metadidous en haploteiti.  Paul writes, “he who gives, with liberality.”  It is almost as if Paul’s familiarity with the use of metadidomi in The Wisdom of Solomon led him to emphasize this aspect of the word in his Greek letter to the Romans for he employs the Greek term haplotes to draw attention to the bountifulness of the one who is metadidous.  The root, haplous, is instructive.   Haplous in classical Greek covers a wide range of meanings including “simple,” “without ulterior motive,” and “wholeheartedly.”  All of these can be applied here.  But Paul’s usage does not rely solely on classical Greek.  In the New Testament, we find that the word reflects an Hebraic point of view, not a Greek one.  In Greek thought, what is “simple” is viewed as inadequate or intellectually inferior.  In this context we are likely to use haplous in a description such as “simple-minded.”  But this is not true from the Hebraic perspective.  For example, we find haplous in Matthew 6:22 expressing either what is “healthy” or what is “pure,” i.e. ready for ritual sacrifice.  This use connects us immediately with its only LXX occurrence in Proverbs 11:25 (“`The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered”).  We see the same pattern in James 1:5 where the term is connected to generosity.  We should also note that as a Greek expression of a Hebrew idiom, the word connotes upright, free from inner discord and pure.  While the Greek intellectual world deprecated the term, both Jewish and Christian literature use the word in a positive sense, perhaps because haplous in the Hebraic worldview is an expression of generous action.

What, then, can we say about the attributes of the person characterized by this full expression, ho metadidous en haploteiti?  Paul points out that such a person is not simply a good manager of assets but rather an example of noble character in the administration, governance, control and distribution of all that is placed under his supervision.  He is generous as befits one entrusted with the vital resources of a community.  He thinks of himself only as steward of God’s goodness, willing and able to maximize his charge in order to provide benefit to others.  Perhaps most importantly, this person carries out his tasks with a constant eye toward the One who is the ultimate provider.  He gives of his talent as a steward of the Most High, with liberality and pure motives.

Are you one of these?  If so, have you incorporated the second phrase of Paul’s description in your service to others?  If you don’t, you will still be ho metadidous, but you are likely to be operating outside the Kingdom.

Topical Index: en haploteiti, haplous, liberality, generous, Romans 12:8, Zone 5