περὶ τοῦ τέλους ἐστὶ τὸ τῆς συντελείας σημαινόμενον

[Alexander2]

Didymus the Blind, Commentary on the Book of Genesis, extract from the comments on Ge 2:1-3: “Καὶ ςυνετελέσθη ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ καὶ πᾶς ὁ κόσμος αὐτῶν καὶ συνετέλεσεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἕκτῃ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ, ἃ ἐποίησεν, καὶ κατέπαυσεν ἐν̣ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ, ὧν ἐποίηςεν. Καὶ εὐλόγησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν ἑβδόμην καὶ ἡγίασεν αὐτήν, ὅτι ἐν αὐτῇ κατέπαυσεν ἀπ̣ὸ πάντων τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ, ὧν ἤρξατο ὁ Θεὸς ποιῆσαι. Τὸ «συνετελέσθη« ὁτὲ μὲν τὴν φθορὰν σημαίνει, ὁτὲ δὲ τὴν ὕπαρξιν. Ὅταν γοῦν τὸν Σωτῆρα ἐρωτῶσιν οἱ μαθηταί· «Πότε ταῦτα ἔσται, καὶ τί τὸ σημεῖον τῆς σῆς παρουσίας καὶ συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος;«, περὶ τοῦ τέλους ἐστὶ τὸ τῆς συντελείας σημαινόμενον, ὅπερ ἀντὶ φθορᾶς τοῦ κόσμου εἴωθε λαμβάνεσθαι· ἐνταῦθα δὲ τὸ συνετελέσθη ἀντὶ τοῦ̣ ἐπληρώσθη κεῖται. Οὐ γὰρ ἡ ὕπαρξις αὐτῶν συντετέλε̣ςται, ἀλλ’ ἡ ποίησις, καθὸ λέγομεν καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ποιητικῶν τεχνῶν μετὰ τὰς ἐνεργείας τὸ τέλος ἐπιφερουσῶν ὅτι φέρε συνετελέσ̣θ̣η ἡ ναῦς ἢ οἶκος. Συντετέλεσται οὖν ὁ μὲν οὐρανὸς τὴν ο̣ἰκείαν ἁρμονίαν δεξάμενος, ἥτις ἔκ τε τοῦ στερεώματος καὶ τ̣ῶ̣ν φωστήρων καὶ προσέτι τῶν ἀστέρων ἐδέξατο τὴν διαπ̣λήρωσιν, ἡ δὲ γῆ ἔκ τε τῶν ζῴων καὶ τῶν διαφόρων φυ̣τ̣ῶν.”

The following is how I understand the highlighted statement literally:
that which is signified of the end [συντέλεια] is regarding the finish [τέλος].

A suitable translation may be:
the meaning of the word “end” [συντέλεια] is “finish” [τέλος].

How would you translate the Greek statement?

 

[ioanell]

that which is signified of the end [συντέλεια] is regarding the finish [τέλος].

that which is signified (meant) by (the word) συντέλεια has to do with τέλος (finish, end, termination). Clarified by the following ὅπερ ἀντὶ φθορᾶς τοῦ κόσμου εἴωθε λαμβάνεσθαι=which (συντέλεια) has been customarily taken instead of the decaying, corrosion>destruction/termination of the world.

 

[Alexander2]

Thank you. The following is Robert C. Hill’s translation from The Fathers of the Church: A New Translation, Volume 132: ““The heaven and earth and all their array were completed. God completed on the sixth day the works he had done, and on the seventh day he rested from all the works he had done. God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it for the reason that on that day he rested from all the works God had begun to do.” The term “completed” sometimes suggests destruction, sometimes existence. For example, when the disciples asked the Savior, “When will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the world?” the word “end” means “finish,” which is normally taken to mean the destruction of the world. In this case, by contrast, “completed” occurs in the sense of “accomplished”; it was not their existence that was over and done with, but their creation, as we say also in the case of builders when they bring their work to an end, “Lo, the ship or the house is completed.” So, for its part, heaven was completed in receiving its particular harmony, being given its fulfillment with the firmament and the lights as well as the stars, and for its part the earth with the animals and the various plants.”

I guess that this translation is correct.

 

[Αγγελος]

As this whole passage concerns the meaning of an ambiguous Greek word, I would translate it by actually mentioning the word in question. In other words, I would say "The term συνετελέσθη, here translated as 'completed', sometimes suggests destruction, sometimes existence. For example, when the disciples asked the Savior, “When will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and the end (συντέλεια) of the world?” the word “συντέλεια” means “finish,” which is normally taken to mean the destruction of the world. In this case, by contrast, “συνετελέσθη" occurs in the sense of “accomplished”.

 

[Alexander2]

Yes, this is a good way to translate the Greek text into the English language to indicate to the readers what original Greek words the author is discussing.

 

[sotos]

"end" and "finish" are about the same in english, so the proposed translation (although correct) doesn't confer the point of the greek question about the meaning of "τέλος", τελώ, συντελώ, συντέλεια.