It is not a yes or no question. Paul gave a condition. He said. "ye are saved, if ye keep in memory (that) what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain." And the word memory is not in the Greek. It should read differently. It should read "that".
QT, the Greek word itself already conveys the idea of keeping something in memory! The KJV translators were not adding some foreign meaning to the text when they translated κατέχετε (
katechete) as "keep in memory" (1 Corinthians 15:2). This is an established meaning of the Greek verb κατέχω (
katechō).
For example,
LSJ expressly defines κατέχω as "keep in mind, remember," and cites several ancient Greek writers who used this verb in that very sense! You can examine this for yourself in the LSJ Greek Lexicon here:
https://lsj.gr/wiki/κατέχω
Consider Theophrastus (c. 371–287 BC), who wrote in
Characters 26.2:
"καὶ τῶν Ὁμήρου ἐπῶν τοῦτο ἓν μόνον κατέχειν"
English: "And to remember only this one of Homer's verses."
Notice that Theophrastus uses κατέχειν (
katechein) to describe someone remembering a particular verse from Homer! No separate Greek noun for "memory" is necessary because the verb itself conveys the idea of remembering. You can examine the ancient Greek source here:
https://www.greek-language.gr/digitalResources/ancient_greek/library/browse.html?page=27&text_id=29
Furthermore, Epicurus (341–270 BC), in his
Letter to Herodotus, section 35, writes:
"εἰς τὸ κατασχεῖν τῶν ὁλοσχερωτάτων γε δοξῶν τὴν μνήμην"
This concerns retaining the principal teachings in one's memory. Notice that Epicurus uses κατασχεῖν (
kataschein), an aorist infinitive of κατέχω, in direct connection with μνήμην (
mnēmēn), meaning "memory." In section 62 of the same letter, Epicurus also writes, "χρήσιμον δὴ καὶ τοῦτο κατασχεῖν τὸ στοιχεῖον," meaning, "It is useful also to retain this fundamental principle." LSJ specifically cites this latter passage under the meaning "keep in mind, remember." You can examine the Greek and English here:
https://ericlyonshansen.github.io/Epicurus/Letter_to_Herodotus_Bailey.html
Even Plato (c. 428–348 BC), in
Philebus 26c, writes, "οὐ κατέχω τί βούλει φράζειν," meaning, "I do not understand what you mean to say." LSJ cites this example under the meaning "master, understand." Therefore, these ancient Greek examples establish that κατέχω could involve remembering, retaining knowledge, or understanding something!
But that is not all!
Stephanus's Thesaurus Graecae Linguae (Didot edition, pp. 1339–1340) provides the following Latin definitions for this very Greek verb:
Κατέχω (katechō)
Latin: Detineo, Retineo.
English:
- Detineo: To hold, detain, keep back.
- Retineo: To retain, hold fast, keep possession of, keep in mind, remember.
You can examine Stephanus's lexicon here:
https://archive.org/details/tgl-prospectus-13/TGL_vol_4b/page/n103/mode/2up
Now, here is where things get even more interesting! Lewis and Short's
A Latin Dictionary (1879) expressly recognizes
"to keep in mind, remember" as a meaning of the Latin verb
retineo, which Stephanus gives as one of the definitions for the Greek word κατέχω. You can examine this Latin dictionary entry here:
https://alatius.com/ls/index.php?met=up&ord=retineo
But this understanding of the Latin word existed long before modern dictionaries! For example, Cicero (106–43 BC), in
De Imperio Cn. Pompei 7.19, writes, "id quidem certe calamitate docti memoria retinere debemus," meaning, "That, certainly, having learned through calamity, we ought to retain in memory." Here Cicero expressly connects
retinere with
memoria, demonstrating the established Latin usage of retaining something in memory. You can examine his original Latin here:
https://nodictionaries.com/cicero/de-imperio-cn-pompei/19
Furthermore, Aulus Gellius (second century AD), in
Noctes Atticae 17.9.16, writes, "sive ille Hasdrubal est, sive quis alius, non retineo," meaning, "Whether that was Hasdrubal or someone else, I do not remember."
Did you catch that?
Gellius uses non retineo to express "I do not remember," without employing a separate Latin noun for memory! Lewis and Short cite this very example in their dictionary entry for
retineo:
https://alatius.com/ls/index.php?met=up&ord=retineo
But that is not all!
Even Modern Greek dictionaries recognize that κατέχω can convey the idea of knowing or understanding something!
For example, the Triantafyllidis
Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek (1998) defines κατέχω as "γνωρίζω κτ. πολύ καλά, έχω βαθιά, πλήρη γνώση," meaning, "To know something very well, to have deep, complete knowledge." It also recognizes "ξέρω ή καταλαβαίνω," meaning, "To know or understand." You can examine this Modern Greek dictionary here:
https://www.greek-language.gr/greekLang/modern_greek/tools/lexica/triantafyllides/search.html?lq=κατέχω
Furthermore, the
Academy of Athens' Dictionary of Modern Greek defines κατέχω as "γνωρίζω τέλεια ή/και σε βάθος, είμαι ειδήμων," meaning, "To know perfectly or in depth, to be an expert." It even gives the example "κατέχει την αλήθεια," meaning, "He knows the truth." You can examine this dictionary here:
https://christikolexiko.academyofathens.gr/index.php/anazitisi?st=κατέχω
Likewise, the historical
Kriaras Dictionary of Medieval Greek recognizes "ξέρω, καταλαβαίνω, μαθαίνω," meaning, "To know, understand, learn." It also gives "έχω υπόψη μου," meaning, "To have in mind." You can examine this Greek dictionary here:
https://www.greek-language.gr/greekLang/modern_greek/tools/lexica/search.html?lq=κατέχω
Now, think about that for a moment! How does someone retain knowledge so that he can know or understand it? By keeping that knowledge in his mind or memory! The meanings are closely related, even though they are not identical in every context.
My Conclusion
We have ancient Greek writers using κατέχω to express remembering something, LSJ expressly recognizing "keep in mind, remember," Stephanus supplying the Latin
retineo, and ancient Latin writers using
retineo in connection with memory! Even Modern Greek dictionaries recognize related meanings involving knowledge and understanding.
Therefore,
"keep in memory" is an actual, historically documented meaning of the Greek verb κατέχω. The KJV translators did not invent this meaning! Your observation that the Greek text does not contain a separate noun for "memory" does absolutely nothing to establish that the KJV translation is incorrect.
As for Paul's condition in verse 2, I never denied that believers must continue in the gospel. In fact, I do not believe in Once Saved Always Saved. However, my original question concerned
initial salvation, not whether a believer must subsequently continue in the faith.
So let me ask you again: Do you believe that a person who genuinely believes the gospel described in (1 Corinthians 15:3–4) is initially saved at that point?
Yes or no?
....
