Abstract
The translation of καταργέω as "fade" in 2 Cor 3:7–18 has little justification outside biblical literature or within it. Most scholars have abandoned this translation as inaccurrate. Yet, it persists in modern Bible versions. Examination of the lexical evidence finds no support for this translation nor does reexamination of the Exod 34:19–24 context that the word is intended to describe. Moses' face does not diminish in its glory; it is merely blocked or "rendered ineffective" by the mask. Finally, examination of 2 Cor 3:7–18 reveals that a translation of "hinder" or "block" best accounts for Paul's understanding of the Exodus situation within his own purposes. Further, it is suggested that the use of τέλος by Paul in 2 Cor 3:13 may be connected to his use of τέλειος in 1 Cor 13:8–12.
