Conditional sentences
A. Brent Hudson (g9117472@mcmaster.ca)
Tue, 07 May 96 12:21:11 -0500
Perhaps someone can clear this up for me. I have always followed Brooks &
Winbery's classification of conditional sentences; however, I have
encountered a difficulty and need some help. Smyth notes that a simple
condition (protasis=EI + pres. or pf. ind. / apodosis = pres. or pf. ind. or
equivalent) states a "supposition with no implication as to its reality or
probability." This is easy enough; however, I thought this "simple
condition" fell under the general rubric of a "first class" condition which
B&W defines as assuming the reality of the protatic condition. Smyth notes
that the condition may be real or impossible; it doesn't matter since the
point is the connection between protasis and apodosis rather than the
reality or unreality of the condition (2298b) The passage I am working on is
Jn 15:18. According to B&W this is a "first class condition." According to
Smyth, it is a "simple condition." My original concern was simply what
difference GINWSKETE as either indic. or imptv would make to the condition.
Now, I am just confused.
Simply put, Is Jn 15.18 a simple condition (thus real or unreal = contextual
) or first class condition (action assumed to be real)?
Any help would be appreciated.
Brent
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__________________________________________
A. Brent Hudson
Graduate Program in Religious Studies
McMaster University,
Hamilton, Ontario, CANADA
__________________________________________
abhudson@wchat.on.ca
OR
g9117472@mcmaster.ca
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"Everything used to be so clear"