deomai de to mh parwn qarrhsai etc
This sentence is usually constructed as follows:
deomai + to (acc) + mh + qarrhsai (inf),
with parwn in between.
See, e.g., RSV:
I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness
In my view, this sentence can be also read like this:
deomai de to - mh parwn - qarrhsai
Translation: But I want indeed when I am not present to show boldness etc
Or: But I want indeed in absence to show boldness etc
Which gives quite another argumentative structure (but quite good sence!).
With help of the gramcord system and some grammars I have searched for
arguments which make this reading impossible. I have not been able to find
one.
I do hope someone can refute me, before putting this reading in my PhD-thesis
Erik
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Erik van Halsema |Senior Research Assistant Vrije Universiteit
j.d.f.van_halsema@esau.th.vu.nl |Faculty of Theology
jdfvh@dds.nl |De Boelelaan 1105,
http://huizen.dds.nl/~jdfvh |1081 HV Amsterdam, Netherlands
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