>Did everyone receive the "exegeting stop signs" posting from William Cox? I
>thought it was very good but wondered about the connexion with Greek. So I
>got to thinking which Greek word would we use for stop? Would it be KWLUW,
>PAUW, KATALUW, hISTHMI, SIGAW, FRASSW or DIAKOPTW? And then there is the
>other problem, which mood? imperative, subjunctive, infinitive or even
>indicative? And which tense? Would it be present, aorist, imperfect,
>perfect or even future?! Can we differentiate between STOP and HALT? What
>would a chariot STOP sign really have said in Hellenistic Greek? I think
>this might make a good exercise for some Greek students!
I would be interested to know the average velocity of a chariot as it
approached a stop sign in, say, downtown Jerusalem. Such information may help
us decide the mood of the verb PAUW.
indicative - indicates the continuous motion of decelerating as the stop sign
is approached.
imperative - commands the chariot to stop.
subjunctive - suggests the chariot might like to stop if the rider feels like
it. No guarantees it will stop.
perfect - indicates the chariot has already stopped and is enjoying its
present position. Will stay there indefinitely unless a signwriter repaints
PAUW in the indicative mood and adds OU.
aorist - says nothing of the chariot approaching the sign, but describes the
state of being in the "stopped" position.
All in good "greek" fun,
Regards - Mark Armstrong