Re: ERXOMAI hIERWi

Don Wilkins (dwilkins@ucrac1.ucr.edu)
Fri, 13 Dec 1996 21:40:47 -0500 (EST)

At 9:04 AM 12/12/96, Carl W. Conrad wrote:
>At 11:07 AM -0600 12/12/96, Paul Zellmer wrote:
>>
>>How strong would your point be if you were to use the example, "I am
>>going to the temple."? What would that be in Koine, "ERXOMAI hIERW."?
>>Does this case also imply the events of the recent past and near future?
>
>There were some good points in Paul's post (actually on aspect in present
>tense), but I can't let this bad one get by without challenge--though only
>for fear that someone might emulate it: although I know of one occasion in
>Latin (Vergil's IT CLAMOR CAELO), I don't know of any in Greek where a goal
>of movement is expressed with a dative. Curiously, one may say either
>
> TAUT' EIPE MOI hO DIDASKALOS or
> TAUT' EIPEN hO DIDASKALOS PROS EME
>
>but you have to use an accusative with PROS or EIS with ERXOMAI. ERXOMAI
>hIERWi, if it means anything, could only mean "I go FOR a sanctuary."

I completely agree with you in principle, Carl, for what that's worth.
However, I have a bad feeling that I *have* seen the dative for direction,
and even a worse feeling that I saw it recently in the Republic, perhaps
book 5 or 6 (I recently taught through the cave allegory). I hope I'm
wrong, and am optimistic that I misread something.

Don Wilkins
UC Riverside