Re: Inceptive aorist: questionable textbook example?

Stephen C. Carlson (scarlson@mindspring.com)
Mon, 30 Dec 1996 18:42:19 -0500

At 06:10 12/30/96 -0500, Jonathan Robie wrote:
>I have a textbook which uses the following sentence in an exercise:
>hO IHSOUS hO DIDASKALOS hUPHGAGE EIS THN IOUDAIAN EREMON; TOTE EDIDAXE MET
>ANQRWPWN AUTOU.
>
>The answer key interprets the aorist EDIDAXE as an inceptive aorist: "he
>began to teach". I don't understand why the aorist here should be
>interpreted as inceptive. Is there a reason to do so?

I think you've found a pedological limitation to the use of constructed
texts. They are presented in a vacuum, without any context, which is
essential. I looked for the aorist forms of DIDASKW in the gospels,
and none of them are inceptive. I would guess that the author intended
the inceptive aorist from his use of the non-classical TOTE = thereupon,
but I can't be sure.

Stephen Carlson

--
Stephen C. Carlson                   : Poetry speaks of aspirations,
scarlson@mindspring.com              : and songs chant the words.
http://www.mindspring.com/~scarlson/ :               -- Shujing 2.35