Re: Ephesians 2:5-8 and periphrastic participles
Carlton Winbery (winberyc@popalex1.linknet.net)
Mon, 21 Jul 1997 20:20:36 +0400
Eric Weiss wrote;
>Reading Ephesians 2:5 & 2:8, I wonder if the use of the periphrastic
>participle [THi GAR - 2:8] CARITI ESTE SESWiSMENOI instead of the
>indicative (i.e., CARITI SESWiSQE) - even though grammars indicate they
>are often functionally equivalent - might mean the author viewed the
>term as more adjectival than verbal. That is, rather than meaning to
>convey the verbal (action) sense that "[it is] by grace that you were
>saved (action) with its effects continuing even until now," he wants to
>convey the adjectival (description) sense "[it is] by grace that you
>became and continue to enjoy the state of being saved persons
>(description)" - or, to REALLY paraphrase it, "it is by grace that you
>are Christians."
>
>Is this assumption (i.e., that periphrastic participles can purposely
>convey a more adjectival sense than their indicative equivalents) a
>valid assumption? If so, is it valid in these verses? And if a
>periphrastic CAN (but need not) convey a more adjectival sense than the
>indicative equivalent, is there a rule or methodology for determining
>when an author is trying to emphasize the adjectival rather than the
>verbal sense?
>
I would not call it a more adjectival use. This is surely a periphrastic
construction. There is very little difference from the Perf pass ind.
Having said that, I would say that as a perfect it conveys the idea of an
existing result so that the subject (you pl) is described as being in the
state of having been saved. "By grace, through faith you are in the
situation of having been saved." You might want to do more work with the
word SWiZW in this sentence.
Carlton Winbery
La College