Re: MONON in James 2:24

Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Sat, 13 Sep 1997 13:44:56 -0500

At 12:25 PM -0500 9/13/97, BillCombs@aol.com wrote:
>A colleague is working on a paper involving James 2:24 and has a question
>about whether the adverb MONON modifies PISTEWS, as most interpreters
>suggest, or an implied DIKAIOUTAI from the first part of the verse. Many of
>the Greek grammars covering the NT postulate a limited adjectival use of
>MONON and thus allow it to modify PISTEWS. However, the other passages
>suggested for an adjectival use of MONON all appear to be somewhat ambiguous
>in that they could easily be understand that MONON is functioning in its more
>normal adverbial sense. Are there clear instances of MONON used adjectivally
>in either the NT or elsewhere in Greek literature?

There's no way that MONON can be adjectival here; if it were and modified
PISTEWS it would have to be MONHS. I wonder, however, if that's what you
really mean. I'd say that it is adverbial and modifies the whole
prepositional phrase EK PISTEWS. And this is, I think, consistent with its
position immediately following that phrase.

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics/Washington University
One Brookings Drive/St. Louis, MO, USA 63130/(314) 935-4018
Home: 7222 Colgate Ave./St. Louis, MO 63130/(314) 726-5649
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