Re: Article in Dative = "by" in Romans 5:15?

Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Wed, 3 Jun 1998 16:24:50 -0400

At 4:00 PM -0400 6/03/98, Bill Ross wrote:
>Romans 5:15:
>
>EI GAR TW TOU ENOS PARAPTWMATI
>
>is translated
>
>"For if through the offence"
>
>Question: Why is "TW" translated "by"?

It is an instrumental dative: translate it "by means of" or "by reason of."
It explains the causal factor for the Fall of Humanity. If the cause were a
PERSON, it would have been genitive with hUPO, but as it is a THING, it is
in the dative (normally without a preposition, occasionally in Koine with
EN).

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University
Summer: 1647 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu OR cconrad@yancey.main.nc.us
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/