Re: -THTOS Suffix Produces What Result?

Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Wed, 3 Jun 1998 17:08:50 -0400

At 4:41 PM -0400 6/03/98, Williams, Wes wrote:
>I did a Bibleworks search for all words in GNT and LXX with a -THTOS suffix.
>The 34 verses returned were all in the GNT (none in the LXX). I enclose a
>partial, yet representative list below.
>
>In examining the meanings in their respective contexts, they mostly refer to
>qualities. It appears to me that this is a result of being appended to
>adjectives, which is the majority of uses. In the cases of appending the
>suffix to a noun, such as KURIOS, this still appears to emphasize the
>quality of the noun and/ or state (the state of being a lord/ master).
>
>If the above analysis is correct, what is responsible for the -THTOS doing
>this? Is it the genitive with its emphasis on quality or something inherent
>in the -THS suffix itself?

Wes: all these -THTOS forms are simply genitive singulars of the nouns with
nominatives in -THS. They are all abstracts; the stem is -THT- (it is in
fact the very same element that forms the -TAS abstract nouns in Latin with
stem in -TAT-.

>
>(Partial list of -THTOS suffixes)
>
>MEGALEIOTHTOS (Acts 19:27, 2Pet 1:16) magificence
>
>CRHSTOTHTOS (Rom 2:4) "undeserved" kindness
>
>TELEIOTHTOS (Col 3:14) complete, perfect
>
>KURIOTHTOS (Eph 1:21, 2Pet 2:10) lordship, authority
>
>SEMNOTHTOS (1Tim 3:4) seriousness
>
>GUMNOTHTOS (Rev 3:18) nakedness
>
>TIMIOTHTOS (Rev 18:19) costliness
>
>NEOTHTOS (Mark 10:20, Luke 18:21, Acts 26:4, 1Tim 4:12) youth

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/