From: Carlton Winbery (winberyc@popalex1.linknet.net)
Date: Sat Dec 09 1995 - 07:38:43 EST
Lee Attema wrote;
>I wonder about the proper translation of 1 John 3:6 and 9. Some NT scholars
>(S. Kubo, C.H. Dodd and I. Howard Marshall ) believe that the translation of
>the verbs (sin) in question must be punctiliar. If this is so then the
>verses must imply that the Christian cannot sin. If he sins then he has not
>known God. See the Bible Knowledge Commentary for development along that
>line. However I noted that Dana and Mantey Intermediate Greek Grammar
>referenced 1 John 3:6 from the index and identified the use of the present
>as expressing a durative not a punctiliar sense. A.T. Robertson's Grammar of
>the Greek New Testament references both 1 John 3:6 and 9 suggesting that the
>present tenses are durative and that the present infinitive of sin in verse
>nine also has a durative sense. If that is so then the better sense would be
>that the Christian does not continue to sin, or the Christian does not
>practice sin. Blass and Debrunner in their Greek Grammar of the NT suggest
>that the sense of the present tense is often durative but do not cite 1
>John. I am a novice at Greek and could use some direction since my "sources"
>point in two different directions. Also could anyone suggest better
>references for understanding the translation/interpretation of the NT than
>the grammars above? Any comment is greatly appreciated.
I would vote with Dana on this passage, i.e., the presents in 1 John 3:8-10
are durative. A book that has better descriptions of syntactical
categories than Dana & Manttey is Brooks & Winbery, Syntax of the NT, Univ.
Press of Am. 1978. We give more examples from the Greek NT to illustrate
what we see as the possiple references of the language. You may find that
helpful. A new book no syntax has just come from the Baptist Publisher
Holman & Broadman, Richard Young, Intermediate NT Greek. I have it at the
office and have worked through most of it. While he takes into account more
modern linquistic theory, I think that he has made some parts overly
difficult for students just beginning Syntax.
Calton L. Winbery
Prof. Religion
LA College, Pineville, La
winberyc@popalex1.linknet.net
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Sat Apr 20 2002 - 15:37:34 EDT