From: Jonathan Robie (jwrobie@mindspring.com)
Date: Wed Jun 25 1997 - 19:13:48 EDT
At 08:29 AM 6/25/97 EDT, James H. Vellenga wrote:
>> From: "Stephen C. Carlson" <scarlson@washdc.mindspring.com>
>> Subject: ANQRWPOS in Jn2:25
>>
>> A lurker brought up in a private email, but intended for the entire
>> list, the issue of rendering ANQRWPOS in Jn2:25 --
>>
>> KAI OTI OU CREIAN EICEN hINA TIS MARTURHSH PERI TOU ANQRWPOU
>> AUTOS GAR EGINWSKEN TI HN EN TWi ANQRWPWi.
>>
>> Unfortunately, my reference books are packed away, so I will ask:
>> why does ANQRWPOS take a definite article in this verse?
>
>One immediate thought on this is Carlton Winbery's observation of
>a couple of weeks ago that the definite article with the singular
>can denote a representative of a group. Hence, in this case
>
> "... and as he had no need that anyone should testify [to him]
> concerning the human person, because he knew what was in the
> human person."
>
>But that may not be the whole story. I have long been puzzled
>by the article in Matt. 6.14:
>
> EAN GAR AFHTE TOIS ANQRWPOIS TA PARAPTWMATA AUTWN ...
>
>Why TOIS?
Smyth's grammar has examples of the generic article with both singular and
plural:
1122. The generic article denotes an entire class as distinguished from
other classes. Thus, hO ANQRWPOS, "man" (as distinguished from other
beings), hOI GERONTES "the aged"; DEI TON STRATIWTHN FOBEISQI MALLON TON
ARXONTA hH TOUS POLEMIOUS "the/a soldier should fear his commander rather
than the enemy" X.A.2.6.10, PONHRON hO SUKOFANTHS "the informer is a vile
thing" D.18.242
This generic sense with the plural seems to be what is used in the
Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3 ff:
MAKARIOI *hOI PTOXOI* TWi PNEUMATI, hOTI AUTWN ESTIN hH BASILEIA TWN OURANWN.
MAKARIOU *hOI PENQOUNTES*, hOTI AUTOI PARAKLHQHSONTAI.
MAKARIOI *hOI PRAEIS*, hOTI AUTOI KLHRONOMHSOUSIN THN GHN.
ktl.
Smyth draws this distinction between singular and plural:
1123. In the singular the generic article makes a single object the
representative of the entire class; in the plural it denotes all the objects
belonging to a class...
Now I hope someone who knows Greek better than I do will jump in and confirm
or deny this, but if Smyth's distinction is valid, maybe "blessed are the
poor in spirit" could also be translated "blessed are all who are poor in
spirit" and your example in Matt. 6.14, EAN GAR AFHTE TOIS ANQRWPOIS TA
PARAPTWMATA AUTWN, could be translated "for if you forgive all ANQRWPOI
their wrongdoing". (I left ANQRWPOI untranslated because I just can't take
the heat ;-> ).
Jonathan
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Jonathan Robie jwrobie@mindspring.com http://www.mindspring.com/~jwrobie
POET Software, 3207 Gibson Road, Durham, N.C., 27703 http://www.poet.com
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