From: Jonathan Robie (jonathan@texcel.no)
Date: Sun Dec 14 1997 - 07:28:31 EST
At 09:33 AM 12/13/97 -0600, Michael H Burer wrote:
>I am currently studying gnomic presents in Johannine literature, and I am
>facing a quandary when it comes to the articular present participle used
>substantivally. This often occurs as the subject of a clause, e.g., in
>John 3:36: Oj PISTEUWN EIS TON UION ECEI ZWHN AIWNION. My question
>concerns the verbal aspect of the participle used this way. What aspect
>does it have, if any? If it has aspect, would gnomic present be a real
>possibility for these participles? If it is aspectually flat, how should
>we understand the verbal side of the participle to be functioning? Any
>thoughts on this topic or thoughts on specific passages in Johannine
>literature where this occurs would be appreciated.
I'm surprised by the term 'aspectually flat'. As I understand it, all forms
of verbs have aspect, though aspect has been studied most exhaustively in
the indicative. Only the indicative has tense as well as aspect. The gnomic
use of aorist participles makes sense when understood according to aspect.
Fanning's "Verbal Aspect in New Testament Greek" says (p. 408):
"The primary meaning of the present 'tense' in the participle is the
aspectual one discussed earlier: it focuses on the internal make-up of the
occurrence and views it in its course (or in its repetition or its
continuing existence, etc., whatever the specific make-up may be), without
regard for the beginning or end-point."
There are two kinds of 'customary' uses of the present participle. The
first indicates that an individual does something repeatedly. The second
indicates that individuals *do* customarily do things, which is the gnomic
use you are interested in. In this use, "people" do this in general:
Matt 5:32 PAS hO APOLUWN THN GUNAIKA AUTOU "Anyone who divorces his wife..."
People do divorce their wives, this is an ongoing occurrence. Any one
individual is not constantly in the process of divorcing his wife, but
people are always divorcing their wives.
John 5:24 hO TON LOGON MOU AKOUWN KAI PISTEUWN TWi PEMPSANTI ME ECEI ZWHN
AIWNION
"Whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has life eternal"
On an ongoing basis, people are hearing his word and believing in the one
who sent him. These people have eternal life. Alternatively, perhaps the
individual who listens and believes in an ongoing way has eternal life.
Eph 4:28 hO KLEPTWN MHKETI KLEPTETW
"Let the one who steals steal no longer"
This one is clearly gnomic - people do steal, this is an ongoing fact. And
of course, one individual may steal in an ongoing way, but the injunction
is not meant to say that only those who continually steal should stop
stealing, but also anyone who has stolen once or twice.
Jonathan
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Jonathan Robie jwrobie@mindspring.com
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