From: Daniel Ria–o (danielrr@mad.servicom.es)
Date: Fri Jan 30 1998 - 09:51:50 EST
Re Eu.Io.20.17:
Mh/ mou a(/ptou, ou)/pw ga\r a)nabe/bhka pro\s to\n Pate/ra
I would paraphrase that in Spanish like: No me sigas sujetando,
pues todav'ia no he subido al Padre (something like "Don't keep holding me,
don't you see that I haven't ascended to the Father yet") The English
paraphrase is more free.
I think that we must distinguish what is relevant in the syntax and
what is not, to arrive to an acceptable translation. IMO, the key to the
first part of the complex sentence is the nuances of meaning expressed by
the verb: Jesus is addressing a command in the present tense, indicating
durative action: it is not "tocar", "touch", but "sujetar, agarrar" "hold"
or "grasp". The same kind of action we see in Eu.Matt.8.15. (If we
understand "touch" then the translation should be something like "don't try
to touch me... but that doesn't give a good sense). I think that here's a
very careful choice of words to express a mild order: An aorist, specially
with a verb like *krate/w* is a very different (stronger) kind of command.
The middle voice is the expected voice, and there's no choice between
genitive and accusative, since *mh/ me a(/ptou" means "don't bind me", "no
me ates".
So much for the syntax. As for the meaning of the second part of
the sentence; the negative form also seems to me like a mild way of
expression: "I haven't ascended to the Father yet" weans exactly that he is
going to ascend in the future (so that there's no point in trying to grasp
him) but says so with complete neatness without using a verb indicating
necessity or obligation (what could have made the woman feel guilty about
her action).
Daniel
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Daniel Rian~o Rufilanchas
c. Santa Engracia 52, 7 dcha.
28010-Madrid
Espan~a
e-mail: danielrr@mad.servicom.es
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