From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Sun Feb 11 2001 - 07:46:14 EST
At 12:48 AM -0500 2/11/01, Moon-Ryul Jung wrote:
>Dear bgreekers,
>
>In Gal 3:8 we have:
>
>PROIDOUSA hH GRAFH hOTI EK PISTEWS DIKAIOI TA EQNH hO QEOS,
>PROEUANGGELISATO TWi ABRAHAM hOTI ENEULOGHQHSONTAI EN SOI
>PANTA TA EQNH.
>
>Can we take hH GRAFH to be the subject of the participial
>clause PROIDOUSA hH GRAFH hOTI...?
>
>Then it can be taken to be an instance of the nominative
>absolute participial clause, though its subject is the same
>as the subject of the main clause. Otherwise, why is the subject
>of the main clause hH GRAFH placed so far away from the main clause?
Is the distance between PROEUAGGELISATO from hH GRAFH the real problem? I
think the only thing distancing that verb from the subject is the need to
complete the object of PROIDOUSA by giving the entire hOTI clause. Or are
you proposing that hO QEOS, rather than hH GRAFH, is the subject of
PROEUAGGELISATO? I don't really see a problem here. In years past we've
discussed more than once this whole business of participial absolutes other
than in the genitive in NT Greek, and I'm one who has yet to be convinced
that they exist; I think that a couple instances of dangling nominatives
are best explained as anacolutha--sentences wherein the speaker/writer has
altered the construction in mid-course, a notable instance being the
opening verses of chapter 4 of Ephesians.
In the present instance, however, I think that hH GRAFH is indeed the
subject of PROEUAGGELISATO. While it may seem a bit strange to us to make
"scripture" or a particular passage of scripture the subject of an active,
causative verb, this is by no means uncommon, as witness:
Rom 9:17 LEGEI GAR hH GRAFH TWi FARAW hOTI EIS AUTO TOUTO EXHGEIRA SE hOPWS
ENDEIXWMAI EN SOI THN DUNAMIN MOU KAI HOPWS DIAGGELHi TO ONOMA MOU EN PASHi
THi GHi.
Gal 3:22 ALLA SUNEKLEISEN hH GRAFH TA PANTA hUPO hAMARTIAN, hINA hH
EPAGGELIA EK PISTEWS IHSOU CRISTOU DOQHi TOIS PISTEUOUSIN.
"SCRIPTURE" speaks to Pharaoh; "SCRIPTURE' enclosed all things together
under sin ... I think these examples are sufficient, even if there are no
others among the 21 instances of GRAFH in the singular in the GNT to show
that, even if "SCRIPTURE" usually either "says" something or "was
fulfilled," in Paul it can be used in a much more drastic way as an active
historical instrument of God's will; as such it "pre-evangelized to
Abraham" in telling him that all nations would one day bless themselves
because of him.
--
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics/Washington University
One Brookings Drive/St. Louis, MO, USA 63130/(314) 935-4018
Home: 7222 Colgate Ave./St. Louis, MO 63130/(314) 726-5649
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/
---
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