From: Harry W. Jones (hjbluebird@aol.com)
Date: Wed Nov 28 2001 - 05:41:55 EST
Dear Steven,
Wallace of course said that sinner in Lk 18:13 would be in
a class by himself but I don't think that using the definite
article here would give the right sense of this verse. Better
would be "a sinner of the worst kind". It seems to me that
"the sinner" should be reserved for the Monadic case that
Wallace spoke about in the next section. Of course, I could be
wrong. But I don't think so.
Also I believe that any translation that uses the phrase
"the sinner" would add or should add to it so as to bring out
this point.
Best Regards,
Harry Jones
> On Tuesday, November 27, 2001, at 07:51 PM, Harry W. Jones wrote:
>
> > Paul,
> >
> > Your question is pretty much answered in GGBB by Wallace
> > on page 223 where Wallace classifies the use of the article
> > in this passage as a "Par Excellence" use. That is, as
> > a member of a class. He does this because it fits well
> > with the spirit of the man's pray.
>
> Harry:
>
> I think you have misunderstood the sense of what Wallace calls "par
> excellence." It does not describe a mere member of a class, but someone
> or something in a class by itself, even though there may be many other
> persons or objects of the same name. Note what he says under Luke 18.13:
>
> "Here the article is either par excellence or simple identification [or,
> possibly well-known]. If it is simple identification, this tax-collector
> is recognizing the presence of the Pharisee and is distinguishing
> himself from him by implying that, as far as he knew, the Pharisee was
> the righteous one (between the two of them) and he was the sinner. But
> if the article is par excellence, then the man is declaring that he is
> the worst of all sinners (from his perspective). This seems to fit well
> with the spirit of his prayer, for only the Pharisee explicitly makes a
> comparison with the other person present."
>
> So if the par excellence sense is intended here, the tax collector is
> not just lumping himself in with other people of the same class, but is
> identifying himself as standing out as the worst of the class. And, if
> the par excellence sense is here the correct understanding, the article
> must be rendered by the English definite article, as in NASB/NAS95.
> =============
>
> Steven Lo Vullo
> Madison, WI
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