From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Sun Jan 13 2002 - 11:56:48 EST
At 10:00 AM -0500 1/13/02, Jim Crouch wrote:
>DIA LOUTROU PALIGGENESIAS KAI ANAKAINWSEWS PNEUMATOS hAGIOU
>
>Is it possible to read only one object of the preposition DIA (viz.,
>LUTROU) followed by two genitives of description (viz., PALIGGENESIAS KAI
>ANAKAINWSEWS) with the final genitive phrase (viz., PNEUMATOS hAGIOU)
>modifying DIA LOUTROU? In other words, is it grammatically reasonable that
>Paul is that the washing "by/through the Holy Spirit" produces both
>"rebirth and renewal"?
>
>If this is not grammatically reasonable, what alternative grammatical
>construction(s) would convey this meaning?
These strings of genitives are somewhat annoying, sort of like "a whopper
of a tale of a shaggy dog of my uncle's."
I think there are at least two ways this COULD be read:
(1) "through the bathing of regeneration and renewal brought about by the
Holy Spirit" (understanding PAIGGENESIAS and ANAKAINWSEWS is defining
genitives dependent upon LUTROU and being roughly synonymous or even
understanding them as a hendiadys, and understanding PNEUMATOS hAGIOU as a
subjective genitive separately dependent upon LUTROU understood as a verbal
noun: the Holy Spirit does the bathing;
(2) "through regenerative bathing and (through) renewal by the Holy Spirit"
(understanding DIA to govern separately two phrases LOUTROU PALIGGENESIAS
and ANAKAINWSEWS PNEUMATOS hAGIOU.
Finally, I'm not convinced that there's any significant difference in the
ultimate sense of the expression, no matter which way one understands the
syntax; it seems to me pleonastic, to say the least--like saying: "you must
be born again, and you must also die and be raised to new life."
--
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
Most months: 1647 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu OR cwconrad@ioa.com
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/
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