Re: 1Co 1.18

A K M Adam (F49ADAM@ptsmail.ptsem.edu)
04 May 96 09:14:11 EDT

Shaughn--

So far as I can tell, SWZW is used in the middle principally for "to save *for* oneself" or "to recall"
("to save in one's mind"). While I suppose Paul may be innovating, I would hope to see an argument to
back up the claim.

One of the hardest jobs I have is persuading students that people didn't simply use the middle voice to
express reflexive constructions, but that some verbs were used in the middle voice with specific
significance (and others weren't). And the middle *doesn't* simply express action with respect to
oneself, but that its significance varies widely from deponent forms to standard action-for-self.

By the way--and I realize that here I'm tangling threads, I apologize--as I work on (yet another)
introductory Greek textbook, I wanted to include a section on Greek idiomatic phrases. I'll include KAI
TA LOIPA and KAI EGENETO, and various others; have you all any favorite nominees that I may be
missing?

A K M Adam
f49adam@ptsmail.ptsem.edu
Princeton Theological Seminary

"To translate is human; to parse, divine"