Acts 17:25; AUTOS DIDOUS

Randy Leedy (RLEEDY@wpo.bju.edu)
Fri, 22 Nov 1996 15:07:30 -0500

AUTOS DIDOUS in Acts 17:25 looks like a sure enough nominative
absolute; just like the genitive absolute except in the nominative
case. The only difference I can see between this and an unquestioned
absolute construction is that the subject of the absolute participle
does not usually appear in the governing clause (see Blass &
DeBrunner, #423); here AUTOS refers to and agrees with hO QEOS in v.
24, the subject of the governing clause. However, in Matt. 12:46,
nobody questions that AUTOU LALOUNTOS is a genitive absolute, even
though Jesus also appears in the genitive in the governing clause (hH
MHTHR KAI hOI ADELFOI AUTOU). So I don't see any reason not to take
AUTOS DIDOUS in Acts 17:25 as a true nominative absolute.

None of the grammars on my shelf (Blass & DeBrunner, Robertson,
Turner, Dana & Mantey, Burton, and Wallace) or a friend's (Young)
mention a genitive-absolute-like construction in the nominative (in
Wallace and Robertson the Nominative Absolute participle is
substantival rather than circumstantial).

Have the grammars missed something?

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In Love to God and Neighbor,
Randy Leedy
Bob Jones University
Greenville, SC
RLeedy@wpo.bju.edu
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