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F.F. Bruce on Knowing Greek

Posted: July 18th, 2016, 6:20 pm
by Barry Hofstetter

Re: F.F. Bruce on Knowing Greek

Posted: July 21st, 2016, 2:14 am
by Stephen Hughes
F.F. Bruce wrote:It is this manifest mastery of Greek usage which makes William Kelly’s New Testament commentaries, especially those on Paul’s epistles, so valuable. ‘And you know what is restraining him now,’ says the RSV of 2 Thessalonians 2:6, following some earlier interpreters. This construing of ‘now’ with ‘what is restraining’ Kelly describes as a solecism, pointing out that the ‘now’ is ‘simply resumptive’.[1] Kelly is right. But how did he discover that the construction of the adverb with ‘what is restraining’ is a solecism? No grammar-book or dictionary would tell him that; it was his wide and accurate acquaintance with Greek usage that made it plain to him, an acquaintance which is the fruit of long and patient study.” (F. F. Bruce, In Retrospect: Remembrance of things past, p. 293)
What led Kelly to decide that the temporality of νῦν was of less importance in this case? What pattern is being followed?

Re: F.F. Bruce on Knowing Greek

Posted: July 21st, 2016, 6:59 pm
by timothy_p_mcmahon
2 Thessalonians 2:5-6 wrote:ου μνημονευετε οτι ετι ων προς υμας ταυτα ελεγον υμιν και νυν το κατεχον οιδατε εις το αποκαλυφθηναι αυτον εν τω εαυτου καιρω
Agree that νυν does not modify κατεχον, but not so sure it’s ‘simply resumptive’ – could it not maintain its normal temporal force in contrast to ετι ων προς υμας ταυτα ελεγον υμιν? Because I used to teach you about these things then, you now know…