2 Corinthians 1:11 - Middle semantics?
Posted: January 2nd, 2019, 2:09 pm
Hi all, taking my second attempt at reading through 2 Corinthians (just Revelation to go after this) and am taking a very familiar beating from it. My question relates to the hina clause as a whole and in part the meaning of ὐχαριστηθῇ. Basically I am thoroughly confused and my attempts to think my way out of it and reading commentaries isn't helping!
ὃς ἐκ ⸂τηλικούτου θανάτου⸃ ἐρρύσατο ἡμᾶς ⸄καὶ ῥύσεται⸅, εἰς ὃν ἠλπίκαμεν [ὅτι] καὶ ἔτι⸃ ῥύσεται, 11 συνυπουργούντων καὶ ὑμῶν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τῇ δεήσει, ἵνα ⸂ἐκ πολλῶν προσώπων⸃ τὸ εἰς ἡμᾶς χάρισμα διὰ πολλῶν εὐχαριστηθῇ ὑπὲρ ⸀ἡμῶν.
I have seen some writers stating that ἐκ πολλῶν προσώπων is preposed and relates τὸ εἰς ἡμᾶς χάρισμα. This would suggest that διὰ πολλῶν is also preposed? so that a restructuring would be ἵνα τὸ εἰς ἡμᾶς χάρισμα ⸂ἐκ πολλῶν προσώπων⸃ εὐχαριστηθῇ διὰ πολλῶν ὑπὲρ ⸀ἡμῶν. with προσώπων meaning people. A result reading of the hina clause kind of makes sense on this reading
I am wondering whether, on the first reading the "passive" form εὐχαριστηθῇ could correspond to the speech act category of middle semantics with thanksgiving being made by many - thinking of Rachel Aubrey's work in the Greek Verb revisited here (not recently read so apologies if I am making a daft error). If a passive it seems to suggest that the gift would be thanked which doesn't make sense to me.
The alternative reading I have seen is that ἵνα ⸂ἐκ πολλῶν προσώπων relates to the origin of the prayers as a presupposed object here, with τὸ εἰς ἡμᾶς χάρισμα διὰ πολλῶν εὐχαριστηθῇ being a prepositional phrase governed by διὰ with τὸ converting εἰς ἡμᾶς χάρισμα into a subject?
On the issue of whether this is a result clause or not I am undecided (work by Margaret Sim and others causing uncertainty as to the validity of the category).
So, as you can see - in a muddle - can't really think my way through it and in need of help
ὃς ἐκ ⸂τηλικούτου θανάτου⸃ ἐρρύσατο ἡμᾶς ⸄καὶ ῥύσεται⸅, εἰς ὃν ἠλπίκαμεν [ὅτι] καὶ ἔτι⸃ ῥύσεται, 11 συνυπουργούντων καὶ ὑμῶν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τῇ δεήσει, ἵνα ⸂ἐκ πολλῶν προσώπων⸃ τὸ εἰς ἡμᾶς χάρισμα διὰ πολλῶν εὐχαριστηθῇ ὑπὲρ ⸀ἡμῶν.
I have seen some writers stating that ἐκ πολλῶν προσώπων is preposed and relates τὸ εἰς ἡμᾶς χάρισμα. This would suggest that διὰ πολλῶν is also preposed? so that a restructuring would be ἵνα τὸ εἰς ἡμᾶς χάρισμα ⸂ἐκ πολλῶν προσώπων⸃ εὐχαριστηθῇ διὰ πολλῶν ὑπὲρ ⸀ἡμῶν. with προσώπων meaning people. A result reading of the hina clause kind of makes sense on this reading
I am wondering whether, on the first reading the "passive" form εὐχαριστηθῇ could correspond to the speech act category of middle semantics with thanksgiving being made by many - thinking of Rachel Aubrey's work in the Greek Verb revisited here (not recently read so apologies if I am making a daft error). If a passive it seems to suggest that the gift would be thanked which doesn't make sense to me.
The alternative reading I have seen is that ἵνα ⸂ἐκ πολλῶν προσώπων relates to the origin of the prayers as a presupposed object here, with τὸ εἰς ἡμᾶς χάρισμα διὰ πολλῶν εὐχαριστηθῇ being a prepositional phrase governed by διὰ with τὸ converting εἰς ἡμᾶς χάρισμα into a subject?
On the issue of whether this is a result clause or not I am undecided (work by Margaret Sim and others causing uncertainty as to the validity of the category).
So, as you can see - in a muddle - can't really think my way through it and in need of help