Rom 3:22(Carl, Jasen, Polycarp)
Jason Hare
parousia_occ at yahoo.com
Mon Feb 28 17:08:13 EST 2000
« This reading seems very natural. But I wonder if particle DE
in DIKAISUNE DE QEOU can be used to introduce a phrase that is
to be used as an apposition. Isn't DE a particle connecting a sentence
and another sentence? »
I don't think that DE has such a strong intent. It is weaker than that.
Often it is used in lists by many. Aristotle says,
« SUMBOULHS DE TO MEN PROTROPH TO DE APOTROPH: AEI GAR KAI hOI IDIA
SUMBOULEUONTES KAI hOI KOINH KHMHGOROUNTES TOUTWN QATERON POIOUSIN. DIKHS
DE TO MEN KATHGORIA TO D' APOLOGIA: TOUTWN GAR hOPOTERONOUN POIEIN ANAGKH
TOUS AMFISBHTOUNTAS. EPIDEIKTIKOU DE TO MEN EPAINOS TO DE YOGOS. » ("Art"
of Rhetoric, I.3.3)
I think it is used this way many times, not as the beginning of a sentence
necessarily, but just to list something. I know that this case in Romans 3
is not a list, but it serves the same purpose in his speech. His intent
was to carry on his topic and DE is a continuative particle, unlike ALLA
which is a disjunctive word looking for an opposite.
Jason Hare
Ozark Christian College
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