perfect PROISTHMI...

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Thu Jul 6 06:41:25 EDT 2000


At 11:37 AM +0200 7/6/00, Roe wrote:
>In 1Tim 5:17, we see PROISTHMI in the perfect tense:
>
>  hOI KALWS PROESTWTES PRESBUTEROI...
>
>Why do most (all?) versions translate PROISTHMI in the present tense
>here?

Because the perfect tense of hISTHMI/hISTAMAI (and its compounds) provides
the only means of indicating that something is NOW standing as a result of
completion of the process indicated by the present-tense form:

	PROISTHMI = I am in the process of putting X in charge (of Y)
	PROISTAMAI = I am in process of being put in charge (of Y)

	PROESTHKA = I have come to be put in charge (of Y) = I AM in charge

The perfect forms hESTHKA (and compounds) and OIDA (and compounds) do
regularly carry the force of present tenses because, as STATIVES, they
indicate the STATE currently obtaining.

-- 

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University
Summer: 1647 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu OR cwconrad at ioa.com
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/



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