Col. 2:13-14--syntax perplexity

Rodney J. Decker rdecker at bbc.edu
Wed Mar 29 11:44:54 EST 2000


I've noted that there is a significant difference in the punctuation at the 
end of Col. 2:13. Some texts have a comma, some a period (or colon). That 
is significant in that a major stop would force the first participle in v. 
14 to go with the finite verb in v. 14 rather than with the preceding 
finite verb in v. 13. Complicating that is the KAI in the middle of v. 14 
(and, to a lesser degree, the lack of a connective at the beginning of v. 
14). It puzzles me as to how this KAI functions if there is a period at the 
end of v. 13. (With a comma it connects the two finite verbs in v. 13 & 
14.) The comma seems to make the best sense of the syntax, and I don't see 
anything that would have caused the newer texts (UBS3/4, NA25/26/27) to 
change the more traditional comma (TR, majority text, WH) to a period.

(13) ... SUNZOWPOIHSEN hUMAS ... CARISAMENOS ... TA PARAPTWMATA. (14) 
EXALEIYAS TO ... CEIROGRAFON ..., KAI AUTO HRKEN EK TOU MESOU PROSHLWSAS 
AUTO TWi STAURWi.

Any explanations or suggestions are very much welcome! Thanks.

Rod



****************************************************
Rodney J. Decker, Th.D.       Baptist Bible Seminary
Assoc. Prof./NT  PO Box 800, Clarks Summit, PA 18411
rdecker at bbc.edu      http://faculty.bbc.edu/rdecker/
The *Resources for NT Study* site is accessible at:
http://faculty.bbc.edu/rdecker/rd_rsrc.htm
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