Meaning of the perfect tense

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Sat Jan 13 12:49:27 EST 2001


Is it worth adding to this controversy just a simple note to the effect that:

hESTHKEN doesn't mean that the subject will forever be in a standing state,
although it may involve a sort of METABAINEIN from sitting or lying (or
even walking or running) to stasis. Similarly TEQNHKEN means "is dead" and
implies a METABASIS, if you will, out of "life' into "death." But believers
do not therefore rule out the possibility of an ANASTASIS. I would think
then that the text from John 5 need also not imply (at least by virtue of
what the Greek itself says) the impossibility of a reversal at some future
point. One who is in a "state" of belief is not "coming to judgment." I do
think that permanence is more than ought ever to be read into a perfect
tense form.

-- 

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics/Washington University
One Brookings Drive/St. Louis, MO, USA 63130/(314) 935-4018
Home: 7222 Colgate Ave./St. Louis, MO 63130/(314) 726-5649
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/



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