theos and ho theos'

dixonps at juno.com dixonps at juno.com
Fri Mar 2 01:19:31 EST 2001




On Thu, 1 Mar 2001 22:09:52 EST GregStffrd at aol.com writes:
> In a message dated 03/01/2001 9:23:42 AM Pacific Standard Time, CEP7 
> writes:
> 
> This is interestingly because Dixon, Harner, Kuehne,
> Robertson,  and Wallace all came to the conclusion 
> that the majority (80%) of the anarthrous 
> preverbal predicate nominatives were qualitative, 
> and only rarely verbal. See the discussion in Wallace,
> 256-270.
>  
>  Philip B. Harner, Qualitative Anarthrous Predicate Nouns: Mark 
> 15:39 and John 1:1, JBL 92 (1973): 75-87.
>  
>  C. Kuehne, A Postscript to Colwells Rule and John 1:1, Journal of 
> Theology 15 [1975] 22.
>  
>  Paul Stephen Dixon, The Significance of the Anarthrous Predicate 
> Nominative in John (Th.M. thesis, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1975).
>  
>  
>  Charles E. Powell, Ph.D. >>
> 
> 
> Dear Charles:

<snip>
> 
> As a prelude to the discussion, assuming you have not read my book, 
> I do not believe the above sources provide any evidence that so-called 
> qualitative nouns are not simply definite or indefinite nouns, the 
> qualities of which receive emphasis by means of fronting. Fronting 
> accomplishes this not only with PNs, but with terms of different 
> grammatical cases, too.  
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> Greg Stafford

In my thesis I found the following (taken from the conclusion chapter of
the thesis):

------------------------

The use of the anarthrous predicate nominative in John is significant. It
is qualitative in 65 out of 74 occurrences, or 88% probability. When the
anarthrous predicate nominative precedes the verb it is qualitatative in
50 of 53 occurrences, or 94% probability. When it follows the verb the
anarthrous predicate nominative is qualitative 13 of 19 occurrences, or
68%.

-----------------------

In every case I was looking for the leading nuance of the noun and
assumed it could be either definite, indefinite or qualitative, but only
one of these.  I never considered that a predicate nominative would
receive definite or indefiniteness emphasis simply by fronting it.  I
would like to see that demonstrated.  Rather, I considered the nuance of
each predicate nominative , not on the basis of its location within the
sentence, but upon other contextual considerations.

Some posit the idea that a predicate noun can be both indefinite and
qualitative.  I reject this notion and assume the author had one
particular nuance in mind.  I have seen no evidence to the contrary.

Paul Dixon





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