Lk 18:13; TWi hAMARTWLWi

Steven Lo Vullo doulos at merr.com
Thu Nov 29 00:31:39 EST 2001


On Wednesday, November 28, 2001, at 10:31  PM, Harry W. Jones wrote:

> I don't know why I said the Monadic case. I should have said the
> Par Excellence case. When I see a definite noun I usually think
> of a unique object in that class. But since a definite noun can belong 
> to
> different classifications, I believe additional information is needed to
> clarify
> things for the general reader. I don't really see anything wrong with
> "a sinner of the worst kind" but of course that's me. In any case it
> looks like almost all translations have gone with the simple
> identification
> that Wallace also mentioned. I have an eight translation NT and they all
> translate the literal "the sinner" as "a sinner".

Harry:

One of the things I was trying to point out in my previous posts 
(apparently unsuccessfully) is that you have Wallace exactly backwards. 
He argues AGAINST the majority of translations, i.e., those that omit 
the English article in their translation of TWi hAMARTWLWi. He treats 
this verse under the category of par excellence and translates "O God, 
be merciful to me, THE sinner" (emphasis mine). The other alternatives 
he offers are "simple identification," which also in this case requires 
the article to be translated (since this takes the tax collector to be 
comparing himself with the Pharisee), or possibly well-known, which 
would require the translation of the article as well. In fact, he quotes 
Robertson approvingly where he criticizes the Canterbury revisers of the 
KJV for omitting the article here (see p. 208). Here Robertson maintains 
that omission of the article in translation of TWi hAMARTWLWi is 
inaccurate. Again, note carefully what Wallace says about TWi hAMARTWLWi 
in Luke 18.13:

"Here the article is either *par excellence* or simple identification 
[or, *possibly* well-known]. If it is simple identification, this 
tax-collector is recognizing the presence of the Pharisee and is 
distinguishing himself from him by implying that, as far as he knew, the 
Pharisee was THE righteous one (between the two of them) and he was  THE 
sinner. But if the article is *par excellence*, then the man is 
declaring that he is the worst of all sinners (from his perspective). 
This seems to fit well with the spirit of his prayer, for only the 
Pharisee explicitly makes a comparison with the other person present" 
(p. 223, emphasis his).

So what Wallace says "fits well" with the spirit of the man's prayer is 
par excellence. That, after all, is why he puts this verse in that 
category to begin with! And if this is the case, the article must be 
translated, as Wallace indeed does.
=============

Steven Lo Vullo
Madison, WI




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