prin Abraam genesthai egw eimi

Paul Schmehl pschmehl at sbcglobal.net
Tue Apr 16 23:26:00 EDT 2002


Are there any other examples of this use, with EIMI, in the NT or any other
Greek literature?

Paul Schmehl pauls at utdallas.edu
pschmehl at sbcglobal.net
http://www.utdallas.edu/~pauls/

----- Original Message -----
From: <awohili at aol.com>
To: "Biblical Greek" <b-greek at franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, April 16, 2002 9:57 PM
Subject: [b-greek] Re: prin Abraam genesthai egw eimi


> Paul, in _A New Syntax of the Verb in New Testament Greek: An Aspectual
Approach_, Kenneth L. McKay (Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., New York 1994)
calls this construction "Extension from Past," and writes: "When used with
an expression of either past time or extent of time with past indications
(but not in past narrative), the present tense signals an activity begun in
the past and continuing to present time....Jn 8:58 PRIN ABRAAM GENESQAI EGW
EIMI, *I have been in existence since before Abraham was born*.  This is a
form of the continuation realization of the imperfective aspect, and similar
uses are found with the imperfect tense and with imperfective participles."
(pages 41, 42)




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