Middle and Passive Aorist and Future forms

Harry W. Jones hwjones2 at earthlink.net
Thu Dec 12 05:16:43 EST 2002



In all fairness I might add the BDF did go on to say, "The middle is
occasionally  used, however, where an active is expected."  page 165 sec.
316.

But it does seem that there is some room for research in the area of middle
and passives of aorists and futures. If for no other reason than to put to
rest the idea that forms don't matter with these tenses.

In His Grace,
Harry Jones

The fool has said in his
heart,there is no God. Ps. 14:1

But they that wait upon the
Lord shall renew their
strength. They shall run 
and not be weary. And they
shall walk and not faint. Isa. 40:39



> [Original Message]
> From: Carl W. Conrad <cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu>
> To: Harry  W. Jones <hwjones2 at earthlink.net>
> Cc: Biblical Greek <b-greek at franklin.oit.unc.edu>
> Date: 12/11/02 6:01:27 PM
> Subject: [b-greek] Re: Middle and Passive Aorist and Future forms
>
> At 5:59 PM -0800 12/11/02, Harry  W. Jones wrote:
> >Well BDF says, "NT authors in general preserve well the distinction
between
> >middle and passive." page 165 sec. 316.  So I wonder why people want to
> >make complicated that which is so simple.
>
> I certainly don't want to make complicated what is simple; what I object
to
> is ignoring the complexity that is there--or put it more simply, and state
> what I really mean: I think that statements like that in BDF may seem
valid
> insofar as one IGNORES the number of so-called "deponent" verb forms that
> have "middle" and "passive" morphoparadigms but are excluded from
> classification as having the meanings of middles and passives. I now have
a
> preliminary count based on analysis of all GNT -QH- "future passives." I
> had to eliminate several forms of DUNHSOMAI which were erroneously tagged
> as passive in Accordance (is there anyone who thinks the verb DUNAMAI is
> passive?); that made my total of -QHSOMAI KTL. forms 287; of these I
deemed
> 167 bore probably authentic passive meaning, 120 others probably authentic
> middle meaning. I think that there are some forms on both lists that could
> be argued as belonging in the other; for some verbs I've distinguished
> instances to divided usage. Undoubtedly there will be some real
differences
> of opinion over this tally, but tomorrow I'll try to find a way to put up
> the entire list and point to those verbs or verb forms that seem to me
most
> ambivalent. But enough for one day already.
> -- 
>
> Carl W. Conrad
> Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
> 1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
> cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu OR cwconrad at ioa.com
> WWW: http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/





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