Substantive phrases with the neuter article
Carl W. Conrad
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Thu Oct 3 12:58:23 EDT 2002
For: George Somsel <Polycarp66 at aol.com>:
Date: Thu, 3 Oct 2002 10:25:48 EDT
In a message dated 10/3/2002 8:41:09 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu writes:
>I have been continuing off-list the discussion with Mme Chabert d'Hyères
>over the usage of the definite article in the thread with subject-header,
>"Re: Lk 2:49 EN TOIS ... (Luke in Codex Bezae issue)." As we have come to
>something of an impasse (or should I call it by its Greek name, an APORIA?)
>regarding ways in which the neuter article is used to form substantival
>phrases. Mme Chabert's original suggestions was that the phrase EN TOIS TOU
>PATROS MOU in Lk 2:49 might or probably does intentionally refer back to
>2:46 and the word DIDASKALWN (text:
>EN MESWi TWN DIDASKALWN) or even in the GNWSTOI of v. 45. I think this is
>highly improbable, but some other passages have been brought to bear upon
>the question, and I'd like to solicit opinions from any B-Greekers who care
>to comment on this question.
>
>We had extended our discussion to the phrases TA KAISAROS and TA TOU QEOU
>IN Lk 20:24. Mme Chabert had written as follows (I've Englished her French
>here and in other citations below):
>
>"In the episode of Caesar's coin, TA refers quite explicitly to the image
>and the inscription of the Emperor's name, situated where? in Jerusalem,
>even if not in the Temple itself! Jesus was not questioned because of his
>political opinions but as "one who teaches the way of God", He had to
>answer according to the Torah. What is at stake is the power of the coin,
>its imprinted image and its inscription, all three implicit in this TA.
>Doesn't translating TA with "things" or "affairs," make it all-inclusive?
>The literary choice of TA, of EN TOIS opens the way to implied meanings,
>such as one doesn't dare express too obviously."
>
>In my response to the above, I wrote as follows:
>
>"To put it in a nutshell, I'd agree that "Caesar's things" or "Caesar's
>affairs" is an inadequate way to convey TA KAISAROS, but I think that the
>sense of the "substantivized" genitive is essentially: "what concerns
>Caesar"--and I think that includes a VERY BROAD range of possibilities and
>yet one cannot point very directly to something that must SPECIFICALLY be
>implied in it, such as Caesar's image and inscription; I would say that
>image and inscription are INCLUDED within the domain to which TA KAISAROS
>points, but that they are not solely and
>exclusively what TA KAISAROS must refer to in the context of the saying of
>Jesus: rather his assertion is more general: whatever has to do with
>Caesar--take it to Caesar, and whatever has to do with God--take it to God.
>I'm reminded of a German grammarian's (Schwyzer? I'm citing from a faulty
>memory) statement about the the Genitive case: "der Kasus der Beziehung im
>weitesten Sinne."
>
>And she replied as follows (and I think she really means "ellipsis" when
>she writes "elision"):
>
>"When considering the neuter article in other Lucan usage, I wonder whether
>it does not reflect the principle of elision [ellipsis?]: it is no longer
>the final vowel which is omitted but a whole word and the article is there
>instead of substantive in question: Thus the TA GENOMENA of Lk 24:18, would
>have reference to 24:19, 27 and 35; in these three verses, we would have to
>read TA GENOMENA in the place of TA alone.
>
>"It would be the same thing in Lk 19:42 D05 TA PROS EIRHNHN SOI: the TA
>would substitute for: PERI PANTWN hWN EIDON GINOMENWN (Lc 19:37 D05) This
>practice of elision [ellipsis?] would be more or less observed by
>particular writers; TA would have become a "catch" word"; in the Pauline
>epistles, for example, according to the context it indicates as much the
>mysteries of God as of the man, the "fric" or even the worldly pleasures.
>"That's a hypothesis; I would be surprised if it hasn't been observed by
>some grammarian."
>
>I have to say that I am no more convinced in the case of Lk 19:42 or 24:18
>than I was in the case of Lk 20:24. I think that TA PROS EIRHNHN SOI "what
>bears upon your peace/well-being" in the broadest sense and not
>specifically to some understood noun or substantive derived from the larger
>context. Of course the wider context will lend specificity to the way in
>which the TA substantive phrase must be interpreted, but I do not believe
>that the use of the neuter plural article here implies necessarily any
>specific antecedent in the surrounding context. In fact, it seems to me
>that the idea that there is some "ellipsis" involved in this usage of TA
>suggests that there's something remaining of the much-older demonstrative
>function of the article--and I really don't think there's any residue of
>that older demonstrative function of the article in the TA phrases here
>under discussion.
>
>Are there any comments or reactions? Can anyone throw further light upon
>these TA phrases? Mme Chabert and I will both surely appreciate any
>feedback, whether on- or off-list.
>
Since I feel partly responsible (whether rightly or wrongly) for the
consideration that TOIS TOU PATROS in Lk 2.49 might refer back to
DIDASKALWN in 2.46, it seems incumbent upon me to say something regarding
this. It was due to an immediate reaction to Mme Chabert's remarks under
influence of the plural form of TOIS that I suggested it might refer to
DIDASKALWN. I soon began to have doubts regarding this reading and now
incline toward the reading in the footnote or the NASB as "affairs". I do
not feel even now that it can be read as traditionally is done as "my
Father's house" due to the plural.
In regard to Lk 20.24, 25 I think we have an entirely different situation.
One of the functions of the article in Greek is to refer back to something
which has already been mentioned. In this case we have
TINOS EXEI EIKONA KAI EPIGRAFHN?
in v. 24. It would seem that this is a deictic use of the article to point
to what has here been mentioned -- "image and inscription". It would
therefore be equivalent to
APODOTE TA EIKONA KAI EPIGRAFHN KAISARI . . .
Give the image and incription [of Caesar] to Caesar . . .
gfsomsel
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