[B-Greek] Rm 1: 14-15

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Mon Dec 29 07:24:10 EST 2003


At 4:01 PM +0100 12/24/03, Arie Dirkzwager wrote:
>Years ago I had an idea about Rm 1: 14-15.
>I would like to know what others think about it.
>
>Normally you find (also in translations)
>hELLHSIN TE KAI BARBAROIS, SOFOIS TE KAI ANOHTOIS OFEILETHS EIMI, hOUTWS TO
>KAT' EME PROQUMON KAI hUMIN TOIS EN RWMHi EUAGGELISASQAI.
>
>I would read with a parenthesis:
>hELLHSIN TE KAI BARBAROIS, SOFOIS TE KAI ANOHTOIS OFEILETHS EIMI - hOUTWS TO
>KAT' EME PROQUMON - KAI hUMIN TOIS EN RWMHi EUAGGELISASQAI.
>
>OFEILETHS EIMI can be constructed with a following infinitive
>EUAGGELISASQAI. See Gl 5: 3 OFEILETHS ESTIN hOLON TON NOMON POIHSAI.
>A parenthesis normally does not have a connecting particle. So grammatically
>my idea is possible.
>There is no change of the sense.
>Stilistically it is better, in my opinion.
>
>But can we make such a change, whereas nobody did it before? In the older
>editions of N-A differences in interpunction were noted. In our verses we
>find no indication of another interpunction than the normal one.

The problem, I think, is that those datives preceding OFEILETHS EIMI will
be left hanging if you insist on making EUAGGELISASQAI govern primarily or
solely hUMIN TOIS EN hRWMHi. I rather think that the TO KAT' EME ... phrase
indicates that EUAGGELISASQAI is implicitly complementary to OFEILETHS
EIMI. Still, the linkage is weird here; I'd try to capture it something
like this: "To Greeks as well as non-greeks, to sages as well as fools I
have an obligation, hence the eagerness on my part to proclaim the gospel
to you who are in Rome also." It's as if the hOUTWS TO KAT' EME PROQUMON
were a colloquial equivalent of hWSTE PROQUMOS EIMI KAI hUMIN TOIS EN
hRWMHi EUAGGELISASQAI..
-- 

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
WWW: http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/



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