[B-Greek] MI verbs

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Tue Feb 25 16:19:37 EST 2003


At 2:37 PM -0600 2/25/03, Ron Fay wrote:
>If I recall correctly, there are a few verbs that have both a first and
>second aorist, normally the difference between being transitive or
>intransitive.
>
>ANISTHMI is a word with both 1st and 2nd aorist forms, with 1st aorist forms
>being transitive and 2nd aorist forms being intransitive.  BDAG p. 83 gives
>this information, and I believe it holds true for all verbs that have both
>forms.

It is true that ANESTHSA is active and causative, ANESTHN is intransitive
and functions as the aorist for the middle ANISTAMAI; other compounds of
hISTHMI/hISTAMAI do the same; similar is EFHNA, active and causative from
FAINW, while EFANHN is intransitive and functions as the aorist for the
middle FAINOMAI.

>Hence I Thess. 4:14, EI GAR PISTEUOMEN hOTI IHSOUS APEQANEN KAI ANESTH, is
>"For if we believe that Jesus died and rose" not "Jesus died and was
>raised...," which is a huge difference in terms of orthodoxy.  (compare with
>Gal 1:1 etc. and you have a modest piece of Trinitarian evidence)

There's no reason to bring theological perspective into this--please don't
do so; ANESTH has quite the same sense as HGERQH, usually termed deponent
but in fact, as I have tried to demonstrate elsewhere ad nauseam, it too is
intransitive and functions as the aorist for the middle EGEIROMAI. Both
ANISTAMAI and EGEIROMAI mean "rise" (from seated or reclining state or from
a settled position of any sort).
-- 

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.mcsinternet.net/~cwconrad/


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