[B-Greek] Acts 23,9

waldo slusher waldoslusher at yahoo.com
Mon Apr 12 08:01:47 EDT 2004


Eddie:

The EI conditional (first order/class) need not have
an apodosis at all, nor is one grammatically necessary
(in Greek). The statement itself is usually portrayed
by grammarians as "assumed true for the sake of
argument." But here, as elsewhere, it can be much more
of a commitment than that. Here, the scribe is
expressing a personal belief in the existence of
spirits. He is not commiting to the actual appearance
of spirits to Paul, but he agrees that spirits do
exist and therefore it is very possible that Paul has
told the truth.

Waldo

--- Eddie Mishoe <edmishoe at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> OUDEN KAKON hEURISKOMEN EN TWi ANQRWPWi TOUTWi.
> EI DE PNEUMA ELALHSEN AUTWi H AGGELOS
> 
> Should we understand a conditional statement
> differently when the apodosis is omitted (from when
> one is given)? 
> 
> Previous to this EI statement, the conclusion was
> (as
> far as the scribes were concerned) that nothing
> "wrong" (KAKON, wrong "theologically"??) had been
> said
> by Paul (presumedly this assessment goes back as far
> as Paul's defense that began in 22,1). That is, Paul
> had claimed a heavenly personage appeared to him.
> This
> conditional/EI statement seems to be better
> understood
> as merely an acknowledgment that Paul's claim is not
> in and of itself "wrong." Could it mean:
> 
> "Perhaps a spirit or angel did speak to him." (with
> the idea that 'theologically, this is well-attested
> in
> the OT'). This seems almost a "jab" by the
> Pharisees/scribes at the Sadducees.
> 
> Disclaimer: I am not actually trying to open a
> discussion on the above assumed theological
> presumptions of the scribes. I mention them only to
> develop what I think the grammar might be capturing.
> 
> 
> =====
> Eddie Mishoe
> Pastor
> 
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