[B-Greek] RE: Acts 22:6 Revisited (cont.)Follow up
Martin Culy
MCuly at briercrest.ca
Tue Apr 13 18:03:13 EDT 2004
At 7:40 PM -0700 4/8/04, Eddie Mishoe wrote:
EGENETO DE MOI POREUOMENWi KAI EGGIZONTI THi DAMASKWi
PERI MESHMBRIAN EXAIFNHS EK TOU OURANOU PERIASTRAYAI
FWS hIKANON PERI EME
Culy/Parsons note that the two participles,
POREUOMENWi KAI EGGIZONTI, cannot be adverbial since
they have no verb to modify (EGENETO and PERIASTRAYAI
have different subjects), although they do give them a
"temporal" translation. Any suggestions as to how
these function syntactically?
--------------------
Waldo Slusher wrote:
Dr. Culy:
Before I read your article, a question occurred to me.
In that you see these constructs (as Acts 22:6
exhibit) as adjectival participles, what is your
reasoning for suggesting an adverbial translation then
(as Eddie informs us)?
______________________
Waldo,
The reason is a pragmatic rather than a syntactic one. From my experience
as a Bible translator, I recognize that it is frequently impossible to
express something in a target language using a similar syntactic
construction. Indeed, I would argue that such formal correspondence should
not even be a goal in translations intended for a general audience. In the
case of Acts 22:6, it is difficult not to use a temporal construction in
good English. I believe, however, that such a rendering fails to capture
the focus of the Greek text, though we are dealing with a fine nuance. I
have argued that the use of the adjectival participle, rather than a
genitive absolute construction or an infinitival construction (cf. 9:3 where
the same events are recounted with infinitives), helps keep the focus on
Paul rather than on his actions or the timing of his actions. Culy/Parsons
lists the following as a way of capturing what we believe to be the force of
the syntax: "There I was, going along and nearing Damascus at about noon,
when a bright light from the sky suddenly flashed around me!"
Martin Culy
Associate Professor of New Testament
Briercrest Biblical Seminary
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