[B-Greek] Acts 16:34 & sentence diagramming.
Carl W. Conrad
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Mon Dec 13 09:31:45 EST 2004
At 7:00 AM -0600 12/13/04, George F Somsel wrote:
>On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 20:43:56 -0600 Steven Lo Vullo
><themelios at charter.net> writes:
>> On Dec 12, 2004, at 7:06 PM, Remington186 at aol.com wrote:
>>
>> > HGALLIASATO PANOIKEI PEPISTEUKWS TWi QEWi
>> > I'm thinking that PANOIKEI PEPISTEUKWS TWi QEWi is an adverbal
>> clause,
>> > with a
>> > "subject," household, a "verbal," having committed, and the direct
>>
>> > object,
>> > God. That "He," the subject of the sentence, is a part of "the
>> > household" is,
>> > unquestionable.
>> >
>> > As a verbal clause would it inevitably modify rejoiced -- or is
>> there
>> > something in Greek that has it simply modifying HGALLIASATO,
>> including
>> > both 'he' and
>> > 'rejoiced,' both subject and predicate?
>>
>> Hi Remington:
>>
>> Yes, the participial phrase PEPISTEUKWS TWi QEWi is adverbial,
>> subordinate to and modifying HGALLIASATO, probably semantically
>> indicating the cause of the rejoicing. And TWi QEWi does indeed
>> complement PEPISTEUKWS.
>>
>> Participles, since they are not finite, do not have subjects.
>> PANOIKEI
>> is an adverb. The question here is whether PANOIKEI modifies the
>> main
>> verb HGALLIASATO or the participle PEPISTEUKWS. Translators and
>> commentators are divided on this. Some have concluded that it
>> modifies
>> both. The NET note says this:
>>
>> "The phrase 'together with his entire household' is placed at the
>> end
>> of the English sentence so that it refers to both the rejoicing and
>> the
>> belief. A formal equivalence translation would have 'and he rejoiced
>>
>> greatly with his entire household that he had come to believe in
>> God,'
>> but the reference to the entire household being baptized in v. 33
>> presumes that all in the household believed."
>____________
>
>Now that seems like an entirely theologically motivated comment. Your
>Presbyterians, Reformed, Episcopalians, Lutheraans and Catholics might
>take issue with that.
PLEASE, let's not get started along those lines or even make such a
suggestion in jest; it's NOT a matter of a reader or opinion-giver's
theological commitment but of the demonstrable meaning of the text, insofar
as the meaning is demonstrable. The question at hand is how the Greek text
of Acts 16:34 is to be construed and in particular how PANOIKEI relates to
HGALLIASATO and PEPISTEUKWS. This question was discussed back in July (July
1-2, 2004, subject-header, "Acts 16:34). A.T. Robertson's note is cited,
"It is in an amphibolous position and can be taken either with "rejoiced"
(HGALLIASATO) or "having believed" (PEPISTEUKWS, perfect active participle,
permanent belief), coming between them. The whole household (family,
warden, slaves) heard the word of God, believed in the Lord Jesus, made
confession, were baptized, and rejoiced." At any rate the immediately
preceding context makes it perfectly clear that the jailer himself and the
entire household were baptized.
--
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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