[B-Greek] Verbal aspect - Aorist

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Sun Dec 26 10:57:40 EST 2004


Mitch Larramore asked:

"I have this question regarding the statement below
taken from Dr. Raymond E. Brown's commentary on the
epistles of "John." Although the passage in question
is 2 John 4a (aorist of CAIREIN), it doesn't seem
relevant to my question, since I think he is making a
general statement that pertains to verbal aspect.
	"'Virtually no modern commentary gives the strictest
interpretation of the aorist, namely, that the
Presbyter rejoiced in the past when he made his
finding but his joy has now ceased.' (p. 660)
	"Am I right in understanding verbal aspect as it
pertains to the aorist when I say that the aorist does
not indicate one way or another whether the event that
is portrayed in the past extends all the way to the
present (as would be implied with a Perfect)? (I'm
wondering if Brown made this commment back when verbal
aspect had not yet clarified that; back when scholars
still taught the once-for-all aorist.)"

For my part I'd say that the author is more likely to use an imperfect for an
action extending later in time than when started and possibly continuing to the
present. I don't think it's a matter of a "once-for-all" tense so much as it is
of a "perfective" tense that indicates an action taking place in the past and
emphasizing the wholeness of that action as something complete. "I did feel joy"
doesn't imply that the author feels something other than joy now, but it does
indicate the sense of joy as something felt at a point in the past.

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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