[B-Greek] verbal hendiadys in Gal 2:12?
Carl W.Conrad
cwconrad at ioa.com
Wed Apr 27 17:01:24 EDT 2005
As nobody has yet responded to this, I'll offer an opinion or two; that
should at least provoke some rebuttals!
On Apr 26, 2005, at 8:24 PM, Chuck J Bumgardner wrote:
> Hello, all,
>
> I'm trying to understand the nuance of stellesqai in 2Th 3:6. Abraham
> Malherbe in his AB commentary on Thessalonians (p. 450) connects that
> term with hupostellw, then mentions the following phrase in Gal 2:12 as
> an example of a verbal hendiadys: hupestellen kai aphwrizen heauton.
> I'm
> trying to grasp the significance of the hendiadys form for verbs,
> particularly for these two. Bullinger (657ff) uses most of his
> descriptive power on hendiadyses formed with nouns, and is content
> merely
> to give examples for verbal hendiadyses. Could those of you who are
> wise
> in the ways of hendiadyses (including how to pluralize that word!) give
> some input on several questions:
I confess that I have not seen Bullinger's discussion nor do I have
ready access to it. But i seriously question whether we should even
talk of verbal hendiadys; the term as I've known it refers strictly to
nouns linked by a coordinating conjunction and expressing what is in
fact a SINGLE conception. So I find myself dubious regarding the phrase
in Gal 2:12 as a hendiadys, whether or not the phrasing of Gal 2:12 has
a bearing on the way STELLESQAI is to be understood in 2 Th 3:6.
> 1) Is the above phrase from Gal 2:12 indeed a hendiadys? It
> seems
> to fit Bullinger's qualifications (same part of speech, joined by kai.
> He says nouns must be in same case, but doesn't address verbs -- but
> these are both imperfects), and as far as I can tell, the definition in
> BDF (442.16).
As I've said above, I wouldn't call the phrase in Gal 2:12--
hUPESTELLEN KAI AFWRIZEN hEAUTON -- a hendiadys at all. Nor do I see
BDF §442.16 offering any reason why this verbal phrase should be called
a hendiadys: it deals with noun phrases linked by KAI--phrases that
clearly can be understood as expressing a single idea (cited are
Aristophanes, Eqq. 1310 EK PEUKHS ... KAI XULWN ("made of pine lumber")
and Mk 6:26 DIA TOUS hORKOUS KAI TOUS (SUN)DIAKEIMENOUS) ("because of
the oath taken before his guests").
> 2) If it is a hendiadys, what would be a good translation?
> Something like, "he began withdrawing -- even separating himself"?
But your suggested version is not treating it as two verbs expressing a
single idea so much as a phrase wherein the second verb clarifies and
extends the sense of the first. Even if we understand the reflexive
accusative hEAUTON with both verbs I think we'd have to translate both
verbs--as you have done above; I'd put it, "he began to pull back and
make a clear break (with the Greeks)."
> 3) Does this (assumed) hendiadys help to elucidate the meaning
> of
> hupostellw by connecting it with aforizw? If so, how?
I don't think you need to assume a "hendiadys" to interpret the
phrasing as you are suggesting. It seems to me that the phrasing first
offers a milder expression of retreat from a bold position and then a
straightforward expression of dissociation. It's as if we were to say
something like, "When you say that, sir, you come very close to the
truth and have in fact hit the nail on the head!"
> 4) Where can I do some further reading on this question? This
> link: http://www.geocities.com/bible_translation/glossh.htm#hendiadys
> limits the discussion to nouns. This link:
> http://www.geocities.com/bible_translation/hendiadys.txt was a bit more
> helpful. Web sources are fine; I'd actually be more interested in
> print
> sources.
And in fact I'd like to know of any clear treatment of verbal phrases
that are deemed to be hendiadys.
As for the PLURAL of hendiadys, I have the sense that it's an English
word--although I may be mistaken. The Greek term is hEN DIA DUOIN
(where DUOIN is the archaic genitive dual case-form): "one
(thing/sense) by means of two (words)."
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad at ioa.com
WWW: http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/
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