[B-Greek] EGGIZW

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at ioa.com
Wed Aug 24 06:47:16 EDT 2005


On Aug 24, 2005, at 6:15 AM, Celia Villa-Landa wrote:

> Hi! I'm a new subscriber.  I am trying to discover why there is so  
> much
> variety in the translation of HGGIKEN, perfect tense of EGGIZW, in NT
> scholarship - for example, 'is at hand', 'has come', 'is near'.  I  
> imagine
> this has been discussed before.  Can someone direct me to the  
> appropriate
> archive?  Thank you!
> Celia Villa-Landa

I will first cite the relevant BDAG entry for EGGIZW:
     2. to draw near in a temporal sense, draw near, come near,  
approach (POxy 1202, 8; w. dat., Epict. 3, 10, 14; Tat. 37:1). W.  
indications of time (KClark, JBL 59, ’40, 367–83) the hour Mt  
26:45; the day (Ezk 7:4; 12:23) Ro 13:12; Hb 10:25; the (feast) day  
GJs 1:2; 2:2; hO KAIROS (La 4:18; 1 Macc 9:10) Lk 21:8; cp. Mt 21:34;  
hO CRONOS Ac 7:17; the Passover Lk 22:1; the end 1 Pt 4:7; the final  
stumbling-block B 4:3; cp. ending of Mk in the Freer ms. 8; the  
judgment GPt 7:25; destruction of the temple Lk 21:20; redemption vs.  
28. MECRI QANATOU HGGISEN come close to dying Phil 2:30 (cp. Job  
33:22; Sir 51:6 HGGISEN hEWS QANATOU). PKatz, TZ 5, ’49, 7;  
ADebrunner, Mus. Helv. 11, ’54, 58f.—Esp. of the approaching Reign  
of God: HGGIKEN hH BASILEIA TWN OURANWN (or TOU QEOU) Mt 3:2; 4:17;  
10:7; Mk 1:15; Lk 10:9, 11 (WHutton, ET 64, ’52/53, 89–91: has  
come for the Lk passages); AcPl Ha 8, 31=BMM verso 2f. Of the Lord’s  
return Js 5:8.—On ‘realized eschatology’ s. CDodd, Parables of  
the Kgdm.3 ’36, 44–51, ET 48, ’36/37, 138–42; JCampbell, ET  
48, ’36/37, 91–94; RFuller, The Mission and Achievement of Jesus  
’54, 20–25; RBerkey, JBL 82, ’63, 177–87; MBlack, An Aramaic  
Approach3, ’67, 208–11.—DELG s.v. ἐγγύς. M-M. TW. Sv.

In my judgment, there are two factors involved in what you have  
observed as variant understandings of HGGIKEN, especially as used in  
the Synoptic Gospel formulations of the initial proclamation of Jesus:

(1) there's the question whether to interpret the perfect tense as a  
stative with the sense "is here" (= has completed its nearing) or as  
aoristic with heavy emphasis upon the sense of EGGUS, "near": "has  
come near" (but isn't yet here).

(2) The other factor has more to do with opposed conceptions of the  
eschatological views held by Jesus and/or by the evangelists who  
report Jesus' initial proclamation: some hold for a "realized  
eschatology" or something closer to the "realized" notion that the  
Kingdom of God is present in the appearance of Jesus or in his  
activity; others hold for a "future eschatology" or something closer  
to that notion that the Kingdom of God has been brought near by Jesus  
but hasn't yet arrived.

Please note that WE DO NOT DISCUSS THESE ESCHATOLOGICAL  
INTERPRETATIONS AS SUCH on B-Greek -- arguments for either or any  
alternative on the eschatological assumptions governing an  
understanding of the Jesus-statement; I have mentioned them only  
because I think they do have a bearing upon the ways in which the  
translations have represented the Jesus-statement. Discussion on B- 
Greek really ought to focus upon understanding the perfect tense form  
of EGGIZW.

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad2 at mac.com
WWW: http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/




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