[B-Greek] John 3:31-32... aspect analysis

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at ioa.com
Thu Dec 15 05:55:04 EST 2005


One problem here is that you're confounding theological questions  
with grammatical questions. Let's just forget about doctrines of when  
"Christ comes" and focus on the meaning of the present (imperfective)  
participle ERCOMENOS. The sense is "the one coming" or "the one who  
comes"; I rather suspect that hO ERCOMENOS here derives from the  
phrasing of Psalm 117:26 which is cited in the synoptic Entry-into- 
Jerusalem pericope: EULOGHMENOS hO ERCOMENOS EN ONOMATI KURIOU  
(Mowinckel's classic study "He That Cometh"). The antithesis in this  
Johannine passage may be implying certain things about Jesus and  
others but it is setting forth a characteristic distinction between  
the one of heavenly origin (hO ANWQEN ERCOMENOS)  and what he attests  
and the earthling (hO WN EK THS GHS) and what he asserts. This  
distinction is a generalization and BOTH participles are present:  
ERCOMENOS, WN.

On Dec 14, 2005, at 9:37 PM, Richard Lindeman wrote:

> OK. I am attempting to digest some of the recent debates concerning  
> aspect
> theory. Based on the conversations I have overheard, let me make a  
> fresh
> attempt at some of the passage I chose to wrestle with. I will  
> attempt it in
> smaller segments:
>
> hO ANOQEN ERXOMENOS EPANW PANTWN ESTIN, hO WN EK THS GHS EK THS GHS  
> ESTI,
> KAI EK THS GHS LALEI,  hO EK TOU OURANOU ERXOMENOS EPANW PANTWN  
> ESTI KAI hO
> hEWRAKE KAI HKOUSE TOUTO MARTUREI KAI THN MARTURIAN AUTOU OUDEIS  
> LAMBANEI.
> John 3:31-32
>
> My initial rough translation: "The one who came from above is over  
> all, the
> one that is from this earth is of this earth and speaks concerning  
> this
> earth, the one who came from heaven is above all things and  
> testifies what
> he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony."
>
> New aspect analysis.  hO ANOQEN ERXOMENOS EPANW PANTWN ESTIN
> ERXOMENOS -  E<S, R=E, R<S , imperfective, some of Christ's coming  
> occurs at
> R time. or, Christ's coming is not completed at R time.  New aspectual
> question: is this a reference to the incomplete nature of the first  
> coming
> of Christ and a hint of the second coming of Christ?
>
> ESTIN - E=S, R<S, E>R,  imperfective,  some of Christ's being over all
> occurs at R time. or, Christ's being over all is not completed at R  
> time.
> New aspectual observation:  Christ is over all things now and always.
>
> Is this better?
>
> Rich Lindeman
>
>
>
> ---
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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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