[B-Greek] Eph. 1:12 and 18

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Thu Jan 27 07:45:32 EST 2005


At 7:11 AM -0500 1/27/05, Darrell Broking wrote:
>I am trying to get a little better insight about the following
>constructions:
>
>In Ephesians 1:12, EIS + TO + EINAI and in Ephesians 1:18 there is EIS + TO
>+ EIDENAI. Any insight anyone might offer would be appreciated.

EIS + articular infinitive may function to indicate (a) purpose, or (b)
result, much as do also hINA clauses (which in earlier Greek were used more
exclusively to indicate purpose) and hWSTE + infinitive phrases. Thus in
1:12

EIS TO EINAI hHMAS EIS EPAINON DOXHS AUTOU TOUS PROHLPIKOTAS EN TWi CRISTWi

I think we should understand the infinitive phrase as indicating purpose:
"so that we, the ones having had our hopes placed in Christ in advance,
should be for (= serve_ his glory."

However, in 1:18 I think that the phrase EIS TO EIDENAI hUMAS TIS ESTIN hH
ELPIS THS KLHSEWS AUTOU ... functions rather as a result following upon
PEFWTISMENOUS TOUS OFQALMOUS THS KARDIAS [hUMWN}: "with the result that you
know what is the hope of his call ..." On the other hand, one might
reasonably argue that this articular infinitive phrase indicates purpose:
"so that you may know what is the hope of his call ..."

I'd say this is comparable in some ways to the problem of determining
whether an adnominal genitive dependent upon a verbal noun is "subjective"
or "objective"--this distinction is obviously more important to the
interpreter and translator than it was to the Greek writer; in the Koine
the constructions for expression of purpose and of result were no longer so
clearly distinguished as in earlier Greek.
-- 

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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