[B-Greek] 1 Timothy 5:20

Elizabeth Kline kline-dekoning at earthlink.net
Sun Jun 26 13:10:36 EDT 2005


On 6/26/05 12:00 AM, "A. J. Birch" <AJBIRCH at terra.es> wrote:

> (2) Maybe the word-order is significant, too; with TOUS hAMARTANONTAS coming
> first ...

1 Timothy 5:19 KATA PRESBUTEROU KATHGORIAN MH PARADECOU, EKTOS EI MH EPI DUO
H TRIWN MARTURWN.  20 TOUS hAMARTANONTAS ENWPION PANTWN ELEGCE, hINA KAI hOI
LOIPOI FOBON ECWSIN.

This is marked word order Object-Verb. The fronted TOUS hAMARTANONTAS is
topical or, if you please, it has a contextualizing function. TOUS
hAMARTANONTAS links the following injunction to KATA PRESBUTEROU KATHGORIAN
in verse 19. This is an example of a topical reference to an inferred "state
of affairs". TOUS hAMARTANONTAS is an implied element within the situation
described by KATA PRESBUTEROU KATHGORIAN. In other words, some subset of the
PRESBUTERWN who are accused will be TOUS hAMARTANONTAS.

Within Functional Grammar (FG) topical reference to an inferred state of
affairs plays a significant part in the analysis of information structure.
(Helma Dik, Word Order in Ancient Greek, p.215)


Elizabeth Kline 





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