[B-Greek] hINA clauses

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Fri Mar 18 09:45:09 EST 2005


At 9:30 AM -0500 3/18/05, Jim West wrote:
>Kerry Yankowy wrote:
>
>>Dear friends,
>>
>>Another question on 1 Cor 1:26ff: Do you think the hINA clauses in vv. 27
>>& 28 are purpose clauses or result clauses?
>>
>>
>Result clauses.- the hoti of v. 26 is the "because" clause and the
>following hina clauses are the "so that".  "because....so that, so that,
>so that..."
>
>>
>>27 ALLA TA MWRA TOU KOSMOU EXELEXATO hO QEOS hINA KATAISCUNHi TOUS SOFOUS
>>KAI TA ASQENH TOU KOSMOU EXELEXATO hO QEOS hINA KATAISCUNHi TA ISCURA
>>
>>28 KAI TA AGENH TOU KOSMOU KAI TA EXOUQENHMENA EXELEXATO hO QEOS TA MH
>>ONTA hINA TA ONTA KATARGHSHi
>>
>>My personal opinion is that the preceding context, especially vv. 18-25,
>>show more than just a stark contrast between God's wisdom and man's
>>wisdom. It's as though God is waging a war against man's wisdom. because
>>there seems to be that emphasis I think hINA translates more fittingly as
>>a purpose clause (God's specific intention), and not as a result clause
>>(just an outcome or result of what God did).
>>
>>What are your thoughts?
>>
>>
>
>I see we disagree again.  ;-)

But in fact a result clause shows what happens as a consequence, not what
the intent of the agent was. It is true that in Koine Greek the sharp
difference between a purpose clause and a result clause has weakened
considerably. The nature of the hOTI clauses really has nothing to do with
the nature of the hINA clauses; they are not "because" clauses but rather
substantive clauses:

26 BLEPETE GAR THN KLHSIN hUMWN, ADELFOI, hOTI OU POLLOI SOFOI KATA SARKA,
OU POLLOI DUNATOI, OU POLLOI EUGENEIS; ALLA ...


"Consider your calling, the fact that not many of you were wise in a
worldly sense, not many prestigious persons, not many were well-born ..."
The hOTI clause is a substantive clauses, appositional to THN KLHSIN hUMWN.
-- 

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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