[B-Greek] Phillipians 2:6 - controlling verb?
Iver Larsen
iver at larsen.dk
Sat Aug 12 03:38:44 EDT 2006
> I wonder if it would it all be grammatically possible that the participle is
> independent and concessive? Ie: "although he presently is in the form of a
> god..." This would, it seems, then cohere with the rest of the passage
> where he shows how he did not go about getting to this position (by
> robbery), and how in reality he was placed in this position (the god highly
> exalted him). The lesson then seems in keeping with other similar passages:
Whether it is concessive is a matter of context, not grammar. One could expect Christ to want to cling on to that
exalted position, but he didn't. So, it can be interpreted as concessive, but there is no "concessive particle" or
"concessive tense" or "concessive grammatical form".
The problem with your suggestion is the present tense - "he presently is". The participle depends on an aorist verb and
is simultaneous with the verb main. It cannot be "independent".
That is why RSV translates: "who, though he was in the form of God, did not count...."
The text does not talk about how Christ got that position, but only that he had it and also had the right to keep that
position, BUT (ALLA in v. 7) he willingly gave up that position in order to put on the much lower position of a
slave/servant and human being.
Iver Larsen
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