[B-Greek] Meaning of QAUMASTA?
Carl W. Conrad
cwconrad at ioa.com
Tue Feb 14 15:48:13 EST 2006
On Feb 14, 2006, at 3:14 PM, Christopher Shelton wrote:
> I am working on a translation with multiple uses of the same
> adjective, some times used substantively, "wonderful words,"
> "wonderful words," and also, or so it seems to me, as a sort of
> adverb, "to work in a wonderful manner?" But, let me show it to you
> first, and then I'll translate it as far as I can. I believe it is
> a paraphrasing of the New Testament...but, I really don't know
> which part of the NT it was taken from.
>
>
> Transliterated as:
>
> AUTOS ELEGON hUMIN, hOTI TW LEGEIN MONON QAUMASTA OU GENHSESQE
> QAUMASTOI, EI MH QAUMASTA ERGASESQE.
>
>
> "He himself was saying to us, that you do not become excellent //
> persons// by only saying wonderful things, if you are not working/
> do not work //in a wonderful way?//
If it's ELEGON rather than ELEGEN, then ELEGON must be 1 sg.; "I was
saying." hUMIN is not to us (hHMIN) but "to you." GENHSESQE is future
tense, not present. ERGASESQE is also future tense, not present.
>
> It is the last use of QAUMASTA that puzzles me. How is the
> adjective used here? As a substantive: "wonderful things," or, is
> it as an adverb, "work wonderfully"; though there is no reason to
> suppose that, since the adverb would be QAMASTIWS.
"wonderful things" is fine; it must be the object of ERGASESQE.
ERGAZOMAI can be intransitive, but it seems more often to be
transitive and take a direct object. Since TA QAUMASTA has the
article, I think it ought to be taken as a substantive, "wonderful/
wondrous things." I think that if the adjective in the neuter plural
were used WITHOUT the article TA, it might more likely have an
adverbial sense. There is an adverb to this adjective: QAUMASTWS.
> I would appreciate any help I can get with this. I am new to
> the classical lists and I'm painfully aware that I may be seen as
> somewhat presumptuous if not actually wasting email space. But,
> I'm curious. I am not matriculated in any course where credit must
> be earned. But, this is an exercise, not an inscription or quote
> taken from an actual text. So, if I do not warrant anyone's
> attention, so be it. I am just trying to learn.
> I probably don't need to add all of this excursive rambling,
> but I don't want to be seen as encroaching on a near-sacred preserve.
>
> Thanking you in advance,
>
> Christopher Shelton
> Ft. Lauderdale, FL
>
>
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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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