[B-Greek] Help with 'Imperfect' Particple required (Mt 2:7)
kgraham0938 at comcast.net
kgraham0938 at comcast.net
Fri Jan 20 21:44:52 EST 2006
Hey what about taking this as an attributive participle?
TON CRONON TOU FAINOMENOU ASTEROS,
Time of the shining star.
--
Kelton Graham
KGRAHAM0938 at comcast.net
-------------- Original message --------------
From: "Carl W. Conrad" <cwconrad at ioa.com>
>
> On Jan 20, 2006, at 4:52 PM, Martin Wells wrote:
>
> > Dear B-Greek,
> >
> > I'm in need of some clarification re the tense of the present middle
> > participle "fainomenou" as used in Mt 2:7.
> >
> > I know that participles do not exist in imperfect form and the
> > present is
> > used to convey imperfect past time - with context (tense of main verb)
> > providing the indication of time - but this word has been classed as
> > corresponding to 'perfect' (Max and Mary) AND 'imperfect' (by
> > Gustav Teres
> > who argues for the Star being visible on a nightly basis ever since
> > its
> > rising).
> >
> > Is this tense plain old simple 'present' or perfect or imperfect?
> >
> > As the main verb - "akribws" - is aorist active indicative singular
> > it would
> > be in contrast to the imperfect (on going action as it unfolds). So
> > if I
> > conclude that "fainomenou" cannot be imperfect in form in this
> > instance,
> > would I be right?
>
> Text (in standard BG transliteration): TOTE hHRWiDHS LAQRAi KALESAS
> TOUS MAGOUS HKRIBWSEN PAR' AUTWN TON CRONON TOU FAINOMENOU ASTEROS.
>
> The participle is, as you say, present "tense", although some would
> prefer to speak of it as having IMPERFECT "aspect." In this case the
> tense-form of the participle has nothing to do whatsoever with the
> verb HKRIBWSEN (AKRIBOW). One could just as well translate the verse,
> "ascertained precisely from the Magi the time of the star's
> appearance (time of the star appearing)." Now we can say that CRONON
> TOU FAINOMENOU ASTEROS is equivalent to CRONON EF' hWi EFAINETO ASTHR
> or even CRONON hOTE EFAINETO ASTHR. That is to say, the imperfect
> indicative would here be appropriate in a clause equivalent to the
> participial phrase.
>
> 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/
>
> ---
> B-Greek home page: http://metalab.unc.edu/bgreek
> B-Greek mailing list
> B-Greek at lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-greek
More information about the B-Greek
mailing list