[B-Greek] Modified Genitive Absolute?

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Fri Mar 17 21:57:01 EST 2006


On Mar 17, 2006, at 8:46 PM, Richard Lindeman wrote:

> Acts 24:10 NEUSANTOS AUTW TOU hHGEMONOS LEGEIN
>
>
>
> Am I correct in reading this entire phrase as a modified genitive  
> absolute?
>
> In other words, the genitive absolute is NEUSANTOS TOU hHGEMONOS
>
> But AUTW LEGEIN completes NEUSANTOS and is added as an extension to  
> the
> "absolute" nature of the construction?

You rightly identify NEUSANTOS TOU hHGEMONOS as a genitive absolute,  
but I don't see any need to characterize this as being in any way  
"modified." It is a genitive absolute by virtue of having both  
subject and predicate in the genitive, but both subject and predicate  
may have the same kinds of qualifiers that any other subject and  
predicate in a clause may have. What should be understood is that the  
genitive absolute functions as an adverbial clause qualifying the  
predicate of a clause at a igher level.

> Similarly.
>
> Acts 24:25  DIALEGOMENOU DE AUTOU PERI DIKAIOSUNHS KAI EGKRATEIAS  
> KAI TOU
> KRIMATOS TOU MELLONTOS,  EMFOBOS GENOMENOS
>
> Am I correct in reading this entire passage as another modified  
> genitive
> absolute? In other words that the "absolute" nature  of  
> DIALEGOMENOU AUTOU
> encompasses it all?

Yes, here too the subject is AUTOU and the predicate is essentially  
DIALEGOMENOU, while PERI and its three objects complement  
DIALEGOMENOU, but EMFOBOS GENOMENOS belongs rather to hO FHLIX  
APEKRIQH: "Felix grew apprehensive as he (Paul) talked about  
righteousness and prudence and the coming judgment, and replied ..."


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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