[B-Greek] Potential Opt. Acts 17:18

Elizabeth Kline kline_dekooning at earthlink.net
Wed Oct 18 02:04:21 EDT 2006


On Oct 17, 2006, at 11:53 PM, Iver Larsen wrote:

> Do Parsons/Culy suggest that this usage is ironic?

Irony was my shorthand for a long statement. The speakers were  
feigning an interest in what Paul had to say but making it clear that  
they didn't expect him to say anything worth listening to.

Parsons/Culy {quote}

Potential optative; see 5:24. (Wallace: 1996,701) suggests that the  
implicit protasis in this incomplete fourth class conditional is  
something like: "If he could say anything that made sense!" The  
optative makes it very clear that the philosophers did not think it  
was likely that paul could say anything of value (Wallace: 1996,701).

When the demonstrative is used to refer to someone who is present, it  
often carries a disparaging or contemptuous connotation. (see 19:26;  
BDF 290.6.1; cf. also 6:13,14) Here however, the disparagement comes  
more from the adjective than the demonstrative.

{end quote}


Elizabeth Kline







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