[B-Greek] 1 Tim 3.16a hOMOLOGOUMENWS modifies what?

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Mon Aug 20 20:21:08 EDT 2007


On Aug 20, 2007, at 8:13 PM, Mitch Larramore wrote:

> 1 Tim 3.16a
>
> KAI hOMOLOGOUMENWS MEGA ESTIN TO THS EUSEBEIAS
> MUSTHRION
>
> What does hOMOLOGOUMENWS modify? MEGA? The whole
> clause? And how do you decide what it modifies?

I'd say that it governs the entire predicate.

> Porter says it modifies a predicate nominative
> adjective, which must be MEGA.

Well, would you say that the MUSTHRION is "admittedly great" or that  
it "is admittedly great"? Maybe this really doesn't matter that much,  
since MEGA isn't going to be a predicate nominative without a copula  
that is at least implicit.

> But the NET translates this:
> And we all agree, our religion contains amazing
> revelation

That's a reformulation of the content with the adverb reformulated as  
a qualification of the proposition, "our religion contains amazing  
revelation." I'd say it conveys the content of the Greek admirably.


Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)



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