[B-Greek] Matt 27.30 Why the Imperfect ETUPTON

cwestf5155 at aol.com cwestf5155 at aol.com
Thu Aug 23 02:26:44 EDT 2007


 Mitch,

If interpreting in light of aspect theory, the imperfect and present are both imperfective, where the author is depicting the action as ongoing. The imperfect is remote and the present is near (foreground). 

The beating is depicted as without beginning or end, but it is backgrounded in the sense that the attention is kept on the aorist progression of action in the story line--spitting, taking the reed, mocking, putting on, leading away--note that the mocking isn't in the imperfect, though surely it was ongoing.

The present could have been used here for the beating regardless of the time of action, but it would have emphasized or placed the stress on the beating over the aorist progression of action in the story.

Cindy Westfall
McMaster Divinity College


 


 

-----Original Message-----
From: Mitch Larramore <mitchlarramore at yahoo.com>
To: Wayne Leman <wayne_leman at sil.org>; B Greek <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Wed, 22 Aug 2007 6:22 pm
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Matt 27.30 Why the Imperfect ETUPTON










Wayne:

I've read a little on the tense and aspect debate (not
enough to have a position), and now that you mention
it, I would be interested in raising this additional
question:

What is the difference in these two texts:

1. KAI EMPTUSANTES EIS AUTON ELABON TON KALAMON KAI
ETUPTON EIS THN KEFALHN AUTOU

2. KAI EMPTUSANTES EIS AUTON ELABON TON KALAMON KAI
TUPTOUSIN EIS THN KEFALHN AUTOU

Sentence 2. was my attempt to change the Imperfect to
a Present. In my mind, if you remove tense (in the
traditional sense of time-based) from the Imperfect
and Present, what distinguishes them in contexts like
the above since both are imperfective in aspect? 

I almost concluded that the Imperfect (rather than the
Present) was used because of the time factor!



Mitch Larramore
Sugar Land, Texas


       
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