[B-Greek] Qoutations in Romans 9:19-21
Timothy Mitchell
taztimmitchell at hotmail.com
Sat Dec 29 14:35:49 EST 2007
I have a question concerning a quotation by Paul in Romans 9:20-21.
9:19-21
EREIS MOI OUV TI [OUN] ETI MEMFETAI TW GAR BOULHMATI AUTOU TIS ANQESTHKEN W ANQROPWTE MENOUNGE SU TIS EI hO ANTAPOKRINOMENOS TWi QEWi MH EREI TO PLASMA TWi PLASANTI TI ME EPOIHSAS hOUTWS H OUK ECEI EXOUSIAN hO KERAMEUS TOU PHLOU EK TOU AUTOU FURAMATOS POIHSAI hO MEN EIS TIMHN SKEUOS hO DE EIS ATIMIAN
Paul I think obviously quotes an imaginary objector to his thoughts with the statement in 9:19 "EREIS MOI OUN" (You will say to me then) the whole of verse 19 I believe is this quotation by Paul. In verse 20 I think Paul answers this imaginary objector with "W ANQROPWTE MENOUNGE SU TIS EI hO ANTAPOKRINOMENOS TWi QEWi" (On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God?)
Paul then seems to quote another objector or possibly the same objector with the phrase "MH EREI TO PLASMA TWi PLASANTI" (The thing molded will not say to the molder...)
Most translations only include the rest of the verse in quotation marks and exclude the whole of 9:21 from the quotation by Paul and include it in Paul's argument against the imaginary objector in 9:20. But 9:21 begins with the conjunction "H", which seems to me to connect the phrase with the previous thoughts of the imaginary objector that are being quoted by Paul. The flow of thought does not seems to be interrupted until the beginning of 9:22 with "EI DE QELWN hO QEOS ENDEIXASQAI THN ORGHN KAI GNWRISAI TO DUNATON AUTOU HNEGKEN EN POLLHi MAKROQUMIAi SKEUH ORGHS KATHRTISMENA EIS APWLEIAN". ""EI DE" seems to be the logical point in which to stop the quotation but it is difficult to say because most of the time this format is used, there is a strong objection that is raised at the end of the quotation that show obviously that the quotation is ended. 9:19-29 is an obvious example as well as 1 Corinthians 15:35-36 "ALLA EREI TIS PWS EGEIRONTAI hOI NEKROI POIWi DE SWMATI ERCONTAI AFRWN SU hO SPEIREIS OU ZWOPOIEIRAI EAN MH APOQANHi". Here Paul quotes two thoughts of the imaginary objector connected with a "DE" but he obviously ends the quotation with the strong emotionally charged statement "AFRWN" (FOOL!).
My question is this "Where is the quotation by Paul (which is started in 9:20) end? At the end of 9:20 or at the end of 9:21? Is it normal to start a brand new thought with "H", if not then why is 9:21 excluded from the quotation? Is there any grammatical rules that govern this type of quotation?
Happy New Year to all!
Tim
..."What happy application, what praiseworthy industry, to preach to men by means of the hand, to untie the tongue by means of the fingers, to bring quiet salvation to mortals, and to fight the devil's insidious wiles with pen and ink! For every word of the Lord written by the Scribe is a wound inflicted on Satan. And so, though seated in one spot, the scribe traverses diverse lands through the dissemination of what he has written"... -Cassiodorus, Institutiones (C. 536 AD)
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