[B-Greek] Hb. 1:6: "hOTAN...EISAGAGHi"
Elizabeth Kline
kline_dekooning at earthlink.net
Tue Nov 20 16:29:11 EST 2007
On Nov 20, 2007, at 6:54 AM, A. J. Birch wrote:
> Hebrews 1:6: "hOTAN DE PALIN EISAGAGHi TON PRWTOTOKON EIS THN
> OIKOUMENHN, LEGEI, KAI PROSKUNHSATWSAN AUTWi PANTES AGGELOI QEOU."
>
> Why "hOTAN" + the subjunctive here, which, as I understand it,
> often suggests a situation that is somewhat less definite?
>
> Andrew J. Birch
> Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Most of the exegetical discussion with regard to hOTAN DE PALIN
EISAGAGHi in Hebrews 1:6 focuses on PALIN not hOTAN which is
unremarkable. See Turner (Syntax 112) hOTAN with Aor. Subj. "a
definite action taking place in the future but concluded before the
action of the main verb."
PALIN can be joined to EISAGAGHi or it can be understood in the same
way it was used in v5, introducing a new quote. Some argue that PALIN
should be clause initial if it introduces a new quote but counter
examples from Philo and Wisdom have been pointed out and in response
to that some effort has been made to discount the counter examples as
irrelevant to Heb 1:6. The argument that PALIN must have the same
function/meaning in v6 as in v5 sounds to me like a bad argument;
adverb X with function A in verse Y must have function X in verse Y
+1. It would be easy to produce a collection reductio ad absurdum
examples.
I am not saying that PALIN must be taken with EISAGAGHi, word order
certainly points in that direction but there are rhetorical
considerations that need to be taken into account. I noted that the
most recent works I have on Hebrews (Ellingworth, Koester) appear to
be less than certain on this issue. That may be nothing but a
reflection of the zeitgeist "the spirit of the age".
Elizabeth Kline
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