[B-Greek] 1 Pt 4.2
Elizabeth Kline
kline_dekooning at earthlink.net
Wed Sep 19 18:32:22 EDT 2007
On Sep 18, 2007, at 10:04 AM, Randall Buth wrote:
>
> EIS TO this opens up the construction, which is typically a
> purpose/future-result clause in KOINE
>
> MHKETI ANQRWPWN EPIQUMIAIS this phrase is fronted relative to the
> infinitive, is marked, and seems to restate a result of 'having ceased
> of sin' from the previous context. While some might call this Focus,
> the following marked phrase appears to carry a heightened importance,
> outranking this Contextualization. That is, this phrase serves as a
> contextualizing starting point for the main point to follow. (With the
> phrase itself ANQRWPWN is fronted to the head noun as a subordinated
> focus.)
>
> ALLA QELHMATI QEOY this, too, is fronted relative to the infinitive
> and provides a contrastive heightening with the first fronting. I
> would read it as Focus. The two phrases MHKETI ... and ALLA function
> as a joint fronted pairing, and the whole pair might be said to
> function as a Focus. And ..., we haven't reached the infinitive yet.
>
> TON EPILOIPON EN SARKI ... 'the remaining (time) in flesh' is also
> fronted before the infinitive and needs a 'relative' saliency reading.
> This relates to the 'flesh' and 'cease' mentioned in the previous
> verse. I read it as a Contextualization to BIWSAI. Two items attract
> attention for the grammarian and reader. a. The overall Focus of the
> paired items comes before this marked Contextualization. This
> (Focus--then Contextualization) is allowed in Greek but is not the
> more universal presentation of pragmatic ordering that goes from
> Contextualization to Focus. Hebrew, for example, does not use such
> orderings (besides abhorring a triple fronting). b. It is specifically
> the time 'in flesh, in the body' that is the link to the previous
> verse and is marked by fronting. The head noun XRONON 'time' was left
> in its unmarked position after the infinitive so that the
> contextualizing link thru SARKI would be clear.
>
> BIWSAI XRONON finally the structure is closed off.
We need a little more context:
1PET. 3:17 KREITTON GAR AGAQOPOIOUNTAS, EI QELOI TO QELHMA TOU QEOU,
PASCEIN H KAKOPOIOUNTAS. 18 hOTI KAI CRISTOS hAPAX PERI hAMARTIWN
EPAQEN, DIKAIOS hUPER ADIKWN, hINA hUMAS PROSAGAGHi TWi QEWi
QANATWQEIS MEN SARKI ZWiOPOIHQEIS DE PNEUMATI: 19 EN hWi KAI TOIS EN
FULAKHi PNEUMASIN POREUQEIS EKHRUXEN, 20 APEIQHSASIN POTE hOTE
APEXEDECETO hH TOU QEOU MAKROQUMIA EN hHMERAIS NWE KATASKEUAZOMENHS
KIBWTOU EIS hHN OLIGOI, TOUT' ESTIN OKTW YUCAI, DIESWQHSAN DI'
hUDATOS. 21 hO KAI hUMAS ANTITUPON NUN SWiZEI BAPTISMA, OU SARKOS
APOQESIS hRUPOU ALLA SUNEIDHSEWS AGAQHS EPERWTHMA EIS QEON, DI'
ANASTASEWS IHSOU CRISTOU, 22 hOS ESTIN EN DEXIAi [TOU] QEOU
POREUQEIS EIS OURANON hUPOTAGENTWN AUTWi AGGELWN KAI EXOUSIWN KAI
DUNAMEWN.
1PET. 4:1 CRISTOU OUN PAQONTOS SARKI KAI hUMEIS THN AUTHN ENNOIAN
hOPLISASQE, hOTI hO PAQWN SARKI PEPAUTAI hAMARTIAS 2 EIS TO MHKETI
ANQRWPWN EPIQUMIAIS ALLA QELHMATI QEOU TON EPILOIPON EN SARKI BIWSAI
CRONON.
1PET 4:2 MHKETI ANQRWPWN EPIQUMIAIS ALLA QELHMATI QEOU
Note the Xism ABBA A: ANQRWPWN B: EPIQUMIAIS B: QELHMATI A: QEOU
Compare this to the ABAB:
1PET 3:18 QANATWQEIS MEN SARKI ZWiOPOIHQEIS DE PNEUMATI
I would consider this entire ABBA structure a contexualization. All
the elements presented here are linked to previous elements in the
discourse (see 1pet 3:17-18). QELHMATI QEOU may be the focus within
the ABBA unit (see R.Buth above??) but the contrast found in 3:18
QANATWQEIS MEN SARKI ZWiOPOIHQEIS DE PNEUMATI follows right after a
mentioning of PASCEIN in connection with TO QELHMA TOU QEOU. So I
would prefer to think of this ABBA structure as a contexualization
unit, a restatement in slightly different language of what has come
before. Perhaps a clarification of sorts but not really presenting
any altogether new information.
R.Buth's analysis appears to be parsing the information structure at
multiple levels simultaneously which make things a little bit more
complex.
Elizabeth Kline
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