[B-Greek] Ephesians 5:26 what type of genitive
Elizabeth Kline
kline_dekooning at earthlink.net
Wed Apr 30 14:52:58 EDT 2008
On Apr 30, 2008, at 9:18 AM, Carl Conrad wrote:
> On Apr 30, 2008, at 7:54 AM, Kevin W. Woodruff wrote:
>
>> Diana:
>>
>> I take it as an subjective genitive. The water is that which is
>> doing the washing. This probably allusion to the custom of the
>> bridal bath as practice in the first century
>
> I had always thought that a subjective genitive had to be an animate
> agent. My thinking is that this is simply adjectival: what kind of
> baptism? Water-baptism.
>
> Carl Conrad
Carl,
I agree. I assume the term subjective genitive implies a "deep
structure" clause where the genitive fills the subject slot. That
isn't what we see in this passage.
25 hOI ANDRES, AGAPATE TAS GUNAIKAS, KAQWS KAI hO CRISTOS HGAPHSEN THN
EKKLHSIAN KAI hEAUTON PAREDWKEN hUPER AUTHS, 26 hINA AUTHN hAGIASHi
KAQARISAS TWi LOUTRWi TOU hUDATOS EN hRHMATI, 27 hINA PARASTHSHi
AUTOS hEAUTWi ENDOXON THN EKKLHSIAN, MH ECOUSAN SPILON H hRUTIDA H TI
TWN TOIOUTWN, ALL hINA Hi hAGIA KAI AMWMOS. 28 hOUTWS OFEILOUSIN
[KAI] hOI ANDRES AGAPAN TAS hEAUTWN GUNAIKAS hWS TA hEAUTWN SWMATA. hO
AGAPWN THN hEAUTOU GUNAIKA hEAUTON AGAPAi.
The agent role with hAGIASHi and KAQARISAS is hO CRISTOS.
On the other hand, hUDWR may function as a subject in a clause and in
some cases it might even appear to have an agent role. In Homer Od
3:300 it looks like both ANEMOS TE KAI hUDWR function as subjects
where hUDWR is a metaphor for QALASSA or KUMATA QALASSHS. Since ANEMOS
and QALASSA had a mythical status they might be construed as animate
agents but this isn't common in the NT. In the Gospels, Jesus' calming
of storms and the disciples response can be understood as anti-
mythical. There a few places in the Apocalypse where QALASSA might be
understood as having a mythic and semi-personal referent.
Odyssey 3:297 hAI MEN AR ENQ HLQON, SPOUDHi D HLUXAN OLEQRON 298
ANDRES, ATAR NHAS GE POTI SPILADESSIN EAXAN 299 KUMAT: ATAR TAS PENTE
NEAS KUANOPRWEIROUS 300 AIGUPTWi EPELASSE FERWN ANEMOS TE KAI hUDWR.
While it isn't impossible for hUDWR to be both subject and agent,
there is no reason to even suspect this in Eph 5:16 where the agent is
very clearly hO CRISTOS.
Elizabeth Kline
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