[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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