[B-Greek] subject in Rev 1:1
Carl Conrad
cwconrad2 at mac.com
Thu Aug 14 15:54:21 EDT 2008
On Aug 14, 2008, at 3:32 PM, Elizabeth Kline wrote:
>
> Rev 1:1 APOKALUYIS IHSOU CRISTOU hHN EDWKEN AUTWi hO QEOS DEIXAI TOIS
> DOULOIS AUTOU hA DEI GENESQAI EN TACEI KAI ESHMANEN APOSTEILAS DIA TOU
> AGGELOU AUTOU TWi DOULWi AUTOU IWANNHi
>
> On Aug 14, 2008, at 11:30 AM, kgraham0938 at comcast.net wrote:
>
>> Hello, but would'nt you see the KAI there linking the two clauses
>> together?
>
> Not necessarily, KAI in the apocalypse is often used like vav in
> hebrew.
>
>
>> And secondly, I would not see IHSOU CHRISTOU as the subject of
>> DEIXAI TOIS DOULOIS because I would take the infinitive as
>> modifying EDWKEN denoting purpose. God gave in order to show his
>> servant...
>
> The christology of the Apocalypse and the Gospel of John clearly point
> to IHSOUS CRISTOS as the agent of revelation and for that and other
> reasons I would understand IHSOUS CRISTOS as the agent of DEIXAI TOIS
> DOULOIS (plural!). So in the semantic structure of Rev 1:1 looking
> backwards from KAI ESHMANEN APOSTEILAS we find the most recent agent
> is the subject of DEIXAI TOIS DOULOIS.
>
> I am not saying the other readings are impossible.
Moreover (not that this isn't something unnoticed by others) this
author is not the most careful and elegant Greek stylist among NT
writers! (I'm well aware that there are some who think the solecisms
are deliberate).
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
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