[B-Greek] Romans 1:26 αἵ τε γὰρ θήλειαι αὐτῶν (hAI TE GAR QHLEIAI AUTWN)

Steve Runge srunge at logos.com
Wed Dec 3 16:58:32 EST 2008


Jonathan,

TE is a correlative that is used to create an explicit connection with something that would have been only implicit without it. In this case, TE correlates the hAI QHLEIAI AUTWN of v. 26b with the subject of the following clause, hOI ARSENES. There are two other corroborating factors that further strengthen this connection, the adverbial KAI with hOI ARSENES, and the hOMOIWS at the beginning of v. 27. The adverbial KAI signals that what it modifies correlates to some corresponding element from the preceding context. In this case, it links the subject of v. 27 back to the corresponding one of v. 26b hAI, QHLEIAI AUTWN. The hOMOIWS signals to correlate the manner/action of the preceding clause with the one that follows. This makes a total of three explicit connections between the two clauses. Paul got his point across, like killing a fly with a sledge hammer.

As for GAR, Heckert* claims that it signals that the clause that follows strengthens or supports what precedes. In other words, it doe not advance the argument, but essentially fleshes out some aspect of it by adding support. In this case, vv. 26b-27 are adding supporting evidence to the idea from v. 25 that God has given the ones "who exchanged the truth of God for a lie..." over to their degrading passions. GAR introduces support for the point of v. 25.


*Jacob K. Heckert. Discourse Function of Conjoiners in the Pastoral Epistles. Dallas: SIL International, 1996.

Steve

Steven Runge, DLitt (Biblical Languages)
Scholar-in-Residence
Logos Research Systems, Inc.
http://www.logos.com/academic/bio/runge 
http://www.logos.com/ldgnt
http://www.logos.com/ntdiscoursegrammar


-----Original Message-----
From: b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:b-greek-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Jonathan Robie
Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2008 1:39 PM
To: B-Greek
Subject: [B-Greek] Romans 1:26 αἵ τε γὰρ θήλειαι αὐτῶν (hAI TE GAR QHLEIAI AUTWN)

I'm trying to follow the exact shade of meaning of τε γὰρ (TE GAR) om Romans 1:26:

 αἵ τε γὰρ θήλειαι αὐτῶν
hAI TE GAR QHLEIAI AUTWN

Can anyone help me?

Jonathan
---
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