[B-Greek] Acts 26:2-3

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Sun Feb 3 11:14:35 EST 2008


On Feb 3, 2008, at 9:23 AM, Barry wrote:

>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Iver Larsen" <iver_larsen at sil.org>
> To: "Carl Conrad" <cwconrad2 at mac.com>; "Randall Buth"
> <randallbuth at gmail.com>
> Cc: "B-Greek" <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
> Sent: Sunday, February 03, 2008 8:57 AM
> Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Acts 26:2-3
>
>
>> Carl mentioned the "lingering force" of hHGHMAI and an "implicit
>> participle of some sort". I think
>> these are excellent leads, but I don't see how GNWSTHN ONTA SE can be
>> grammatically connected to
>> either SOU or DEOMAI. I am reluctant to accuse Luke of producing "bad
>> grammar", so I am exploring
>> other options.
>
> From a linguistics perspective, we all know that there is no such  
> thing as
> bad grammar, right, only grammar that the users of the language find
> understandable and acceptable.  But what do we tell our beginning  
> students?
> That if something appears to be missing from the clause, look to the
> immediate context to find it.  We have a verb perfectly able to  
> govern an
> indirect statement, ἥγημαι, hHGHMAI.  Secondly, it would not  
> be unusual,
> though not particularly common, to have an indirect statement  
> governed by an
> implied verb.  Thirdly, although quite rare, I suppose we could say  
> it's an
> "accusative absolute..."  :)

I think you know better than that -- or why else is your tongue in  
your cheek as you bite it (to keep it from slipping?). Lest any take  
that too seriously, the accusative absolute is restricted to neuter  
participles of impersonal verbs, except when it is called upon to prop  
up a dubious proposition.

"Bad grammar" is perhaps not quite the right term either; I  
acknowledged that it's perfectly clear what is meant by the sequence  
here. I suggested earlier -- and still think -- that there's an  
implicit participle governing GNWSTHN ONTA SE KTL. and I've also said  
that I think it may have been omitted because deemed implicitly  
carried forward from hHGHMAI. I called attention also to the fact that  
the "indirect discourse" here is typically with participle (ONTA)  
rather than infinitive (EINAI) because the clause is presumably  
governed by a verb of perception or judgment. I suggested previously  
that this was an anacoluthon, i.e. a grammatical non-sequitur  
resulting from omission of an element needed to make the construction  
complete; even Iver has suggested ellipsis here is probable. It seems  
to me the particular sort of ellipsis/omission-by-oversight that is  
characteristic of rapid composition, or even slow composition that  
hasn't been very carefully proofread to catch such errors as omission  
by oversight.

As for Iver's arguments, it seems to me (1) that EPISTAMENOS, the  
alternative reading to which he calls attention, is (a) out of place  
at the end of the clause it is supposed to govern, and (b) not  
unlikely added by a scribe to supply the recognized omitted  
participle, and (2) that MALISTA should almost certainly be assumed to  
qualify the words immediately following it, GNWSTHN ONTA SE ("inasmuch  
as you are especially knowledgeable ... ").

>
>
> What's amusing about this discussion to me is that although we might  
> have
> trouble explaining the precise nuance of the grammar, it's perfectly  
> clear
> what Luke is saying.  I am reminded of a conversation recently in my  
> AP
> Vergil class, in which there was a line of textbook perfect  
> grammar.  The
> student commented how refreshing it was to see something she had  
> actually
> learned in her beginning grammar laid out so neatly...
>
> N.E. Barry Hofstetter
> Professor, WRTS
> http://www.wittenbergreformed.org
> Classics Instructor, TAA
> http://www.theamericanacademy.net
>
> and me:
>
> http://mysite.verizon.net/nebarry
> http://my.opera.com/barryhofstetter/blog
>
> ---
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Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)






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