[B-Greek] Titus 2:13
Robert Newman
rob at designceramics.co.uk
Thu Mar 6 09:49:59 EST 2008
Dear George,
You evidently refer to the Granville Sharp's first rule for use of the definite article. (first presented in his book Remarks on the Definite Article in the Greek Text of the New Testament, Containing Many New Proofs of the Divinity of Christ, from Passages Which Are Wrongly Translated in the Common English Version. published 1798)
The question of the application of this rule to Titus 2:13 must have been discussed previously on this list????
The portion you quote from BDF does not appear to restate Sharp's rule as such, but is certainly relevant to the construction we have in this verse.
Granville Sharp himself applied his first rule to the text in question. Sharp's rule applies to the so called TSKS construction (article-substantive-KAI-substantive) to restate it as Wallace does
"in the TSKS construction, the second noun (that is substantive adjective, substantive participle, or noun) refers to the same person mentioned with the first noun when:
1) neither is impersonal
2) neither is plural
3) neither is a proper name
Therefore, according to Sharp, the rule applied absolutely only with personal, singular, and non-proper nouns."
These exceptions are important. Indeed if the rule applied when personal names are in use we would have to conclude that Paul and Barnabus are the same person.
Acts 13:50 oi` de. VIoudai/oi parw,trunan ta.j sebome,naj gunai/kaj ta.j euvsch,monaj kai. tou.j prw,touj th/j po,lewj kai. evph,geiran diwgmo.n evpi. to.n Pau/lon kai. Barnaba/n kai. evxe,balon auvtou.j avpo. tw/n o`ri,wn auvtw/nÅ
TON PAULON KAI BARNABAN
Some have questioned whether this rule can really be applied to Titus 2:13 because of the presence of the proper name IESOUS along with the second noun.
προσδεχόμενοι τὴν μακαρίαν ἐλπίδα καὶ ἐπιφάνειαν τῆς δόξης τοῦ μεγάλου θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ,
PROSDEXOMENOI THN MAKARIAN ELPIDA KAI EPIFANEIAN THS DOCHS TOU MEGALOU QEOU KAI SWTHROS hHMWN IHSOU XRISTOU
What is signalled by TOU MEGALOU QEOU? Whilst Wallace (note on pg272 of GGBB) is correct that QEOS is not a Proper Noun because it has a plural form (QEOI), hO QEOS is semantically used as such. It might be that Titus 2:13 is rephrasing the earlier statement at 1:4 so that TOU MEGALOU QEOU = the PATROS. If that is what TOU MEGALOU QEOU signals then two persons are in view.
The verse can be understood either of one person or two. Detailed discussions of this issue such as that by Harris (Jesus as God), show that it is hard to be dogmatic. I would not like to argue either way. Further, see the renderings and footnotes in versions such as the NAB and NEB, clearly at least some portion of scholars accept that the verse can be understood as of one person or as of two. The translator's Note in the Translator's New Testament says:
"our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ
The Greek here may alternatively be translated 'the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ'. The former translation applies both the words 'God' and 'Saviour' to Christ. The latter distinguishes between the great God (the Father) and our Saviour Christ. Paul rarely calls Christ God - Ro 9:5 is a possible exception - though Christ's divinity is fundamental to him. The latter alternative would, therefore, be more in accordance with NT vocabulary. On the other hand, the context here deals with the second coming and saving work of Christ. This seems a strong enough argument to override the unusual vocabulary. the Greek construction also is slightly in favour of the translation in TT" (British and Foreign Bible Society)
The comments in BDF give the view that the two phrases connected by KAI are in apposition so that is why the article is dropped before the second phrase. It is however debatable as to whether Sharps first rule can be properly applied to prove they are in apposition, so that one person is described. (Apparently, as the note in GGBB pg 272 indicates R.W.Funks Ph.D. dissertation (1953) was on this topic.)
I have not set out in this post to argue a particular perspective other than that the verse can be understood as speaking of one person or of two persons. One has to look wider than the verse, or decide from what they know of the NT what they think was meant. The verse itself proves neither that one person or that two persons are in view.
Regards
Robert Newman
Essex, England
----- Original Message -----
From: George F Somsel
To: Robert Newman ; b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2008 12:49 PM
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Titus 2:13
What we find here is an example of Granville Sharp rule
276. (1) With two or more substantives connected by καί [KAI] the article can be carried over from the first to the others especially if the gender and number are the same, but also occasionally when the gender is different: C 2:22 κατὰ τὰ ἐντάλματα καὶ διδασκαλίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων [KATA TA ENTALMATA KAI DIDASKALIAS TWN ANQRWPWN] (allusion to LXX Is 29:13 where κατὰ τὰ [KATA TA] is missing; κατὰ [τὰ] [KATA [[TA]] ] could be dittography). (2) On the other hand, there are cases where the repetition of the article with the same gender or number is necessary or more appropriate: A 26:30 ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ὁ ἡγεμών [hO BASILEUS KAI hO hHGEMWN] (different persons). With τε καί [TE KAI] the article is usually repeated, though in A 14:5 τῶν ἐθνῶν τε καὶ (τῶν add. D) Ἰουδαίων [TWN EQNWN TE KAI (TWN add. D) IOUDAIWN] it is not. There are frequent variants but mostly of no consequence. (3) The article is (naturally) omitted with the second of two phrases in apposition connected by καί [KAI]: T 2:13 (τὴν) ἐπιφάνειαν τῆς δόξης τοῦ μεγάλου θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰ. Χρ. [(THN) EPIFANEIAN THS DOCHS TOU MEGALOU QEOU KAI SWTHROS hHMWN I. XR.] In the case of two connected substantival expressions, e.g. R 4:12 τοῖς [TOIS] (om. Beza cj.) στοιχοῦσιν [STOIXOUSIN], the article is not good Greek and is superfluous.—Paul: Funk 239–43.
Blass, F., Debrunner, A., & Funk, R. W. (1961). A Greek grammar of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (144). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
george
gfsomsel
… search for truth, hear truth,
learn truth, love truth, speak the truth, hold the truth,
defend the truth till death.
- Jan Hus
_________
----- Original Message ----
From: Robert Newman <rob at designceramics.co.uk>
To: b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Wednesday, March 5, 2008 5:40:21 AM
Subject: [B-Greek] Titus 2:13
David,
I see that your second question has not been addressed (unless someone
replied to it off list). You ask:
> Also, in that verse is the phrase TOU MEGALOU QEOU KAI SWTHROS HMWN.
> Does the text 'prove' that one or two persons are in view here?
The simple answer is that the words (which in addition to the portion you
quote add the personal name IHSOU XRISTOU) allow for one person to be in
view or for two to be in view. One has to look wider than the verse itself
to in order to make a personal decision about what the author had in mind.
Regards
Robert Newman
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Weiner" <cdweiner at comcast.net>
To: <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, March 02, 2008 2:50 PM
Subject: [B-Greek] Titus 2:13
> In Titus 2:13 we find the phrase EPIFANEIAN THS DOXHS. I also find two
> translations, a) glorious manifestation and b) appearing of the glory.
> Are both of these valid translations?
>
> Also, in that verse is the phrase TOU MEGALOU QEOU KAI SWTHROS HMWN.
> Does the text 'prove' that one or two persons are in view here?
>
> Thanks,
> David Weiner
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