[B-Greek] John 6:40 - PAS - "ALL" or "ALL THOSE WHO" ?

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Tue Aug 4 18:19:45 EDT 2009


On Aug 4, 2009, at 5:10 PM, Elizabeth Kline wrote:

>
> On Aug 4, 2009, at 1:45 PM, Matthew Dent wrote:
>
>>
>> TOUTO GAR ESTIN
>> TO QELHMA TOU PATROS MOU INA
>> PAS O QEWRWN TON UION KAI
>> PISTEUWN EIS AUTON EXH ZWHN AIWNION
>>
>>
>> Specifically, I'm wondering whether "O QEWRWN ... KAI PISTEUWN EIS
>> AUTON" in the phrase "INA PAS O QEWRWN TON UION KAI PISTEUWN EIS
>> AUTON EXH ZWHN AIWNION" creates a bounded set which limits the scope
>> of the "PAS" or whether it describes the desired state of being of
>> the "PAS".
>
> John 6:40 τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ
> πατρός μου, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ θεωρῶν τὸν
> υἱὸν καὶ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν ἔχῃ
> ζωὴν αἰώνιον, καὶ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν
> ἐγὼ [ἐν] τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ.
>
> I would go with the notion of "bounded set". However I have some
> misgivings about using math metaphors for doing analysis of  of
> natural language since it is easy to fall into a fatal error of
> assuming that language functions according to some known set of fixed
> laws that can be worked out in some strictly mechanical fashion.

For what it's worth, I think that the substantive participial phrase,  
PAS hO QEWRWN ... KAI PISTEUWN ... is equivalent to EAN TIS  
QEWRHi ...KAI PISTEUHi ... or hOSTIS AN QEWRHi ... KAI PISTEUHi ... --  
a generalized clause. The substantivized participle is easier to fit  
into the hINA clause, itself a substantive clause perhaps best viewed  
as appostional to the TOUTO.  It's equivalent to QELEI hO PATHR MOU  
hINA, EAN TIS QEWRHi ... KAI PISTEUHi, ECHi ZWHN AIWNION. The  
substantival paraticiple obviates the need for a subjunctive in two  
successive clauses dependent upon the introductory TOUTO GAR ESTIN TO  
QELHMA TOU PATROS MOU.

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)






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