[B-Greek] Rom 8:4, "That which is impossible to the law"

Donald COBB docobb at orange.fr
Fri Aug 28 01:46:57 EDT 2009


Thank you Elizabeth for these last two remarks. The text of 2 Cor 6,13 is indeed an interesting parallel, if somewhat partial (fem. noun vs. substantivized adj.), in that it shows Paul lending weight to an idea by placing it as a fronted accusative.

As I continue to look at Rom 8:3, I'm wondering if there's a real difference in content between the two ways of taking Paul's instruction. If we follow BDAG's lead, Paul is saying that what the law was incapable of doing, God did it by condeming sin in his Son. If we take TO ADUNATON TOU NOMOU as an accusative of reference, a nominative in indefinite predication (Cooper), or something of the like, Paul says that, As concerns the inability of the law, God condemned sin in his Son. So God ends up doing the same thing for the same reason. The latter has the advantage of being less stilted. Again, are other understandings possible?

I'm sorry that the references BDAG gives for the meaning "what was impossible" (2,b) are not more easily available. Aside from Josephus, Tatian 20,2 and Athenagoras 23,5; 30,1 are mentioned. I'm putting Josephus' text below. Does anyone have access to the others?

The reference in Josephus (Ant 11,195) is to Artaxerxes and Vashti, a retelling of the first chapter of the book of Esther: 

Διακείμενος δὲ πρὸς αὐτὴν ἐρωτικῶς καὶ μὴ φέρων τὴν διάζευξιν καταλλαγῆναι μὲν αὐτῇ διὰ τὸν νόμον οὐκ ἐδύνατο λυπούμενος δὲ ὡς ἐπ᾽ ἀδυνάτοις οἷς ἤθελεν διετέλει βλέποντες δ᾽ αὐτὸν οὕτως ἔχοντα χαλεπῶς οἱ φίλοι συνεβούλευον τὴν μὲν τῆς γυναικὸς μνήμην καὶ τὸν ἔρωτα μηδὲν ὠφελούμενον ἐκβαλεῖν 

DIAKEIMENOS DE PROS AUTHN ERWTIKWS KAI MH FERWN THN DIAZEUXIN KATALLAGHNAI MEN AUTHi DIA TON NOMON OUK EDUNATO LUPOUMENOS DE hWS EP᾽ ADUNATOIS hOIS HQELEN DIETELEI BLEPONTES D᾽ AUTON hOUTWS ECONTA CALEPWS hOI FILOI SUNEBOULEUON THN MEN THS GUNAIKOS MNHMHN KAI TON ERWTA MHDEN WFELOUMENON EKBALEIN

Donald Cobb
Aix-en-Provence, France



> Message du 28/08/09 00:08
> De : "Elizabeth Kline" 
> A : "Elizabeth Kline" 
> Copie à : "Donald COBB" , b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org
> Objet : Re: [B-Greek] Rom 8:4, "That which is impossible to the law"
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In regard to Rom 8:3 the comments of G.Cooper seem to be pertinent:
> 
> G.Cooper talks about this (Attic Greek Prose Syntax v.1 p. 114 
> #4.6.3) "Substantiveized neuter adjectives are used to give a general 
> remark, characterization, a summary evaluation, which applies to a 
> whole sentence, or to a part of a sentence ... These substantiveized 
> adjectives are commonly accounted accusatives, but sometimes they seem 
> clearly predicative and so can be take as nominatives in indefinite 
> predication ... "
> 
> 
> Elizabeth Kline
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 



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