[B-Greek] Matthew 28: 19,20

Barry nebarry at verizon.net
Fri Dec 4 06:55:08 EST 2009



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From: "John Sanders" <john.franklin.sanders at gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, December 04, 2009 6:38 AM
To: <yancywsmith at sbcglobal.net>
Cc: "B-Greek B-Greek" <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Matthew 28: 19,20

> I view this way,
>
> First, the participals are are related to a substantive in an adjectival
> relation.  The substantive here is the participal POREUQENTES, which goes
> back to verse 16, the MAQHTAI, specifically the eleven.  Using Thomas's
> terminology, it is descriptive-the ones sent...be baptizing...be teaching.
>
> Secondly, the participals are related to the main verb, MAQHTEUSATE in a
> supporting role, they are making disciples (while)...baptizing...teaching.
> Again, using Thomas's terminology, they are causal.
>
> So I would think the answer lies in which direction one is viewing the
> participals-as adjectives toward the subject (descriptive) or as verbs
> toward the object (causal).  In this case the subjects are MAQHTAI and the
> objects are MAQHTAI-in-the-making.

The participles are clearly predicate participles, which means it is 
primarily the action of the verbs modifying the main verb, μαθητεύσατε, 
MAQHTEUSATE.  I would say that the the participles explain the action of the 
main verb, and hence are epegetical or perhaps instrumental.  They really 
answer the question of "how" the apostles are to make disciples.  If we 
think that "baptizing" and "teaching" is what produces disciples, then you 
could make a case for causal participles.

Now, normally I don't weigh in on these discussion, but I wanted to make a 
point.  This discussion illustrates the sometimes arbitrary nature of our 
grammatical categories, much like Wallace and his multiplicity of genitives. 
I am not at all sure that an ancient reader or hearer, who used the language 
simply to communicate, would "hear" these differences, or even wonder about 
them.  He would understand what he was being instructed to do, however. And 
that, I would suggest, is the main deal.

N.E. Barry Hofstetter

Fecisti nos ad te et inquietum est cor nostrum, donec requiescat in te...
    -- Augustine, Confessions 1:1

http://mysite.verizon.net/nebarry/
http://my.opera.com/BarryHofstetter/blog/ 




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