[B-Greek] Titus 1:12-13
Oun Kwon
kwonbbl at gmail.com
Wed Dec 9 19:27:11 EST 2009
On Wed, Dec 9, 2009 at 4:29 PM, Blue Meeksbay <bluemeeksbay at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
> Dear Yancy -
>
> Are you saying then, that Paul's affirmation hH MARTURIA hAUTH ESTIN ALHQHS might also be a bit of irony, because Paul is agreeing that they are lying, because Paul does not believe Zeus is buried in Crete, simply, because Paul does not believe Zeus is real? So that, in English it would be better to translate it, "This testimony is true! (using an exclamation point rather than a period)
>
> B.Harris
>
>
Of course, it is to be taken something of exclamation. My initial
question was "When I take it as an interrogative (a rhetoric question
which has an implicit answer), is it allowed in Greek grammar-syntax?"
The reason I have brought this topic is that, not much of
understanding the quotation, its background, and Paul's taking it, but
rather a difficulty of connecting vv. 12-13a to the subsequent v. 13b.
(I don't have any commentaries to shed light on this verse.)
So far, the following is my reading and understanding of the text:
1:12 A certain one of them, in fact, one of their own [Cretan] prophets, said,
<[We] Cretans are always liars;
wild beasts, lazy bellies.>
1:13 In such testimonial coming from out of their own mouth
don’t we hear something of a true saying?!
[The words in bracket are mine.]
These verses do not seem function to focus on the character of Cretans
per se, but function as an opening for the admonition against the
Judaizers, which follows in vv. 13b-14:
The Cretan prophet himself does honestly say they can lie, "we Cretans
are always liars". (Here, reading it as 'we Cretans', not just
'Cretans', do make the nuance of the text clear.) Then, be it known
that the Judaizers do likewise lie. So, rebuke them; don't pay
attention to them, etc.
Oun Kwon.
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