[B-Greek] Determining questions in the Greek language withoutan interrogative particle

Iver Larsen iver_larsen at sil.org
Fri Dec 11 01:17:45 EST 2009


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Blue Meeksbay" <bluemeeksbay at yahoo.com>
To: "George F Somsel" <gfsomsel at yahoo.com>
Cc: <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: 11. december 2009 00:11
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Determining questions in the Greek language withoutan 
interrogative particle
....

>
> All of these, however, seem to have come to their conclusions from their 
> understanding of the context. So I am back to my original question in my first 
> post on this subject, "Is the context the only way we can determine the 
> answer?" It seems the answer is, yes, in which case, I guess there will always 
> be a bit of subjectivity involved in such selective decisions.
>
> Yours truly,
> B. Harris

> P.S. I underlined words I had put into italics, not only in what I wrote, but 
> also what Lenski had in italics, because, for some reason, when I send the 
> email, the italics disappear.
---------------
Italics are stripped in plain text messages.

But yes, you are correct that in this case like many others, only context can 
tell. But "context" is a slippery issue, partly because there are expanding 
levels of context like rings in the water: Immediate context (co-text), wider 
context of the book, of the author, of other authors etc. Context also goes 
beyond grammar into semantics and pragmatics.

The semantic issue here is: What does PISTEUW mean?

In John 16:27, Jesus says that the disciples have believed that Jesus did come 
from God, that is, that he was the expected Messiah. His disciples repeated this 
in v. 30: we believe that you have come from God. This is an intellectual 
agreement with a proposition, and there does not seem to be any doubt about that 
part. It is repeated in John 17:8.
If that was the sense intended by ARTI PISTEUETE, and it is taken as a 
statement, it seems a superfluous repetition.
But in v. 31 there is no object for PISTEUETE. It could be much wider than 
agreement with the statement that Jesus came from God. PISTEUW is more than 
intellectual agreement. It is a total commitment and allegiance to a person. 
Verse 32 states that their allegiance will soon be put to the test. Have the 
disciples progressed to such an extent that they are willing to "die with him" 
as Peter boasted?

Another thing they did not believe or understand at this point is that the 
Messiah had to die and then be resurrected. John himself only came to believe 
that in 20:8 and Thomas only believed in 20:25-29.

Because of v. 32 and the wider context of the whole book, I take v. 31 to be 
intended as a question for the disciples to think about: Do you really and fully 
believe now, to the extent of being willing to die for me? The answer is: no, 
not yet.

Iver Larsen 




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