[B-Greek] Question concerning syntax

learngreek at aol.com learngreek at aol.com
Wed Jan 28 16:53:02 EST 2009


In a message dated 1/28/2009 7:09:48 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
cwconrad2 at mac.com writes:

If it's  a matter of understanding the difference between two  
categories or  subcategories of genitive usage, we might be able to  
help you, but  from what you have told us, it appears that you have not  
the first  idea of how the categories of genitive usage differ from  
each other  and you are, in effect, asking list-members to do your  
homework for  you when you have no idea how to begin doing it. My first   
inclination upon reading your message was to suggest: If you can   
translate MUSTHRION THS ANOMIAS as "mystery of lawlessness," and   
understand what that phrase means, you really don't need to go any   
further: it is an adnominal (= adjectival) genitive wherein the noun   
in the genitive indicates something pertaining to the noun on which  it  
depends. Some grammars call that "possessive"; I've learned to  call it  
"pertinentive"; most grammars tend to subdivide the  "possessive" or  
"pertinentive" into a slew of subcategories never  dreamed of by Greek  
speakers or writers. I don't know what Dana  & Mantey's subcategories  
might be nor even what their preferred  term for an adnominal genitive  
is. If you really don't understand  D&M's account of genitive  
constructions, then you probably need  to go back to your first-year  
textbook and review everything said  about genitive constructions  
there. Again, my own sense of MUSTHRION  THS ANOMIAS is that if you can  
English it as "mystery of  lawlessness" or as "lawlessness mystery",  
then you don't really need  to go any farther than that. But I would  
guess that's not the sort  of solution that your homework assignment  
Thanks for your answers.
I do understand first year Greek ok ( I used Mounce & also Machen),  it's 
just that sometimes I'll go through these categories and not be able to  discern 
what the correct answer is. 
I thought it was a starlight forward Genitive of description. But wasn't  
sure you seem to say it was a possessive, I didn't think it was that one, but  
just a straight forward. But I wanted to ask you all (the b-greek list  who 
would know) 
Thanks for the other's who also answered me, I do appreciate it.
It seems D & M don't explain as good as D. Wallace, after I posted I  went 
there, and he seemed to help me understand much better these sub  categories. He 
explains to ask the text questions, and also translate the text  using 
certain key phrases. 
Thanks again my friends!
Jay Johns
 
 


envisions.

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



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