[B-Greek] Causative MP? (was...APARNHQHSETAI in Lk 12.9 (archive post by Dr. Conrad))

George F Somsel gfsomsel at yahoo.com
Sat Jul 4 11:47:17 EDT 2009


Would it therefore be fair to give your proposal on this as "Those who deny me ... will compel their denial ..."?
 george
gfsomsel 


… search for truth, hear truth, 
learn truth, love truth, speak the truth, hold the truth, 
defend the truth till death.


- Jan Hus
_________ 




________________________________
From: Mitch Larramore <mitchlarramore at yahoo.com>
To: Carl Conrad <cwconrad2 at mac.com>
Cc: B Greek <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Saturday, July 4, 2009 3:04:03 AM
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Causative MP? (was...APARNHQHSETAI in Lk 12.9 (archive post by Dr. Conrad))


Dr. Conrad:

Dr. Wallace in GGBB (p. 423...) distinguishes the Causative Middle from the Permissive Middle, although he says they are almost interchangeable. 

His examples tend to revolve around grooming, other than Judas EKTHSATO CWRION. I think we could add several more usages or categories of the MP than Wallace gives. And I like the idea of the subject CAUSING the subsequent action by the subject's previous actions/decision. And, I would translate the Lk 12.9 passage with the idea that... those who deny Jesus... DIRECTLY (not indirectly, although that would be an option as well) cause the denial that ensues at a subsequent time. The subject causes a delayed reaction, as it were (giving it the appearance of being two separate actions). 

Could this usage of (inherent in) the Middle be one reason why its morphoparadigm is the same as the Passive's? This Causative Middle has the 'appearance' of being a Passive, but the Middle answers a question the Passive doesn't: Who is responsible for this action? Why this action?  The Causative Middle answers that, whereas the Passive has no interest in any (causal) agent. 

I guess one would have to know/guess the author's motive or intention in order to distinguish the Causative Middle from a plain, vanilla Passive. Perhaps then I'm arguing that a Causative "Passive" would not exist (it would actually be a Causative Middle, since Passive's suppress the agent to the degree that motive and intent are intentionally absent.

As you can see, I'm doing nothing more than thinking/speculating "in English" what might be in the Greek. Sorry for this. Please advise me on how to go about thinking/speculating about a Greek construct. 

Mitch Larramore
Sugar Land, Texas




      
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