[B-Greek] Luke 17:16 simple conditional statement???

Carl Conrad cwconrad2 at mac.com
Tue Jun 30 12:10:08 EDT 2009


On Jun 30, 2009, at 8:42 AM, Travis Schuler wrote:

> Luke 17:6  εἶπεν δὲ ὁ κύριος εἰ ἔχετε  
> πίστιν ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως ἐλέγετε  
> ἂν
> τῇ συκαμίνῳ ταύτῃ ἐκριζώθητι καὶ  
> φυτεύθητι ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ  
> ὑπήκουσεν
> ἂν ὑμῖν.

Our B-Greek protocol requires that IF you cite the Greek text using  
Unicode UTF-8 Greek, you MUST ALSO give the text in transliterated form:

EIPEN DE hO KURIOS, EI ECETE PISTIN hWS KOKKON SINAPEWS, ELEGETE AN  
THi SUKAMINWi TAUTHi, EKRIZWQHTI KAI FUTEUQHTE EN THi QALASSHi KAI  
hUPHKOUSEN AN hUMIN.
>
> Is this a simple conditional statement??? the use of the indicative  
> in the protasis seems to indicate it is, but I understand simple  
> conditionals are rather rare. Also, the theological interpretations  
> I have encountered seem to treat this verse as a general conditional  
> statement. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

This is actually a mixed condition, but in its fundamental structure,  
it is closer to a present counterfactual co;ndition; we would really  
expect the protasis to be in the indicative imperfect, since the  
apodoses are ELEGETE AN and hUPHKOUSEN AN, which are appropriate to  
present and past counterfactual result-clauses.. The present tense of  
ECETE is odd; the more appropriate imperfect form EICETE. is less to  
be noted among textual variants than EAN ECHTE, which is not at all  
appropriate.



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






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