[B-Greek] The force of ὡς ἂν in 1 Corinthians 12:2
Carl Conrad
cwconrad2 at mac.com
Fri Feb 25 08:23:09 EST 2011
On Feb 25, 2011, at 3:06 AM, Iver Larsen wrote:
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Carl Conrad" <cwconrad2 at mac.com>
> To: "Kevin W. Woodruff" <cierpke at prodigy.net>
> Cc: "Biblical Greek List" <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
> Sent: 24. februar 2011 20:13
> Subject: Re: [B-Greek] The force of ὡς ἂν in 1 Corinthians 12:2
>
>
>>
>> On Feb 24, 2011, at 12:01 PM, Kevin W. Woodruff wrote:
>>
>>> As I'm translating 1 Corinthians 12:2, I'm struggling with what the exact sense of the phrase ὡς ἂν has in the sentence.
>>>
>>> BDAG says, "marker indicating perspective or point of view, with component of cautious statement, as if, as it were, so to speak" in one place (under ὡς ) but in another place (under ἂν), "denoting repeated action in past time, but only under certain given conditions." Both references cite 1 Cornithians 12:2 as a reference.
>>>
>>> Other translations have,
>>>
>>> "however"
>>> "somehow or other"
>>> "used to be"
>>> "every time"
>>> "somehow "
>>> "even as "
>>> "whenever"
>>>
>>> Any thoughts?
>>>
>>> Kevin
>>
>> Text (and context): 1Cor. 12:1 Περὶ δὲ τῶν πνευματικῶν, ἀδελφοί, οὐ θέλω ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν. 2 Οἴδατε ὅτι ὅτε ἔθνη ἦτε πρὸς τὰ εἴδωλα τὰ ἄφωνα ὡς ἂν ἤγεσθε ἀπαγόμενοι. 3 διὸ γνωρίζω ὑμῖν ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἐν πνεύματι θεοῦ λαλῶν λέγει· Ἀνάθεμα Ἰησοῦς, καὶ οὐδεὶς δύναται εἰπεῖν· Κύριος Ἰησοῦς, εἰ μὴ ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ.
>> [1Cor. 12:1 PERI DE TWN PNEUMATIKWN, ADELFOI, OU QELW hUMAS AGNOEIN. 2 OIDATE hOTI hOTE EQNH HTE PROS TA EIDWLA TA AFWNA hWS AN HGESQE APAGOMENOI. 3 DIO GNWRIZW hUMIN hOTI OUDEIS EN PNEUMATI QEOU LALWN LEGEI· ANAQEMA IHSOUS, KAI OUDEIS DUNATAI EIPEIN· KURIOS IHSOUS, EI MH EN PNEUMATI hAGIWi.]
>>
>
> It may be helpful to look at how the different pieces contribute to the whole. Verse 2 first has a time setting: when you were Gentiles/pagans (not being God's people). This situation is then described with a participle that I would take as middle: HTE PROS TA EIDWLA TA AFWNA ... APAGOMENOI. You got carried away (or went along) to worship those mute idols. The verbs have the imperfective aspect which may refer to either prolonged or repeated action. Then we have a comparative subordinate clause: hWS AN HGESQE. I take the hWS here as comparative "as", because the time is already set. The AN indicates a contingency or an irrealis aspect. The verb has the imperfective aspect which may well indicate repeated action, but could also refer to a situation that took place over an extended period of time. It comes out the same in the end, since worshipping idols for years amounts to doing it many times. I would take this verb as a true passive, indicating that there must have been (AN) some powerful beings (who could not be seen) that pulled you to do that. You got carried away to worship those mute idols as if someone had been pulling you. So, hWS AN comes out as "as if". Those forces are in opposition to and different from the Holy Spirit in the next verse.
I really don't think this -- i.e., "as if" -- is the right sense for hWS AN in this construction. I don't think it indicates contingency here but rather recurrence. Indeed, I really don't think that the two words construe together but rather that hWS is a relative adverb indicating degree -- of rapture experienced by those whom Paul here addresses. As for AN, I think it here construes with HGESQE, the imperfect. When AN is used with a subjunctive in the protasis of a condition, it has a generalizing time force, roughly equivalent to something like "at any time (whatsoever) or every time." But when it is used with an imperfect or aorist in an apodosis, it indicates behavior to be expected in the given circumstances -- "would/would have." But when used with an imperfect (which is always indicative), it underscores the extension of the behavior indicated over repeated instances or a considerable extent of time.
BDAG s.v. AN 1.a.α:
α. denoting repeated action in past time, but only under certain given conditions, esp. after relatives (B-D-F §367; Rob. index): aor. (Gen 30:42; Num 9:17; 1 Km 14:47; Ezk 10:11) hOSOI AN hHYANTO AUTOU, ESWiZONTO whoever touched him was cured Mk 6:56. Impf. (Ezk 1:20; 1 Macc 13:20; Tob 7:11) hOPOU AN EISEPOREUETO EIS KWMAS wherever he went (as he was accustomed to do—ADebrunner, D. hellenist. Nebensatziterativpräteritum mit AN: Glotta 11, 1920, 1–28) into villages Mk 6:56. KAQOTI AN TIS CREIAN EICEN as anyone was in need Ac 2:45; 4:35. Similarly hWS AN HGESQE (v.l. ANHGESQE) 1 Cor 12:2. Cp. also hOTAN 1bγ and δ.
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
More information about the B-Greek
mailing list