Re: review Palmer 1995, III

From: Vincent DeCaen (decaen@epas.utoronto.ca)
Date: Sun Nov 26 1995 - 09:40:51 EST


> > simple example. what is an aorist? again, theory of TMA. the choice is
> > to do things the same old way, or to try to further our understanding
> > of Greek grammar. I simply assume the importance of Greek grammar: period.
>
> Thanks for taking the time to respond. I was afraid your reply would be
> something like this. Your above point 4. is exactly what I've been
> arguing, but my faculty seem skeptical. They keep pressing me to
> demonstrate exegetical payoff so my dissertation will be "a New Testament
> dissertation and not a linguistic one." I find this a bit frustrating. I
> think quite a bit of work (catch-up work, really) needs to be done in
> Greek grammar to lay a foundation for the truly interesting applications
> to exegetical questions. In part, interesting exegetical questions would
> arise precisely from a comprehensive grammar using current linguistic
> models. But that can hardly be done in a dissertation.
>
well, as you may know, the "new" new Right is gutting our wonderful
public university system in Canada in the name of freedom, or some such
nonsense. there's been a lot of talk about what universities are for,
and what research *is*. pure research is apparently off the agenda: it
has to have immediate payoff. the irony is that all the things
UofToronto is famous for were pure research projects with no immediate
payoff; the applications came later and were unexpected (I'm talking
about the breakthroughs in the "hard" sciences). no doubt that's how
it'll work with Greek linguistics too. and it's short-sighted to
demand the payoff up front. sigh.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vincent DeCaen decaen@epas.utoronto.ca

Near Eastern Studies, Religion & Culture,
University of Toronto Wilfrid Laurier University

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If there is someone needy among your brothers within the city-gates of
your land that the Lord your god is giving to you, you shall not
harden your heart nor shall you tighten your fist against your needy
brother. Rather, open your hand and lend him whatever he has need of.
                                                        --Deut. 15:7-8



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