Re: ARNEOMAI and the double accusative

From: CEP7@aol.com
Date: Fri Dec 18 1998 - 19:26:03 EST


In a message dated 12/18/1998 9:35:52 PM, crhutson@salisbury.net writes:

<<Our word "deny" (ARNEOMAI) is often the opposit of "confess"
(hOMOLOGEW), as in Mt 10:32-33; 1 John 2:22-23. Since ARNEOMAI is
regularly used with an infinitive or with a hOTI clause (1 John 2:22)
to express some idea that one "denies," I would take that to be the
inference here. Thus, "if we deny" implies, as far as I can see,
failure to make some confession such as "Jesus is Lord" or "Jesus is
Messiah" or some such. The counterpoint, "he will deny us" then would
imply that he will deny that he knows us or that we belong to him.

Of course, the very next line seems to use ARNEISQAI in a different
sense, "he cannot deny himself," which BAGD would render "be untrue to
himself." But I have no trouble with reading the word ARNEISQAI with
two slightly different nuances in two successive lines of poetry. It
seems to me that it is precisely the nature of poetry to play around
with word usage in just this way.

Now as a matter of interpretation, your idea about "rewards" is for
all practical purposes the same as my idea that "he will deny [that he
knows] us." Either way, the poem is oriented toward the eschaton.
But grammatically, if we were to unpack the poetry into simple prose,
I would not expect to see a double accusative here. I would expect to
see an infinitive clause or a hOTI clause.

Does that work for you, Clayton? Charles, if I still have not
understood your question, please ask it again.>>

Yes it does. My point about the whether or not ARNEOMAI is used with the
double accusative of person/thing was to see if ARNEOMAI is used to to portray
the idea of denying someone some object or favor. It seems to be that ARNEOMAI
is always used in a personal sense, i.e., to deny knowledge of or relationship
with someone. The idea in 2 Tim 2:13 of Jesus denying Himself seems to be
along the same lines: He cannot deny who He is by His actions; although "be
untrue to Himself is a similar understanding. Thanks for your reply.

Charles Powell
DTS

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