1 Cor 13:8

From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Tue Feb 16 1999 - 19:50:55 EST


This afternoon's thread focusing primarily upon 1 Cor 13:8 came surrounded
by an agenda that, as it turns out, was not Dan Oglesby's own agenda but
someone else's from another list. It is the agenda, the discussion of
doctrine as such, that was objectionable rather than the specific question
about this text. Jonathan Robie's more measured response rightly cut out
the agenda for discussion while leaving the focused question on the Greek
text of 1 Cor 13:8 and 1 Cor 12:31 open to discussion; unfortunately, I was
sending my own reaction to the agenda at the very same time as he was
sending his post, and had I seen his first, I certainly would not have sent
mine. If I may, I'd like to rephrase Dan's questions so that they focus
directly upon the Greek text rather than upon an agenda-driven question of
who's right on a particular issue. I really think that if we can agree on
the legitimate possibilities of the Greek text, we can leave people to draw
their own implications from them.

1 Cor 13:8. hH AGAPH OUPOTE PIPTEI; EITE DE PROFHTEIAI, KATARGHQHSONTAI,
EITE GLWSSAI, PAUSONTAI; EITE GNWSIS, KATARGHQHSETAI.

What's the difference between these verbs, PIPTW, KATARGEW, and
PAUW/PAUOMAI in terms of the kind of failure/stopping/being stopped that
they describe? And what difference does it make that PIPTEI is present
tense, while PAUSONTAI and KATARGHQHSONTAI/KATARGHQHSETAI are future tense?

1 Cor 12:31. ZHLOUTE DE TA CARISMATA TA MEIZONA. Here the form ZHLOUTE
could be either indicate or imperative 2 pl. What difference, within the
immediate context, does it make whether one decides for one possibility
over the other--or, to put it another way, does the context itself offer
reasons for thinking that the imperative or the indicative is more likely
intended by the writer, Paul?

I think that if the questions are posed this way, they allow the Greek text
to speak for itself. I also think that the archives do, in fact, have
discussion focusing on precisely these verses, even if they don't mention
doctrines.

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics/Washington University
One Brookings Drive/St. Louis, MO, USA 63130/(314) 935-4018
Home: 7222 Colgate Ave./St. Louis, MO 63130/(314) 726-5649
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu OR cconrad@yancey.main.nc.us
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/

---
B-Greek home page: http://sunsite.unc.edu/bgreek
You are currently subscribed to b-greek as: [cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu]
To unsubscribe, forward this message to leave-b-greek-329W@franklin.oit.unc.edu
To subscribe, send a message to subscribe-b-greek@franklin.oit.unc.edu


This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Sat Apr 20 2002 - 15:40:16 EDT