Re: Romans 5:15

From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Mon Sep 06 1999 - 22:07:29 EDT


At 9:13 PM -0400 9/6/99, Alan Wong wrote:
>Here is a question from a little-Greeker,
>How do you construe the syntax in the apodosis of Romans 5:15? ..
>
>POLLOWi MALLON hH CARIS TOU QEOU KAI hH DWREA EN CARITI THi TOU
>hENOS ANQRWPOU IHSOU CRISTOU EIS TOUS POLLOUS EPERISSEUSEN.
>
>I am particularly puzzled by the article THi. It may go with
>CARITI. But it is after CARITI and I do not recall ever seeing
>the article follow the noun in a prepositional phrase. What
>am I missing?

While it isn't that common, it isn't altogether uncommon either that an
attributive expression, be it an adjective or a genitive substantive,
FOLLOWS its noun, in which case an article agreeing in number, gender and
case with the noun must precede the attributive expression. You're used to
seeing expressions such as hO AGAQOS ANHR or hO ANHR hO AGAQOS--but
although it is less commonly seen, ANHR hO AGAQOS has exactly the same
meaning as the other two formulations. And so, in Rom 5:15, CARITI THi TOU
hENOS ANQRWPOU IHSOU CRISTOU is no different in meaning from THi CARITI THi
TOU hENOS ANQRWPOU IHSOU CRISTOU or, what might seem rather awkward because
of the length of the enclosed attributive expression, THi TOU hENOS
ANQRWPOU IHSOU CRISTOU CARITI--but even this last formulation would be
equivalent in meaning to the other two.

What you need to check out on this is any grammar that offers a good
discussion of the difference between predicate and attributive positions of
the article.

I hope this helps.

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
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/

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