[b-greek] Re: The usage of TOU + Infinitive in Gal 3:10

From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Sat Dec 02 2000 - 08:13:53 EST


I'm not sure that I wholly understand these alternatives, Moon, but I think
one ought to start out with the realization that this is a citation from
Deuteronomy (27:26) which reads in the LXX thus: EPIKATARATOS PAS ANQRWPOS
hOS OUK EMMENEI TOIS LOGOIS TOU NOMOU TOUTOU TOU POIHSAI AUTOUS ...

Paul phrases it differently, perhaps not citing from the LXX but pretty
clearly, I think, preserving the same sense, since this is part of the
provision at the end of Deuteronomy for exact understanding of the Law and
blessings and curses upon those who observe or do not observe its precepts.
I think that the usual understanding of the articular infinitive in the
genitive as a purpose construction is correct (genitive, I believe, because
originally a preposition hENEKA governed the genitive in a purpose phrase);
I think that the purpose infinitive needs to construe with EMMENEI TOIS
LOGOIS (or EMMENEI TOIS GEGRAMMENOIS in the phrasing in Gal 3:10), so that
the sense is "abide by the words/things written SO AS TO PERFORM THEM ('get
them done' since it's an aorist infinitive). That is to say, I understand
Deuteronomy to be saying that there isn't any wiggle-room to avoid
fulfilling these precepts: carry them out or be damned! And I think Paul in
Gal 3:10 understands the phrasing that way too.

I think that
At 4:58 AM -0500 12/2/00, Moon-Ryul Jung wrote:
>Dear bgreeker,
>I recently read a surprising interpretation of Gal 3:10, specifically
>
>Epikataratos pas hos ouk emmenei pasin tois gegrammenois en tw bibliw
>tou nomou tou poihsai auta.
>
>I wonder if that interpretation is grammatically possible.
>
>The usual translation of this verse is as follows:
>

>Cursed is everyone who does not remain in all things
>written in the book of the law to do them.
>
>But it suddently occurred to me that parsing this sentence is
>not as simple as I thought. I would like to know whatt
>other people think. THe sentence can be parsed in three ways:
>
>1)
>[ hOS OUK EMMENEI PASIN TOIS
> [GEGRAMMENOIS [EN TWi BIBLIWi TOU NOMOU]
> [TOU POIHSAI AUTA]
> ]
>]
>
>Here we have "were written in the book of the Law (for the
>people) to do them". One problem with this parsing is that
>we need to supply the implied subject of TOU POIHSAI AUTA.
>Is it no problem here?
>
>
>2)
> [ hOS OUK [
> [EMMENEI [PASIN TOIS GEGRAMMENOIS EN TWi BIBLIWi TOU NOMOU]
> [TOU POIHSAI AUTA ]
> ]
> ]
> ]
>
>Here we have "remain in all things written in the book of the law, to do
>them".
>
>We might translate it as
>"remain in all things written in the book of the law and do them"
>
>What would be the problem with this rendering?
>
>
>3)
>
> [ hOS [OUK EMMENEI PASIN TOIS GEGRAMMENOIS EN TWi BIBLIWi TOU NOMOU]
> [TOU POIHSAI AUTA ]
> ]
>
>Here we have "not remain in all things written in the book of the law,
> to do them".
>
>Actually the interpretation I mentioned suggests the following
>translation:
>
>not remain in all things written in the book of the law, by DOING them.
>
>The actual interpretation suggested is
>"NOT REMAIN in all things written in the book of the law,
> BY DOING THEM EXTERNALLY."
>
>I just want to know whether such a rendering is grammatically
>possible. I have two specific questions.
>
>a) Is the parsing shown in 3) grammatically possible?
>b) Can TOU POIHSAI AUTA be used as an adverbial clause
> that describe means, so that we can translate it
>as "BY doing them"?
>
>I know that TOU + INF is usually used to describe purpose or result.
>
>Note: the author of the interpretation suggests it without any
>grammatical analysis.
>
>
>Moon
>
>Associate Professor
>Dept of Digial Media
>Sogang Univ, Seoul, Korea
>
>
>
>people may do them. the Lawlawose things
>The He I woul"To do them" (TOU POIHSAI AUTA)
>
>
>---
>B-Greek home page: http://metalab.unc.edu/bgreek
>You are currently subscribed to b-greek as: [cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu]
>To unsubscribe, forward this message to
>leave-b-greek-327Q@franklin.oit.unc.edu
>To subscribe, send a message to subscribe-b-greek@franklin.oit.unc.edu

--

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/

---
B-Greek home page: http://metalab.unc.edu/bgreek
You are currently subscribed to b-greek as: [jwrobie@mindspring.com]
To unsubscribe, forward this message to leave-b-greek-327Q@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 - 15:36:43 EDT