[b-greek] Re: Lk 18:13; TWi hAMARTWLWi

From: Steven Lo Vullo (doulos@merr.com)
Date: Sun Dec 02 2001 - 01:14:19 EST


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On Saturday, December 1, 2001, at 09:11 PM, Harry W. Jones wrote:

> Dear Steven,
>
> After looking up hAMARTWLWi in BAGD 2000 3ed it seems more likely
> to me that TWi hAMARTWLWi is attributive to MOI and is in the
> third attributive position.

Well, I guess we can add this to the long list of conclusions you have
already reached. I can only hope for your sake you run out of reference
works soon, before your tree runs out of limbs. :-)

Seriously, though, let's deal with this latest revision:

(1) hAMARTWLOS is used 47 times in the NT. According to Accordance, in
38 of these instances, it is substantival, and in only 9 cases is it
adjectival (in those 38 instances Accordance actually tags hAMARTWLOS as
a noun). I think 9 is high, but I'm trying to be as fair as possible. So
hAMARTWLOS in the NT is far more likely to be a substantive than an
adjective.

(2) Note the construction personal pronoun-article-noun (13 times not
counting Luke 18.13, which Accordance also tags as a noun: Mark 7.6;
Luke 11.39,42-43,46,52; 12.4; Acts 4.11; 1 Cor 4.9; Eph 2.11; 3.1; 4.1;
2 Tim. 1.8). By the very nature of things, the article-noun
constructions in these verses cannot be attributive. They must be
appositive. This is important to remember as we move to the next point.

(3) As far as I can tell, the construction personal
pronoun-article-adjective occurs 5 times in the NT (Luke 6.24; John
6.70; Rom 15.1; Gal 6.1; Eph 3.8; as I said, Accordance tags hAMARTWLWi
in Luke 18.13 as a noun). Keeping in mind the analogy of personal
pronoun-article-noun above, I think we can see that understanding the
adjectives in these cases as substantival is not only perfectly
natural, but preferable. And, again keeping in mind the analogy, I think
taking them attributively involves thinking in English rather than
Greek. I can't think of one good reason why we should understand any of
these as attributive, especially with the analogy afforded us by the
construction with nouns above.

(4) Taking TWi hAMARTWLWi (and all the above adjectives) as attributive
is, in my opinion, just plain awkward compared to taking it as an
appositive. "To the sinful me" seems to me just as awkward in Greek as
it is in English. When you apply this to the above examples it is
equally awkward ("the twelve yous," John 6.70; "to the least of all
saints me," Eph 3.8). It seems much more natural to take these as
substantival adjectives in apposition. And that this involves thinking
in Greek (I can hear the objection already) is supported, as I have
already said, by the analogy of the personal pronouns with the
appositive nouns.
=============

Steven Lo Vullo
Madison, WI


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