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by Daniel Semler
August 14th, 2021, 7:58 pm
Forum: Grammar Questions
Topic: perfect participle in Acts 13:48
Replies: 18
Views: 8195

Re: perfect participle in Acts 13:48

Now when you say it that way, yes, it's probably true. I explained it by saying that the imperfect verb sets the time which is used as the reference for understanding this participle. I don't know if a pluperfect would have been as natural here. It's been translated as "had been appointed"...
by Daniel Semler
August 14th, 2021, 12:03 pm
Forum: Grammar Questions
Topic: perfect participle in Acts 13:48
Replies: 18
Views: 8195

Re: perfect participle in Acts 13:48

I really haven't studied the periphrastic constructions with the participle nearly enough, but isn't this essentially a pluperfect in periphrastic form ? And thus aren't you really constrained to see this as being antecedent to belief, because you have a speaker describing events, when the belief ha...
by Daniel Semler
August 12th, 2021, 12:22 pm
Forum: New Testament
Topic: John 8:58
Replies: 209
Views: 37247

Re: John 8:58

It seems to me that ἐγὼ εἰμί in such a statement is trying to draw out eternity. Think about it... if you applied it to any other time, what assumption would you make? "Before the creation of the world, I am." "More than a million years ago, I am." "At the end of all things...
by Daniel Semler
August 12th, 2021, 12:14 pm
Forum: Syntax and Grammar
Topic: Present with Perfect Force?
Replies: 15
Views: 8761

Re: Present with Perfect Force?

My sense of this grammatical category is that it covers cases where English uses the perfect when other languages are content to use the present. This is such a strange category to use in a Greek grammar (though textbooks may want to point it out). This is interesting. I now wonder if such a catego...
by Daniel Semler
August 11th, 2021, 12:01 pm
Forum: Syntax and Grammar
Topic: Present with Perfect Force?
Replies: 15
Views: 8761

Re: Present with Perfect Force?

Here are a couple to get the ball rolling: 20210810_195230.jpg Below is the reference Turner makes in Burton. 17. THE PRESENT OF PAST ACTION STILL IN PROGRESS. The Present Indicative, accompanied by an adverbial expression denoting duration and referring to past time, is sometimes used in Greek, as ...
by Daniel Semler
August 9th, 2021, 12:07 am
Forum: New Testament
Topic: John 8:58
Replies: 209
Views: 37247

Re: John 8:58

Sorry about the typos. Corrected, I note including διηνεκῶς : διατί δὲ μή εἶπε, Πρὸ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι, ἐγῶ ἦμην· ἀλλ᾽ Ἐγώ εἰμι; Ὡσπέρ ὁ Πατὴρ αὐτοῦ ταύτῃ κέχρηται τῇ λέξει τῇ, Εἰμί· οὔτω καὶ αὐτός. Τοῦ διηνεκῶς γὰρ εἶναι σημαντικὴ αὔτη, παντὸς ἀπηλλαγμένη χρόνου· διὰ τοῦτο καὶ βλάσφημον αὐτοῖς εἶν...
by Daniel Semler
August 8th, 2021, 2:04 pm
Forum: New Testament
Topic: John 8:58
Replies: 209
Views: 37247

Re: John 8:58

Maybe here: https://archive.org/details/patrologiae_cursus_completus_gr_vol_059/page/n301/mode/2up It’s actually on page 305 and Chrysostom doesn’t change the phrase at all. It reads πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι ἐγὼ εἰμί.  I think Jonathan wanted to know what Chrysostom was suggesting as an alternative. δι...
by Daniel Semler
August 6th, 2021, 10:24 am
Forum: New Testament
Topic: John 8:58
Replies: 209
Views: 37247

Re: John 8:58

Be it surprising or not, one should always consult Wikipedia first :) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ego_eimi For example, it looks like the possibility of ειμι being a copula has been considered. As for the possibility of an imperfect form: John Chrysostom (ca. 349-407) attached more theological si...
by Daniel Semler
August 5th, 2021, 9:10 pm
Forum: New Testament
Topic: John 8:58
Replies: 209
Views: 37247

Re: John 8:58

I want to focus on the meaning of the Greek text, but one remark here - the English you propose also creates a time clash, just as the Greek does. And I don't see anything wrong with the word order, I can say "Before I drive to work, I get coffee". In Greek or in English, there is a time ...
by Daniel Semler
August 4th, 2021, 10:35 am
Forum: New Testament
Topic: John 8:58
Replies: 209
Views: 37247

Re: John 8:58

For theory I recommend general linguistics, especially semantics, instead of grammars. There exist a couple of very good, easy to read introductions to semantics. They don't use Ancient Greek but they may let you understand better how human language works. It can be much more beneficial for underst...

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