Justin Martyr's Dialogue with Trypho (128.4)
Posted: August 28th, 2011, 4:54 pm
Hello to everyone,
I have been trying to wrap my mind around the last part of the following passage from Justin Martyr’s Dialogue with Trypho (128.4):
καὶ ὅτι δύναμις αὕτη, ἣν καὶ θεὸν καλεῖ ὁ προφητικὸς Λόγος, <ὡς> διὰ πολλῶν ὡσαύτως ἀποδέδεικται, καὶ ἄγγελον, οὐχ ὡς τὸ τοῦ ἡλίου φῶς ὀνόματι μόνον ἀριθμεῖται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀριθμῷ ἕτερόν τί ἐστι, καὶ <περὶ τούτου> ἐν τοῖς προειρημένοις διὰ βραχέων τὸν λόγον ἐξήτασα, εἰπὼν τὴν δύναμιν ταύτην γεγεννῆσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ πατρός, δυνάμει καὶ βουλῇ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ κατὰ ἀποτομήν, ὡς ἀπομεριζομένης τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς οὐσίας, ὁποῖα τὰ ἄλλα πάντα μεριζόμενα καὶ τεμνόμενα οὐ τὰ αὐτά ἐστιν ἃ καὶ πρὶν τμηθῆναι·
-Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 128.4 (ed. Miroslav Marcovich)
This passage has been translated by Thomas Falls as follows:
It has also been shown at length that this power which the prophetic word also calls God and Angel not only is numbered as different by its name (as is the light of the sun), but is something distinct in real number, I have already briefly discussed. For I stated that this power was generated from the Father, by His power and will, but not by abscission, as if the substance of the Father were divided; as all other things, once they are divided and severed, are not the same as they were before the division.
-Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 128.4 (trans. Thomas Falls)
The first and second parts of this passage I have understood as follows:
ὁποῖα τὰ ἄλλα πάντα [ὁποῖα (adj pl neut nom of ὁποῖος); τὰ (article pl neut nom of ὁ); ἄλλα (adj pl neut nom of ἄλλος); πάντα (adj pl neut nom of πᾶς)] = "as all other things".
μεριζόμενα καὶ τεμνόμενα [μεριζόμενα (verb part pres mid nom pl of μερίζω); καὶ (conj); τεμνόμενα (verb part pres mid nom pl of τέμνω)] = "once they are divided and severed".
The part I have been having trouble wrapping my head around is οὐ τὰ αὐτά ἐστιν ἃ καὶ πρὶν τμηθῆναι which Falls translates as "are not the same as they were before the division." I guess my main problem has to do with the 3rd person singular verb ἐστιν when my expectation is that there should be a 3rd person plural (i.e. εἰσιν) to match the referent τὰ ἄλλα πάντα. Understanding the problem to be me rather than the text, I have also thought that it might be associated with ὁποῖα (parsing as a sg fem nom), but I still remain confused. Ultimately I am sure my problems stem from incorrect parsing in addition to failing to understand the syntax here. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
I have been trying to wrap my mind around the last part of the following passage from Justin Martyr’s Dialogue with Trypho (128.4):
καὶ ὅτι δύναμις αὕτη, ἣν καὶ θεὸν καλεῖ ὁ προφητικὸς Λόγος, <ὡς> διὰ πολλῶν ὡσαύτως ἀποδέδεικται, καὶ ἄγγελον, οὐχ ὡς τὸ τοῦ ἡλίου φῶς ὀνόματι μόνον ἀριθμεῖται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀριθμῷ ἕτερόν τί ἐστι, καὶ <περὶ τούτου> ἐν τοῖς προειρημένοις διὰ βραχέων τὸν λόγον ἐξήτασα, εἰπὼν τὴν δύναμιν ταύτην γεγεννῆσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ πατρός, δυνάμει καὶ βουλῇ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ κατὰ ἀποτομήν, ὡς ἀπομεριζομένης τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς οὐσίας, ὁποῖα τὰ ἄλλα πάντα μεριζόμενα καὶ τεμνόμενα οὐ τὰ αὐτά ἐστιν ἃ καὶ πρὶν τμηθῆναι·
-Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 128.4 (ed. Miroslav Marcovich)
This passage has been translated by Thomas Falls as follows:
It has also been shown at length that this power which the prophetic word also calls God and Angel not only is numbered as different by its name (as is the light of the sun), but is something distinct in real number, I have already briefly discussed. For I stated that this power was generated from the Father, by His power and will, but not by abscission, as if the substance of the Father were divided; as all other things, once they are divided and severed, are not the same as they were before the division.
-Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 128.4 (trans. Thomas Falls)
The first and second parts of this passage I have understood as follows:
ὁποῖα τὰ ἄλλα πάντα [ὁποῖα (adj pl neut nom of ὁποῖος); τὰ (article pl neut nom of ὁ); ἄλλα (adj pl neut nom of ἄλλος); πάντα (adj pl neut nom of πᾶς)] = "as all other things".
μεριζόμενα καὶ τεμνόμενα [μεριζόμενα (verb part pres mid nom pl of μερίζω); καὶ (conj); τεμνόμενα (verb part pres mid nom pl of τέμνω)] = "once they are divided and severed".
The part I have been having trouble wrapping my head around is οὐ τὰ αὐτά ἐστιν ἃ καὶ πρὶν τμηθῆναι which Falls translates as "are not the same as they were before the division." I guess my main problem has to do with the 3rd person singular verb ἐστιν when my expectation is that there should be a 3rd person plural (i.e. εἰσιν) to match the referent τὰ ἄλλα πάντα. Understanding the problem to be me rather than the text, I have also thought that it might be associated with ὁποῖα (parsing as a sg fem nom), but I still remain confused. Ultimately I am sure my problems stem from incorrect parsing in addition to failing to understand the syntax here. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.