Genitive Absolute without Subject

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Jean Putmans
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Genitive Absolute without Subject

Post by Jean Putmans »

The Cambridge Grammar of Classical Greek 2019, § 52:32 Note 1, mentions the possibility, that in a Genitive Absolute the Subject can be omitted, if it can easily be supplied from the context.

Lk 7:41 δυο χρεωφειλεται ησαν δανειστη τινι ο εισ ωφειλεν δηναρια πεντακοσια ο δε ετεροσ πεντηκοντα (7:42) μη εχοντων δε αυτων αποδουναι αμφοτεροισ εχαρισατο τισ ουν αυτων ειπε πλειον αυτον αγαπησει


Lk 7:42 εχοντων .. αυτων : I found three Greek Mss without the subject αυτων (and the Gothic Codex Argenteus Manuscript also omits this subject), I was wondering, whether this Gen.Absolute could also be one of the cases, where the Subject "easily" could be supplied.

Regards

Jean
Jean Putmans
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Barry Hofstetter
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Re: Genitive Absolute without Subject

Post by Barry Hofstetter »

Jean Putmans wrote: November 1st, 2020, 8:08 am The Cambridge Grammar of Classical Greek 2019, § 52:32 Note 1, mentions the possibility, that in a Genitive Absolute the Subject can be omitted, if it can easily be supplied from the context.

Lk 7:41 δυο χρεωφειλεται ησαν δανειστη τινι ο εισ ωφειλεν δηναρια πεντακοσια ο δε ετεροσ πεντηκοντα (7:42) μη εχοντων δε αυτων αποδουναι αμφοτεροισ εχαρισατο τισ ουν αυτων ειπε πλειον αυτον αγαπησει


Lk 7:42 εχοντων .. αυτων : I found three Greek Mss without the subject αυτων (and the Gothic Codex Argenteus Manuscript also omits this subject), I was wondering, whether this Gen.Absolute could also be one of the cases, where the Subject "easily" could be supplied.

Regards

Jean
It's possible, I suppose, although my sense of Luke's Greek is that he doesn't do this, and that with manuscript variations there could other reasons for omitting part of the text.
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καὶ σὺ τὸ σὸν ποιήσεις κἀγὼ τὸ ἐμόν. ἆρον τὸ σὸν καὶ ὕπαγε.
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Re: Genitive Absolute without Subject

Post by Jean Putmans »

Thanks for the (as always) quick answer.

The problem with comparing an end 4th century translation is, that Luke's style and habits don't matter that much, what matters is the text of the Greek „Vorlage“, that might have omitted the Subject, so causing the Gothic translator to do the same: improbable but not impossible.

The probability of such deviations rises, when the deviation at least is not ungrammatical.

Regards

Jean
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Stirling Bartholomew
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Re: Genitive Absolute without Subject

Post by Stirling Bartholomew »

Luke 2:41 Καὶ ἐπορεύοντο οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ κατ᾿ ἔτος εἰς Ἰερουσαλὴμ τῇ ἑορτῇ τοῦ πάσχα. 42 Καὶ ὅτε ἐγένετο ἐτῶν δώδεκα, ἀναβαινόντων αὐτῶν κατὰ τὸ ἔθος τῆς ἑορτῆς 43 καὶ τελειωσάντων τὰς ἡμέρας, ἐν τῷ ὑποστρέφειν αὐτοὺς ὑπέμεινεν Ἰησοῦς ὁ παῖς ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ. 44 νομίσαντες δὲ αὐτὸν εἶναι ἐν τῇ συνοδίᾳ ἦλθον ἡμέρας ὁδὸν καὶ ἀνεζήτουν αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς συγγενεῦσιν καὶ τοῖς γνωστοῖς, 45 καὶ μὴ εὑρόντες ὑπέστρεψαν εἰς Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἀναζητοῦντες αὐτόν.

καὶ τελειωσάντων τὰς ἡμέρας is listed as a Genitive Absolute:

LOY Excursus: The Genitive Absolute in the Synoptic Gospels
DAVID N. BIVIN & JOSHUA N. TILTON 2019MAR07
https://www.jerusalemperspective.com/17720/#Luke
https://www.jerusalemperspective.com/17720/
C. Stirling Bartholomew
Jean Putmans
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Re: Genitive Absolute without Subject

Post by Jean Putmans »

Thanks mr. Bartholomew,

The Gothic Translator followed the Greek text exactly the same way in 2:42 with explicite Subj. and 2:43: Omitting the Subject!

That's great!

Regards
Jean
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Stephen Carlson
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Re: Genitive Absolute without Subject

Post by Stephen Carlson »

The Luke 2:43 example is coordinated with a genitive absolute that has a subject.
Stephen C. Carlson, Ph.D.
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Barry Hofstetter
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Re: Genitive Absolute without Subject

Post by Barry Hofstetter »

Stephen Carlson wrote: November 1st, 2020, 7:32 pm The Luke 2:43 example is coordinated with a genitive absolute that has a subject.
The issue is whether the omission of αὐτῶν, as in a few manuscripts, would make grammatical sense, and that explains the variant.
N.E. Barry Hofstetter, M.A., Th.M.
Ph.D. Student U of FL
Instructor of Latin
Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy
καὶ σὺ τὸ σὸν ποιήσεις κἀγὼ τὸ ἐμόν. ἆρον τὸ σὸν καὶ ὕπαγε.
Stirling Bartholomew
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Re: Genitive Absolute without Subject

Post by Stirling Bartholomew »

Acts 21:8 τῇ δὲ ἐπαύριον ἐξελθόντες ἤλθομεν εἰς Καισάρειαν καὶ εἰσελθόντες εἰς τὸν οἶκον Φιλίππου τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ, ὄντος ἐκ τῶν ἑπτά, ἐμείναμεν παρ᾿ αὐτῷ. 9 τούτῳ δὲ ἦσαν θυγατέρες τέσσαρες παρθένοι προφητεύουσαι. 10 Ἐπιμενόντων δὲ ἡμέρας πλείους κατῆλθέν τις ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας προφήτης ὀνόματι Ἅγαβος, 11 καὶ ἐλθὼν πρὸς ἡμᾶς καὶ ἄρας τὴν ζώνην τοῦ Παύλου, δήσας ἑαυτοῦ τοὺς πόδας καὶ τὰς χεῖρας εἶπεν· τάδε λέγει τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· τὸν ἄνδρα οὗ ἐστιν ἡ ζώνη αὕτη, οὕτως δήσουσιν ἐν Ἰερουσαλὴμ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ παραδώσουσιν εἰς χεῖρας ἐθνῶν. 12 ὡς δὲ ἠκούσαμεν ταῦτα, παρεκαλοῦμεν ἡμεῖς τε καὶ οἱ ἐντόπιοι τοῦ μὴ ἀναβαίνειν αὐτὸν εἰς Ἰερουσαλήμ.
10. ἐπιμενόντων δὲ ἡμέρας πλείους, and as we tarried there many days. In this phrase πλείους loses its comparative sense, and means only ‘several,’ ‘some,’ ‘many.’ It is frequent in the LXX. Cf. Numbers 20:15, καὶ παρῳκήσαμεν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ ἡμέρας πλείονς. Joshua 11:18, καὶ ἡμέρας πλείους ἐποίησεν Ἰησοὺς τὸν πόλεμον. See also Numbers 9:19; Joshua 23:1; Joshua 24:7, &c. With the omission of ἡμῶν here, leaving the genitive absolute without a subject, ct Luke 12:36, ἐλθόντος καὶ κρούσαντος where αὐτοῦ is similarly omitted.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges
Acts 21
source https://www.studylight.org/commentaries ... ts-21.html
C. Stirling Bartholomew
Jean Putmans
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Re: Genitive Absolute without Subject

Post by Jean Putmans »

Thanks again, mr. Bartholomew,

with these examples I can show, that the Gothic omission of the Subject could be pointing to a Vorlage with the omission of the Subject of the Gen.Abs. (by the way: the Gothic has a Dative Absolute).


Regards

Jean
Jean Putmans
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