[B-Greek] The so-called third attributive position

A. Philip Brown II pbrown at GBS.EDU
Mon Mar 15 15:32:41 EST 2004


Fellow B-Greekers,

I have for a number of years harbored the suspicion that the so-called
"third attributive position" with adjectives (as well as participles, or
other items functioning adjectivally) is an illegitimate category and is not
an attributive position at all.  It strikes me rather as an appositional
construction, which, because it is translated into ENGLISH as an adjective
phrase, has been falsely considered an attributive position.

Common examples of this construction in the NT include:

Luke 15:22 	TACU EXENEGKATE STOLHN THN PRWTHN

John 1:18	MONOGENHS QEOS hO WN EIS TON KOLPON TOU PATROS EKEINOS EXHGHSATO

Luke 23:49 ... KAI GUNAIKES hAI SUNAKOLOUQOUSAI AUTWi APO THS GALILAIAS
hORWSAI TAUTA.

I am willing to give up my harbored suspicions of illegitimacy, but I would
like to have a decent reason to give students as to why this should not be
considered further specification by apposition, and instead should be
considered an attributive position.

Thanks!

Philip Brown
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A. Philip Brown II, Ph.D.
Asst. Prof. of Bible & Theology

God's Bible School & College
1810 Young Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
www.gbs.edu
(513) 721-7944 ext 163
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





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