From: runnerdsk@juno.com
Date: Tue Nov 13 2001 - 01:02:36 EST
In his Grammar of the Greek N.T. in Light of Historical Research at p.
408, A.T. Robertson speaks of the "representative singular," which occurs
when the singular is used with the article to signify the whole class.
1. Would everyone agree that TON EPISKOPON in 1 Tim. 3:2 and Titus 1:7
reflect examples of this?
2. It appears to me that EI TIS has the same effect as in 1 Tim. 3:1,
5:4, 5:8, 5:16, and Titus 1:6. Is this correct?
3. It also appears to me that simply using the plural has the same
effect, as with DIAKONOI in 1 Tim. 3:12. Right?
4. Is there any grammatical significance to these different ways of
representing a class? In the church I attend some argue that the
singlular TON EPISKOPON in 1 Tim. 3:2 and EI TIS in Titus 3:4 require
reading the plural TEKNA later in those contexts to mean "two or more"
and thus to require overseers to have two or more children. From a
strictly grammatical standpoint, is there anything to their position?
They acknowledge that the plural TEKNWN in 1 Tim. 3:12 has the sense of
"one or more" in light of the plural subject DIAKONOI in that context.
For purposes of your answer please assume that the references to TEKNA in
1 Tim. 3:4 and Titus 1:6 requires a bishop to have some offspring, as
that is the position of virtually everyone in the church I attend.
5. Assuming that TEKNA in 1 Tim. 3:4 and Titus 1:6 can be read to mean
"one or more," is it correct to say that TEKNA is being used in those
passages as a "plural of class"? See Winer, A Grammar of the Idiom of
the New Testament (7th ed. by Lunemann), section 27, no. 2, p. 175.
Thanks,
Dave Runner
church of Christ
Salem, Oregon
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