Re: Demonic Discourse - Mark 5:12

From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Thu Feb 17 2000 - 14:02:53 EST


At 10:36 AM -0800 2/17/00, clayton stirling bartholomew wrote:
>Reading again through the first half of Mk 5, I was struck by the
>fullness of expression in the demonic request:
>
>Mk 5:12
>
>. . . PEMYON hHMAS EIS TOUS XOIROUS,
> hINA EIS AUTOUS EISELQWMEN.
>
>The hINA clause seems not quite but almost an exact repetition of what
>precedes. Matt and Luke do not report the demonic request in this form.
>I assume that this "say it again" construction using a hINA clause is
>one that can be found elsewhere in the NT but I cannot immediately
>recall an example. Someone else might be able to come up with another
>example.
>
>This fullness of expression serves a discourse function, it slows down
>the reader at this point and draws added attention to the demonic
>request.
>

Well yes, that it does. But one fact that should be remembered (although it
may not be all that important here) is that the hINA + subjunctive clause
is only sometimes a purpose clause; it is really halfway on its way to its
modern Greek destination: an infinitive, so that this is: "Send us into the
pigs, to enter them." I'm curious whether there's anything aramaic about
this formulation (the more so, as I have no earthly idea whether there is!)

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics/Washington University
One Brookings Drive/St. Louis, MO, USA 63130/(314) 935-4018
Home: 7222 Colgate Ave./St. Louis, MO 63130/(314) 726-5649
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu

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