Verbal Aspect in the Greek of the New Testament, with Reference to Tense and Mood: Third Printing (Studies in Biblical Greek)

This detailed work in Greek linguistics argues that the semantic category of synthetic verbal aspect provides a suggestive and workable linguistic model for explaining the range of uses of the tense-forms in Greek. The author addresses in particular those studying the hellenistic Greek of the New Testament, although those interested in Greek language from other periods, and in systemic linguistics and more general questions related to the study of ancient languages will benefit as well. This book will serve both as a textbook for advanced language classes, and as a reference tool for Greek language research. Verbal Aspect in the Greek of the New Testament, with Reference to Tense and Mood 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS 7 EDITOR'S PREFACE 11 AUTHOR'S PREFACE 13 INTRODUCTION: GREEK GRAMMAR AS HERMENEUTICS, WITH AN INTRODUCTION TO SYSTEMIC LINGUISTICS 15 0. INTRODUCTION 15 1. RECENT DISCUSSION OF LINGUISTICS IN BIBLICAL STUDIES 16 2. SYSTEMIC LINGUISTICS: AN OVERVIEW 21 1 RESEARCH INTO TENSE, AKTIONSART AND ASPECT 31 0. INTRODUCTION 31 1. HELLENISTIC GREEK GRAMMARS 32 2. 19TH-CENTURY AND TRADITIONAL GRAMMARS 36 3. COMPARATIVE PHILOLOGY AND AKTIONSART 40 4. TRANSITIONAL APPROACHES 49 5. STRUCTURAL LINGUISTICS AND ASPECT 53 6. GRAMMARS OF HELLENISTIC GREEK FROM WINER TO THE PRESENT 64 7. CONCLUSION 79 APPENDIX 1A: PERFECTIVIZING PREFIXES 80 APPENDIX 1B: DISSENTING THEORIES 85 2 A SYSTEMIC ANALYSIS OF GREEK VERBAL ASPECT 89 0. INTRODUCTION 89 1. GRAMMATICALIZATION OF TENSE 90 2. INTRODUCTION TO VERBAL ASPECT 97 3. DEICTIC INDICATORS AND TEMPORAL REFERENCE 112 4. STANDARD PATTERNS OF VERBAL USAGE 116 5. CONCLUSION 121 CHART 4: A SYSTEMIC NETWORK OF GREEK VERBAL ASPECT 123 3 THE INFLUENCE OF SEMITIC LANGUAGES ON VERBAL ASPECT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT 125 0. INTRODUCTION 125 1. THE LANGUAGES OF PALESTINE AND THE NATURE OF NT GREEK 125 2. POSSIBLE INSTANCES OF SEMITIC INFLUENCE UPON NT GREEK 131 3. GREEK OF THE NT AS HELLENISTIC GREEK 155 4. CONCLUSION 170 APPENDIX 3A: SEMITIC VERBAL SYSTEMS 171 APPENDIX 3B: MARTIN'S SYNTACTICAL EVIDENCE 174 4 THE AORIST AND PRESENT TENSES IN THE INDICATIVE MOOD 177 0. INTRODUCTION 177 PART I 177 1. THE MOODS AND ATTITUDES OF GREEK 177 2. MARKEDNESS AND THE ASSERTIVE ATTITUDE 192 PART II 196 3. PERFECTIVE ASPECT: RECENT DISCUSSION 196 4. PAST-REFERRING IMPERFECTIVE AND PERFECTIVE ASPECTS 202 5. INTRODUCTION TO NON PAST-REFERRING TENSES 222 6. NON PAST-REFERRING PERFECTIVE AND IMPERFECTIVE ASPECTS 225 7. CONCLUSION 253 APPENDIX 4A: PL. PHAEDR. 244-56 AND PLB. 6.24-25 254 5 THE STATIVE ASPECT AND PERFECT TENSE 259 0. INTRODUCTION 259 1. MARKEDNESS AND THE STATIVE ASPECT 259 2. THE PERFECT AS STATIVE ASPECT 265 3. PRAGMATIC USAGE OF THE STATIVE ASPECT 274 4. VIABILITY OF THE PERFECT FORM DURING THE HELLENISTIC PERIOD 284 5. Οἶδα AND γινώσκω 295 6. THE PLUPERFECT 301 7. CONCLUSION 303 6 CONDITIONAL STATEMENTS 305 0. INTRODUCTION 305 1. MAJOR VIEWS 305 2. NEW PROPOSAL 308 3. APODOSIS 330 4. CONCLUSION 334 7 THE AORIST, PRESENT AND PERFECT IN THE NON-INDICATIVE MOODS 335 0. INTRODUCTION 335 1. THE SUBJUNCTIVE AND OPTATIVE 335 2. THE IMPERATIVE: COMMANDS AND PROHIBITIONS 349 3. THE PERFECT IN THE NON-INDICATIVE MOODS 375 4. CONCLUSION 376 8 THE AORIST, PRESENT AND PERFECT PARTICIPLES AND INFINITIVES 379 0. INTRODUCTION 379 1. THE AORIST AND PRESENT PARTICIPLES AND INFINITIVES 380 2. THE PERFECT INFINITIVE AND PARTICIPLE 406 3. CONCLUSION 414 9 THE FUTURE FORM: TENSE, ASPECT OR MOOD? 417 0. INTRODUCTION 417 1. BRIEF HISTORY OF THE FUTURE FORM 417 2. FUTURE AS TENSE AND ASPECT 418 3. SEMANTIC DEFINITION OF THE FUTURE FORM 423 4. PRAGMATIC IMPLICATURE OF THE FUTURE FORM 430 5. PROSPECTIVE USE OF THE FUTURE FORM 441 6. CONCLUSION 452 10 VAGUE VERBS AND PERIPHRASTICS: 'EXCEPTIONS THAT PROVE THE RULE' 455 0. INTRODUCTION 455 1. DEFINITION OF ASPECTUAL VAGUENESS 456 2. PERIPHRASTIC CONSTRUCTIONS IN THE SECONDARY LITERATURE 461 3. Εἰμί AS GREEK AUXILIARY VERB IN PERIPHRASTICS 463 4. DEFINITION OF PERIPHRASIS IN GREEK 466 5. FORMAL CATEGORIES OF PERIPHRASIS IN NT GREEK 468 6. CONCLUSION 492 APPENDIX 10A: PERIPHRASTIC CONSTRUCTIONS 493 APPENDIX 10B: CATENATIVE CONSTRUCTIONS 501 BIBLIOGRAPHY 507 INDEX 559 NEW TESTAMENT 559 EXTRA-BIBLICAL GREEK 581 OLD TESTAMENT AND APOCRYPHA 594 Back Matter 597