{cxxxviii}

XIII
A Short Grammar of the Apocalypse.
(continued)


§ 7. Case

(i.) (a) The nominative stands in the case of a proper noun without regard to the construction in place of the case normally required. 911 o;noma e;cei VApollu,wn) This is good Greek (cf. Xenoph. Oecon. vi. 14, tou,j e;contaj to. semno.n o;noma tou/to to. kalo,j te kavgaqo,j), but it comes from the hand of the editor and not from the author, whose construction will be found in 68.

(b) Nominativus pendens. Since in our author this usage is a Hebraism, it is dealt with under that heading.
(ii.) (a) Genitive absolute. This construction does not exist in our author, though it is employed often in J and with more elasticity of meaning than is found in the Synoptics: see {cxxxix} Abbott, Gr. 83 sq. In the Apoc. 178 qaumasqh,sontai oi` katoikou/ntej ) ) ) w-n ) ) ) blepo,ntwn is not a gen. abs. But for this intervening w-n the tet would have read ble,pontej or o[tan ble,pwsin)
(b) Temporal genitive. This genitive denotes the whole period of time during which something happened: 48 715 h`me,raj kai. nukto,j -- a phrase that should be restored in 812 2125.
(iii.) Dative. (a) Instrumental dative. This dative is of infrequent occurrence. It is found in 44 peribeblhme,nouj i`mati,oij, 1913 bebamme,non ai[mati, 1821 o`rmh,mati blhqh,setai (source), 2214 toi/j pulw/sin eivse,lqwsin, 218 [88] kaiome,nh| puri,, 152 memegme,nhn puri,, 51 katesfragisme,non sfragi/sin, 174 1816 kecruswme,nh crusi,w|) fwnh|/ mega,lh| is found after le,gein, 512 (61) 813 (yet with evn, 147.9): after kra,zein, 610 72 103 1917 (but with evn in passages from another hand, 1415 182): after fwnei/n, 1418. This instrumental dat. is mostly replaced in our author by  evn (see above p. cxxx, under evn), or occasionally after passive verbs by evn or avpo,.
(b) Dative of time, mia/| w[ra| in 1810.16.19 (source) is difficult. It seems to mean "in the course of an hour." Hence we should expect evn mia/| w[ra|, just as in 188 we have evn mia/| h`me,ra| or else mia/j h`me,raj, "in the course of one day." Yet see Blass, Gr. 120.

(c) Hebraic dative. 218 toi/j de. deiloi/j ) ) ) to. me,roj auvtw/n. See below, p. cxlviii (h) (q).

(iv.) Accusative of point of time. 33 poi,an w[ran. Cf. J 452 w[ran e`bdo,mhn. See Abbott, Gr. 75; Acts 2016th.n h`me,ran th/j penthkosth/j) This usage (Blass, Gr. 94) occurs in connection with w[ra in Attic Greek and in the papyri. Moulton, Gr. 63.

(v.) Vocative. There are nearly 60 examples of the nominative with the article used as a vocative in the N.T. It has a double origin; for it was well established both in Greek and in Hebrew. In Greek(1) it carried with it a rough peremptory note, and in the N.T. this note still survives: cf. Mark 925 to. a;lalon kai. kwfo.n pneu/ma: J 193 cai/re o` basileu.j t) VIoudai,wn) In the latter passage there is a note of derision: basileu/ t) VIoudai,wn(2) would have conceded the justice of Christ's claims. In the tender h` pai/j e;geire, Luke 854, Moulton (Gr. 70) finds "a survival of the decisiveness of the older use."

But the Hebrew vocative with the art carries with it a different and often a more dignified note. It can be used in the most respectful form of address to kings, or in a minatory sense {cxl} to inferiors: cf. Is 4218, Joel 12.13. But it is never used in addressing God in the O.T. (except possibly in Neh 15, Dan 94).(3) Yet since the LXX generally renders la and ~yhla in the vocative by o` qeo,j, the solemn use of this vocative appears to have originated with the LXX, being a higher development of the usage already found in Hebrew. Our author appears therefore to have been influenced in this direction by the LXX: cf. 411o` ku,rioj kai. o` qeo.j h`mw/n,(4) 610 o` despo,thj o` a[gioj, 1212 153 165 184.20 195. In contrast with this prevailing usage, we find, however, ku,rie o` qeo,j, 1117 153 167: ku,rie, VIhsou/, 2220.

(vi.) Verbs with different cases or constructions.

(a) avkou,ein) Our author uses this verb with gen. of person, 61.3.5 813 165.7, and acc. of thing, 13 73 916 228.(5) But avkou,ein takes both the gen. and acc. of the thing, as, for instance, with fwnh,) Now in J avk) fwnh/j(6) = to hear so as to obey: cf. 525.28 103.16, while avk) fwnh,n = to hear without further result: cf. 38 537, similarly avkou,ein lo,gon and lo,gwn) See Abbott, Gr. 435 sqq., Johannine Voc. 116 (footnotes). This distinction does not exist in our author, save apparently accidentally. Thus in 320 1112 (aC 025 but not A 046) avk) fwnh/j = "to obey." In 913 104.8 1112 1210 142 (bis) 184 191.6 the phrase avk) fwnh,n does not express obedience to, or regard of, the voice, as in J it would connote. Here the phrase means "to hear intelligently," "to understand." But avk) fwnh/j has exactly the same force in 1413 161 213. Hence our author does not observe either the usage of J nor the well-known one of Acts 97 where avk) fwnh/j = "to hear a sound" (without understanding its meaning), and in 94 2614 avk) fwnh,n = "to hear intelligently."(7)

(b) gra,fesqai) Always gra,fesqai evn tw/| bibli,w| in our author: cf (13) 2012 2127 and especially 138; but in source, graf) evpi. to. bibli,on, 178. This latter construction is found in quite other phrases: 217 evpi. t) yh/fon ) ) ) gegramme,non, 312 1916.

(c) dido,nai) This verb is followed by the partitive gen. (tou/ manna/) in 217; not so elsewhere in N.T.

(d) euvaggeli,zein) In 107 c. acc of person, and in 146 with evpi, c. acc.
     The rest of the N.T. uses the middle of this verb and frequently c. acc. of person. It does not occur in J in any {cxli} form. In Attic this verb takes acc. of thing and dat. of person.

(e) proskunei/n) The cases with this verb are dealth with in vol. i. 211 sq. our author clearly uses proskunei/n with dat. only of the worship of God. When the verb takes the acc. it is homage or inferior worship that is designed. Abbott (Voc. 137) shows that "the Synoptists reserve the acc. for the worship due to God or God's Son," in contrast with the use in the LXX or that of our author. Next (138 sqq.) he discovers in the Samaritan Dialogue in J 4 and in the Temptation narratives in the Synoptics "a deliberate differentiation of the two Greek constructions" [proskunei/n c. dat. occurs in J 421.23a 938, it has not the full meaning of worship which is implied in 423b.24. Hence our author and J again differe here.

(f) periba,llesqai 11 times c. acc.; once c. evn)

(g) fwti,zein) In 2123 c. acc.: in 225 f) evpV auvtou,j. Here there appears to be a Hebraism: see p. cslviii (h) (i).


§ 8. Number

(i.) When several subjects follow a verb and the first is in the sing., the verb is in the sing.: cf. 87 92.17 1118 1210 1820 1920 2011; but if they precede, the verb stands in the pl.: cf. 614 1817 2013 sq.. So also in J: see Abbott, Gr. 307.

(ii. ) (a) The neuter plural is generally followed by the pl. verb: cf. 119 (a[] eivsi,n), 32.4 (a] ouvk evmo,lunan), [45] 514 (ta. te,ssera zw/|a e;legon), 920 (a] ) ) ) du,nantai), 1118 154 1620 (o;rh ) ) ) eu`re,qhsan), 2012 214. The pl. verb may precede the neuter pl.: cf. 49 (dw,sousin ta. zw/|a), 1113 (avpekta,nqhsan ) ) ) ovno,mata) [1614 (eivsi.n ga.r pneu,mata)], 1823 (eplanh,qhsan pa,nta ta. e;qnh), 2124. This constrution can generally be explained kata. su,nesin, the neuter nouns being conceived of as masculine or feminine.

(b) But the sing. verb occasionally follows the neut. pl.: cf. 119 (a] me,llei), 227 [(e;qnh% ) ) ) suntri,betai?], 48 (ta. te,ssera zw/|a ) ) ) e;cwn(8)), 1314 (a] evdo,qh), 1413 (ta. ga.r e;rga ) ) ) avkolouqei/), 1814 (ta. lipara. ) ) ) avpw,leto), 1914 (ta. strateu,mata ) ) ) hvkolou,qei); less often the sing. verb precedes: cf. 83 (evdo,qh ) ) ) qumia,mata), 203.5.7.
(iii.) The plural verb follows certain collective nouns in the sing.: o;cloj polu.j ) ) ) e`stw/tej, 79: o;clou pollou/ ) ) ) lego,ntwn 191.6, but generally in J this noun has the sing. verb except in {cxlii} 624 749 1212. In J 749 1212o;cloj is accompanied by a participle in the sing. (in its collective character) and by the verb in the pl. (as conveying the idea of separate individual action). See Abbott, Gr. 307. lao,j has the pl. verb in 1814 and h/ in 133.4.


§ 9. Gender

(i.) As a rule the concord of gender is observed, but there are many exceptions. The greater number of these can be explained as constructions kata. su,nesin) Thus 47zw|/on e;cwn( 48ta. te,ssera zw/|a ) ) ) le,gontej, 1314 tw/| qhri,w| o]j e;cei, 1711 qhri,on ) ) ) auvto.j o;gdoo,j evstin, 1716 ta. de,ka ke,rata ) ) ) kai. to. qhri,on( ou-toi) In 1512a;xioj (A) to. avrni,on is to be similarly explained, though in 56 141 avrni,on has the part. in the  neuter. Similarly 74 cilia,dej evsfragisme,noi (cf. also 143), 1914ta. strateu,mata evndedume,noi( 56 pneu,mata avpestalme,noi( 513 pa/n kti,sma ) ) ) le,gontaj (a), 95 evdo,qh auvtoi/j (i.e., avkri,dej). With fwnh, there are several such wrong concords: 41 h` fwnh. ) ) ) le,gwn: cf. also 511.12 913.14 1115. In 125 ui`o,n( a;rsen is peculiar.

(ii.) The gender of u[aloj, 2118 is nearly always fem., but our author in making it masc. has the sanction of Theophrastus.
 

NOTES
1. Blass (Gr. 69) quotes Aristophanes, Frogs, 521, o` pai/j avkolou,qei (= "you there, the lad I  mean, follow").
2. Moulton (Gr. 71) observes that Mark's use of this phrase in 1518 "is merely a note of his imperfect sensibility to the more delicate shades of Greek idiom."
3. This usage, however, was well established in Aramaic, which had three different ways of making the noun definite when it was to stand in the vocative. See Kautzsch, Gr. des Biblisch. Aramaischen, p. 148 sq.
4. o` ku,rioj as a vocative is not found except in this passage (Abbott).
5. In 513 we have pa/n kti,sma ) ) ) h;kousa le,gontaj (al. le,gonta), the idea of the thing prevails and not that of the person; hence. the acc.
6. In classical Greek "to hear a sound."
7. In 1. 2. 3. J avkou,ein takes a gen. of the person and an acc. of the thing except in 3 J4 where it is followed by an acc. of the person.
8. But it is better to take e;cwn here as influenced by the e]n kaqV e[n preceding it.
 
 
 
 

Back To CONTENTS

Scanned and edited by Brad Johnson