οὔπω ἔχετε πίστιν; in Mark 4.40
Posted: November 24th, 2017, 12:19 pm
In the stilling of the storm account in Mark 4.35-41, the disciples wake Jesus, he calms the storm, and then says to them: Τί δειλοί ἐστε; οὔπω ἔχετε πίστιν;
This is usually translated as something like: Why are you cowards? Are you still not having faith?
There are some text critical issues with Jesus' words, but I want to focus on the second phrase.
- Most (all?) English translations take it as a question, but it could nicely be rendered as a statement: "You are still not having faith."
- If taken as a question, however, I'm wondering about the use of οὔπω (and, in contrast, not μηπω). In a question, wouldn't this imply a positive answer? Hence, I'm thinking "Are you still not having faith?" doesn't quite capture the Greek. Wouldn't "You are still having faith, aren't you?" would be preferred.
It's not a major issue, but note the distinctions between these English options:
1) "You are still not having faith."
2) "Are you still not having faith?"
3) "You are still having faith, aren't you?"
My question: If the sentence is taken as a question, and with the use of οὔπω, is it correct to think that #3 is the best option?
Thanks!
This is usually translated as something like: Why are you cowards? Are you still not having faith?
There are some text critical issues with Jesus' words, but I want to focus on the second phrase.
- Most (all?) English translations take it as a question, but it could nicely be rendered as a statement: "You are still not having faith."
- If taken as a question, however, I'm wondering about the use of οὔπω (and, in contrast, not μηπω). In a question, wouldn't this imply a positive answer? Hence, I'm thinking "Are you still not having faith?" doesn't quite capture the Greek. Wouldn't "You are still having faith, aren't you?" would be preferred.
It's not a major issue, but note the distinctions between these English options:
1) "You are still not having faith."
2) "Are you still not having faith?"
3) "You are still having faith, aren't you?"
My question: If the sentence is taken as a question, and with the use of οὔπω, is it correct to think that #3 is the best option?
Thanks!