I am a research student at London School of Theology working on Christian initiation in Luke-Acts. I would like to ask about how best to understand δίδοται in Acts 8:18. Can it be translated as "is given"? Bernard Comrie (Tense, 115) gives the sentence, "John said he is ill", vs. "John said he was ill", as an example of where the normal English sequence of tenses is not followed because the illness continues into the present from the perspective of the speaker. I can add the examples:
1)"Yesterday our boss finally recognized the company is in danger." Again, the present tense is used to denote the danger is present from the perspective of the speaker.
2)"Judah, having seen that the Romans are superior, surrendered." From the perspective of the narrator, the Romans are superior and Judah has recognized this present fact.
I have noted that this is a ὅτι clause and therefore does not directly describe, but rather represents the thoughts/perceptions of Simon.
I also understand the Koine does not have tense sequence. But, as in the above examples, would it allow for the possibility of Simon recognizing a principle presently real to the narrator, that the Spirit "is given" in a certain way? Is there ambiguity here? Or must δίδοται take its temporal reference from the main verb, ἰδὼν, and be translated as "was given"? Is temporal deixis grammaticallized, or is it based on context?
ἰδὼν δὲ ὁ Σίμων ὅτι διὰ τῆς ἐπιθέσεως τῶν χειρῶν τῶν ἀποστόλων δίδοται τὸ πνεῦμα, προσήνεγκεν αὐτοῖς χρήματα (Act 8:18)
Any insight anyone might have would be greatly appreciated!
David
