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Why is the parsing code for ζῇ v.pai.3s

Posted: May 3rd, 2013, 9:12 pm
by GlennDean
Hi:

In Romans 6:10 we see ὃ δὲ ζῇ, ζῇ τῷ θεῷ, with ζῇ having parsing code "verb, present active indicative, 3s (v.pai.3s)".

But I would of thought the v.pai.3s of ζάω would be: ζα + ε + ι ==> ζᾳ (because α + ε contracts to α).

Glenn

Re: Why is the parsing code for ζῇ v.pai.3s

Posted: May 4th, 2013, 2:00 am
by Stephen Carlson
ζῶ isn't really an alpha-contract verb. This highly irregular verb sometimes has the stem ζω- and sometimes the stem ζη-. Its forms really have to be memorized separately. The lexical form *ζάω is an artificial creation of the grammarians, perhaps to explain why one sometimes sees eta and sometimes omega in the stems, but even here the contraction principles of ordinary alpha-contract verbs don't explain the forms..

Re: Why is the parsing code for ζῇ v.pai.3s

Posted: May 4th, 2013, 9:37 am
by GlennDean
Thanxs for the info Stephen! I'll make a note of it in Mounce's book (the textbook seems to indicate the root is *ζα, and that the present stem is also *ζα),

Glenn

Re: Why is the parsing code for ζῇ v.pai.3s

Posted: May 4th, 2013, 4:21 pm
by Louis L Sorenson
Funk, A Beginning-Intermediate Grammar of Hellenistic Greek §3691.
Contract verbs in -ήω. Of the contract verbs with long final vowel in classical Greek, e.g. ζήω, live, only two have resisted complete assimilation to verbs in -άω. The present indicative active of ζήω (ζάω) is: ζῶ, ζῇς, ζῇ, ζῶμεν, ζῆτε, ζῶσι(ν). In the present indicative middle-passive χρήομαι has apparently been assimilated to verbs in -άω: χρῶμαι, χρᾶσαι, χρᾶται, χρώμεϑα, χρᾶσϑε, χρῶνται (cf. ἀγαπῶμαι, §368).

§4031.
There are two contract verbs with possible long final vowel in the imperfect, as in the present (§3691): = ζήω, χρήομαι. The imperfect of ζήω, live, is apparently ἔζων, ἔζης, ἔζη, ἐζῶμεν, ἐζῆτε, ἔζων. Only 1. sg. and 2. pl. are attested in the New Testament. There is no middle-passive. The imperfect of χρήομαι, use, is apparently ἐχρώμην, ἐχρῶ, ἐχρᾶτο, ἐχρώμεϑα, ἐχρᾶσϑε, ἐχρῶντο, in which case the form-set has been assimilated to that of verbs in -άω (the paradigm
was somewhat different in classical Greek). Only the 3. pl. is attested in the New Testament. Bauer enters the two verbs as [ζάω] and χράομαι.

Re: Why is the parsing code for ζῇ v.pai.3s

Posted: May 4th, 2013, 6:54 pm
by GlennDean
Thanxs Louis for the info!

I really like the fact that Funk lists all the 6 inflected forms for the tense (Mounce has a few examples with all 6 forms, but I would rather see all 6),

Glenn

Re: Why is the parsing code for ζῇ v.pai.3s

Posted: May 4th, 2013, 10:50 pm
by Louis L Sorenson
You will be happy to hear that Funk's grammar will be available as a print book in about one month. Carl Conrad and I have been proofreading the Greek, and others, the rest of the grammar. . Here is part of an e-mail from Char Matejovski, Robert Funk's wife, who is leading the republication of the grammar:
We anticipate going to press in about two weeks, just after you've finished this pass through the proofs. We should have books within a month of that date.
This is great news, and a great gift to students of NT Greek. Funk's book, "A Beginning-Intermediate Grammar of Hellenistic Greek" is the best Hellenistic Greek primer (a beginning/intermediate grammar) ever produced. It is based on an inductive reading of passages. Funk's BIGHG has been out of print for about 40 years. Funk had also translated and brought into English the book "Grammatik des neutestamentlichen Griechisch", originally published in 1896, by Blass. The translation/upgrade of Blass' work by Funk is still the most advanced definitive grammar of Biblical Greek: Blass' grammar focused on the difference of Biblical (Hellenistic Greek) from Attic Greek. Funk's English translation of Blass' grammar is titled "A Grammar of the Greek New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature." It is a translation and revision of the ninth-tenth German edition and incorporates the supplementary notes of A. Debrunner.

The point I'm trying to make is that the BDF grammar is the most advanced Koine grammar in respect to the change of the Attic (standard ancient Greek texts) to Hellenistic (Koine). Funk, in the 1970's was one of the mover-shakers in this arena. Nowadays, we, as a community, really ask to ask ourselves who would be the best scholar(s) today to rewrite BDF. There was a project in the 1990's, which proposed to rewrite BDF, or make a new Hellenistic grammar. (I would love to see a Hellenistic Greek grammar having the format and detail of Smyth's 'A Greek Grammar", which is the standard English school/college grammar of ancient Greek.

Modern linguistics has changed the study of ancient Greek. Funk was part of that paradigmatic change; Today, Funk would not be using the same linguistic jargon were he alive. His Hellenistic grammar focuses on the sentence;. Nowadays, (40 years later), we are focused on the paragraph, and 'Discourse Analysis' is the latest rage. So we need to be thankful, and build on his understanding and contributions. And I recommend anyone who is really interested in the best Koine Grammar, to purchase the rewrite of Funk's BIGHG from Polebridge Press. Details will be available soon.