FWIW, what I wrote expressed my thinking after looking at the constructions, both involving an ἅν following the optative, as is quite ordinary with a potential optative and an inexplicable δι(ὰ) without an object that had to be a misprint of some sort.Stirling Bartholomew wrote:Carl,cwconrad wrote: The question is what a διὰ is doing with it, where there's no noun on hand in any of the cases with which this preposition construes.
When the question came up, it seemed to me that particle ἂν following a preposition was inherently improbable. ἂν follows conjunctions and other particles. I haven't found any examples of ἂν following a word that functions as a preposition. Is that even possible?
δι' ἂν in Cyril of Alex.
Re: δι' ἂν in Cyril of Alex.
οὔτοι ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς πάντα θεοὶ θνητοῖς ὑπέδειξαν,
ἀλλὰ χρόνῳ ζητέοντες ἐφευρίσκουσιν ἄμεινον. (Xenophanes, Fragment 16)
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
ἀλλὰ χρόνῳ ζητέοντες ἐφευρίσκουσιν ἄμεινον. (Xenophanes, Fragment 16)
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
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Re: δι' ἂν in Cyril of Alex.
An implausible reconstruction would be to add a μα in front. (οὐ) μὰ Δί' would be inconsistent with the general tenor of the authour.cwconrad wrote: an inexplicable δι(ὰ) without an object that had to be a misprint of some sort.
Γελᾷ δ' ὁ μωρός, κἄν τι μὴ γέλοιον ᾖ
(Menander, Γνῶμαι μονόστιχοι 108)
(Menander, Γνῶμαι μονόστιχοι 108)