[B-Greek] Matt 16:18 EPI + dative?

newsgroupstuff newsgroupstuff at gmail.com
Tue Jun 17 08:00:45 EDT 2008


> No, I don't think you've quite got it right (This reminds me 
> of almost- 
> forgotten classroom challenges requiring the back-and-forth of  
> conversation to narrow things down more precisely):
> 
> EPI could perhaps be diagrammatically represented with a caret  
> pointing downward to or resting upon a line: _⋁_ . This is 2- 
> dimensional but should be conceived as 3-dimensional: the line  
> represents a surface, the downward pointing apex indicates a spot on  
> that surface.
> 
> EPI means "on," "upon," "onto," -- sometimes "on the basis of."
> 
> With the (locative) dative EPI indicates a position atop a spatial  
> surface without any motion involved. That's what we have with EPI  
> TAUTHi THi PETRAi in Mt 16:18. If the question (theoretically) is  
> "Where am I going to construct my church/assembly-gathering place?"  
> then the answer is "Right here: on this rock."
> 
> With the accusative of end-of-motion (or "terminal-of-action") EPI  
> means "onto" or "coming down upon" or "weighing down upon." That's  
> what we have in the expressions in the parable of the house built on  
> rock/sand in Mt 7:24-26 WiKODOMHSEN ... OIKIAN EPI THN PETRAN;  
> TEQEMELIWTO ... EPI THN
> PETRAN; WiKODOMHSEN ... OIKIAN EPI THN AMMON. If the theoretical  
> question is "upon what foundation was the house put down," then the  
> answer is "upon rock" or "upon sand."
> 
> Carl W. Conrad
> Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
> 

Okay, I think I have it now (hopefully!). Those explanations are really good. It is the difference between where it is located (dative) vs upon what will it be placed (accusative). That makes much more sense to me as I think about datives and accusatives. The 'how' thing I mentioned previously does seem a pretty strange explanation for me to come up with now that you point it out more clearly!

Thanks,

--
Craig Johnson
Brisbane, Australia
Blog: http://bloggledegook.blogspot.com/ 




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