[B-Greek] 1Jn 5:15 - EAN + OIDAMEN

Elizabeth Kline kline_dekooning at earthlink.net
Mon Jun 30 16:41:48 EDT 2008


On Jun 30, 2008, at 8:05 AM, Carl Conrad wrote:

> Others may think differently about this, but I don't think there's
> anything involved here other than a Koine weakening of a distinction
> that was sharp(er) in the older language. We really ought to take
> seriously the proposition that Koine Greek is a language in flux; I
> know I've said this before, but perhaps it bears repeating: the notion
> that we should understand Koine Greek usage synchronically can be
> valid ONLY if we concede that EAN, although ordinarily used with a
> subjunctive, nevertheless quite frequently is used with an indicative.


1JOHN 5:13 TAUTA EGRAYA hUMIN hINA EIDHTE hOTI ZWHN ECETE AIWNION,  
TOIS PISTEUOUSIN EIS TO ONOMA TOU hUIOU TOU QEOU.  14 KAI hAUTH ESTIN  
hH PARRHSIA hHN ECOMEN PROS AUTON hOTI EAN TI AITWMEQA KATA TO QELHMA  
AUTOU AKOUEI hHMWN.  15 KAI EAN OIDAMEN hOTI AKOUEI hHMWN hO EAN  
AITWMEQA, OIDAMEN hOTI ECOMEN TA AITHMATA hA HiTHKAMEN AP AUTOU.  16  
EAN TIS IDHi TON ADELFON AUTOU hAMARTANONTA hAMARTIAN MH PROS QANATON,  
AITHSEI KAI DWSEI AUTWi ZWHN, TOIS hAMARTANOUSIN MH PROS QANATON.  
ESTIN hAMARTIA PROS QANATON: OU PERI EKEINHS LEGW hINA ERWTHSHi.


Assuming that in Koine the distinction between EI and EAN has  
retreated somewhat (but see Porter Idioms 1994 p256) we still need to  
decide what to do with  EAN OIDAMEN in 1JOHN 5:15. Should we read it  
as equivalent to EI OIDAMEN? Porter, Culy and R.Young appear to base  
the semantic notion of "projection" in conditionals on the subjunctive  
(or non-indicative) verb forms. On the other hand Culy (1,2,3 John  
2005 p134) classifies EAN OIDAMEN in 1JOHN 5:15 semantically as  
"projection", in other words Culy is taking EAN here to have its  
normal significance, not equivalent to EI, and treating the indicative  
OIDAMEN as if it were a subjunctive. This is an over simplification of  
Culy's remarks, never the less we still need to decide if this is a so  
called "first class" or as Culy reads it a "third class" conditional.


Elizabeth Kline







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