Re: ARNEOMAI and the double accusative

From: Christopher Hutson (crhutson@salisbury.net)
Date: Fri Dec 18 1998 - 15:39:35 EST


Charles expanded a bit on his previous question:

>It has been argued that since the previous verse has rewards in view
that
>what is denied the believer in 1 Tim 2:12 is rewards. Thus, the
understanding
>of the verse is "if we deny Him, He will deny us [rewards]. I'm
trying to
>determine if the use of ARNEOMAI with the accusative of person alone
is
>restricted to a denial of relationship or some type of personal
denial rather
>than denying someone something.

Our word "deny" (ARNEOMAI) is often the opposit of "confess"
(hOMOLOGEW), as in Mt 10:32-33; 1 John 2:22-23. Since ARNEOMAI is
regularly used with an infinitive or with a hOTI clause (1 John 2:22)
to express some idea that one "denies," I would take that to be the
inference here. Thus, "if we deny" implies, as far as I can see,
failure to make some confession such as "Jesus is Lord" or "Jesus is
Messiah" or some such. The counterpoint, "he will deny us" then would
imply that he will deny that he knows us or that we belong to him.

Of course, the very next line seems to use ARNEISQAI in a different
sense, "he cannot deny himself," which BAGD would render "be untrue to
himself." But I have no trouble with reading the word ARNEISQAI with
two slightly different nuances in two successive lines of poetry. It
seems to me that it is precisely the nature of poetry to play around
with word usage in just this way.

Now as a matter of interpretation, your idea about "rewards" is for
all practical purposes the same as my idea that "he will deny [that he
knows] us." Either way, the poem is oriented toward the eschaton.
But grammatically, if we were to unpack the poetry into simple prose,
I would not expect to see a double accusative here. I would expect to
see an infinitive clause or a hOTI clause.

Does that work for you, Clayton? Charles, if I still have not
understood your question, please ask it again.

XPIC

------------------------------------
Christopher R. Hutson
          Hood Theological Seminary
          Salisbury, NC 28144
crhutson@salisbury.net
------------------------------------

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