Syntax of Mark 2:2

From: Hultberg, Alan (alan_hultberg@peter.biola.edu)
Date: Wed Apr 14 1999 - 10:58:08 EDT


Thanks for the responses. Sorry, I don't think I was clear enough with my
question. I wrote...

>>Mark 2:2 contains the (compound?) result clause [many had gathered together]
hWSTE MHKETI CWREIN MHDE TA PROS THN QURAN. The two alternatives to
understanding this seem to be 1) to take hWSTE MHKETI CWREIN as the primary
result ("so that [the house could] no longer contain [them]") and MHDE TA PROS
THN QURAN as an amplification of that primary result ("not even at the door")
or 2) to take MHDE TA PROS THN QURAN as the accusative "subject" of CWREIN
("so that not even the area around the door [could] contain [them] any
longer").

A couple questions: Which alternative is better? Why an accusative *plural*
article (TA)?

On the first question Mark 3:20 may be instructive ([the crowd came together
again], hWSTE MH DUNASQAI AUTOUS MHDE ARTON FAGEIN); it seems to argue for the
[second] alternative.

Any suggestions?<<

Many responses explained the article governing a prepositional phrase (or an
elided nominal). That wasn't quite my second question. Granted that a
nominal is elided, what could it have been? If "courtyard" or some such, why
a *plural* article? Would it have been something very generic like "areas" or
"places"? Still, why plural? Nothing of deep import here, just wondering.

The more significant question is whether the accusative phrase TA PROS THN
QURAN is an expansion of hWSTE MHKETI CWREIN signalled by MHDE (i.e., MHDE
functioning conjunctively--which is what all respondents opted for) or whether
MHDE TA PROS THN QURAN is the subject of CWREIN (which is what Cranfield
argues).
In Mk 3:20, MHDE does not introduce an expanded result (unless "to do
anything" is the implied comnplement of DUNASQAI) but functions adverbially
within the one result clause. It is not entirely analogous to Mk 2:2,
however, in that the phrase with MHDE obviously cannot function as the subject
of DUNASQAI but is rather its "object."
I would tend toward taking MH[KETI] ... MHDE as marking two clauses, but could
Cranfield be right? Does Mk 3:20 support one or the other of the two possible
readings?

Thanks,

Alan

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