[b-greek] Re: The translation of the aorist

From: Mark Wilson (emory2oo2@hotmail.com)
Date: Tue Dec 05 2000 - 22:47:01 EST


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Moon cites Carl:

>In recent discussions on Gal 3:12, Carl translated
>hO POIHSAS AUTA in Gal 3:12 as
>the one who gets them performed" to emphasize the completion of the
>action involved.

My question is concerned with "completion of the action" in defining the
Aorist.

I thought that the Aorist avoided such a commitment as this. To me, the
Aorist simply "identifies" an action or event, but does not "assert" that
the action or event has been, or ever will be, complete. Certainly, lexis
may require that a particular action be complete if undertaken, but
"completion" is related to the lexis, not the Aorist.

Would the Aorist in the following denote completion:

I loved him dearly.

I trusted in the Lord.


In other words, I was under the impression that the Aorist denoted an action
or event, but whether or not it was ever complete(d), is unstated by the
Aorist. In fact, I didn't think that the author was even portraying that
action as complete; s/he was simply identifying the particular action or
event in question.

And because it does NOT denote COMPLETION, I thought grammarians had
invented all kinds of Aorists: GNOMIC, CONSTATIVE, CULMINATIVE,
INGRESSIVE...

Need a little help here,

Mark Wilson








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