[b-greek] But what about prepositions

From: virgilsalvage1 (virgilsalvage1@msn.com)
Date: Tue May 22 2001 - 04:43:24 EDT


Clayton,

   Sometimes it's difficult for me to understand the terms you use and the
order in
which you place them. That is my lack I must say. However, I state this just
in case my response doesn't fit in with what you have stated.



At the end of your post you said....

  " The Genitive case has a very broad range of use
and for that reason I conclude that it makes very little semantic
contribution to its context."

    I would like to posit that the genitive case speaks from a specific
perspective that relates to the reader something that has occurred, some
reality that has come to be in the noun that is in the genitive case. This
then results in a narrow range of use, in that this noun in the genitive
case then by transferal gives to the nearby substantive that very
distinction. To clarify, I am speaking about the realities represented by
these words, not, of course the words themselves. This then, gives to the
substantive nearby and then by course gives to the context much meaning.

    If (and it's true) that the genitive case gives specification (not
limitation), it must be the Greek language's signal that can be used to
indicate from the writer to the reader, that there is some relationship
between the genitive noun and the nearby substantive based on some type of "
reality. "

    For example:
Luke 9:7b....Luke by using the genitive case absolutely allows us to see how
convinced some were that John the Baptist had risen from the dead. Luke
writes, " DIA TO LEGESQAI hUPO TINWN hOTI IWANNHS EGHGERTAI " EK NEKRWN "

   Now what the last three words say and mean literally is....( well they
believed the following) that John had absolutely gone through the process,
it had become completed and final in it's result and that it was something
that had happened to John. (perfect indicative passive) That's what some
believed. The genitive EK NEKRWN shows and assigns what they believed was
the kind of raising..EGHGERTAI. This is the narrow range of the genitive. It
tells what kind. However, the meaning it indicates is much more substantial.
If...it is a " raising out from the dead kind " this would indicate
something had to happen there in death to and in John and then join in and
partner with EGHGERTAI , resulting in the raising being an "out from that
which is characterized by dead ones and something actually happened there
"kind of raising"

   Now this didn't happen, but Luke using the genitive case indicates to us
that " these some " actually believed it was this "kind" of raising. The
genitive case is a load carrying case, capable of carrying much more weight
and content than the accusative case. It only has to extend. Or the dative
case...it speaks of something being personified, representing if you will.
While the genitive case out of necessity of assigning "kind" must be
speaking of some "reality" that has occurred, or in the above presented
example....thought to and was persuaded as having occurred.

    Another aspect of the narrow range of use of the genitive case is that
the genitive case can indicate the relationship that the nearby substantive
has had with it over a long enough time that it (the substantive) has now
literally taken on and become characterized by what is represented by the
word-noun that is in the genitive case. Luke 9:11b...THS BASILEIAS TOU QEOU.
Over so many hundreds and thousands of years that God had been exercising
kingdom type matters and the principle of kingdom type matters had been
having exchange with God Himself there occurred at a point in time that
there literally was "genitive case" THS BASILEIAS TOU QEOU. Narrow range,
yes, but an explosion of meaning to the context. The context does not define
the genitive case. The genitive case defines the nearby substantive and
pours meaning into the context.


 Virgil Newkirk
 Salt Lake City, Utah 84115




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