Relative pronouns as sentence separators

Biblical Greek morphology and syntax, aspect, linguistics, discourse analysis, and related topics
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Matthew Longhorn
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Relative pronouns as sentence separators

Post by Matthew Longhorn »

I am reading Starwalt’s discourse analysis on 1 Peter.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Discourse-Ana ... 428&sr=8-1

On page 29-30 he indicates that du Toit in Neot 8 (1974):64 sees 1:3-12 as 5 sentences.
“… A. B. du Toit gives a semantic argument for seeing the use of the relative pronoun as signalling another sentence(or colon as he terms it). He argues that the relative pronoun, especially the preposition plus a relative, carries sufficient semantic weight to be considered a separate unit, and thus, the relative sentences in this section should be considered as separate sentences. He further argues that the relatives could be replaced by the third person personal pronoun without changing their meaning. For example (ἐν ᾧ) could be substituted for in this (ἐν αὐτῷ) in v.6: in this (namely the provision of salvation described in vv. 3-5) you rejoice although for a little while being grieved by various trials is necessary. His semantic argument explains why the Greek text is punctuated as it is…”
1 Peter 1:3–12 (UBS5): Εὐλογητὸς ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ὁ κατὰ τὸ πολὺ αὐτοῦ ἔλεος ἀναγεννήσας ἡμᾶς εἰς ἐλπίδα ζῶσαν διʼ ἀναστάσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκ νεκρῶν 4 εἰς κληρονομίαν ἄφθαρτον καὶ ἀμίαντον καὶ ἀμάραντον τετηρημένην ἐν οὐρανοῖς εἰς ὑμᾶς 5 τοὺς ἐν δυνάμει θεοῦ φρουρουμένους διὰ πίστεως εἰς σωτηρίαν ἑτοίμην ἀποκαλυφθῆναι ἐν καιρῷ ἐσχάτῳ 6 ἐν ᾧ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε ὀλίγον ἄρτι, εἰ δέον ἐστὶν, λυπηθέντας ἐν ποικίλοις πειρασμοῖς, 7 ἵνα τὸ δοκίμιον ὑμῶν τῆς πίστεως πολυτιμότερον χρυσίου τοῦ ἀπολλυμένου, διὰ πυρὸς δὲ δοκιμαζομένου εὑρεθῇ εἰς ἔπαινον καὶ δόξαν καὶ τιμὴν ἐν ἀποκαλύψει Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ 8 ὃν οὐκ ἰδόντες1 ἀγαπᾶτε, εἰς ὃν ἄρτι μὴ ὁρῶντες, πιστεύοντες δὲ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε χαρᾷ ἀνεκλαλήτῳ καὶ δεδοξασμένῃ 9 κομιζόμενοι τὸ τέλος τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν2 σωτηρίαν ψυχῶν.
10 Περὶ ἧς σωτηρίας ἐξεζήτησαν καὶ ἐξηραύνησαν προφῆται οἱ περὶ τῆς εἰς ὑμᾶς χάριτος προφητεύσαντες 11 ἐραυνῶντες εἰς τίνα ἢ ποῖον καιρὸν ἐδήλου τὸ ἐν αὐτοῖς πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ προμαρτυρόμενον τὰ εἰς Χριστὸν παθήματα καὶ τὰς μετὰ ταῦτα δόξας. 12 οἷς ἀπεκαλύφθη ὅτι οὐχ ἑαυτοῖς, ὑμῖν δὲ διηκόνουν αὐτά ἃ νῦν ἀνηγγέλη ὑμῖν διὰ τῶν εὐαγγελισαμένων ὑμᾶς ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ ἀποσταλέντι ἀπʼ οὐρανοῦ, εἰς ἃ ἐπιθυμοῦσιν ἄγγελοι παρακύψαι.

I noticed that THGNT also seems to punctuate before the relative pronouns
3 Εὐλογητὸς ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ, ὁ κατὰ τὸ πολὺ αὐτοῦ ἔλεος ἀναγεννήσας ἡμᾶς εἰς ἐλπίδα ζῶσαν δι᾽ ἀναστάσεως Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ ἐκ νεκρῶν, 4 εἰς κληρονομίαν ἄφθαρτον καὶ ἀμίαντον καὶ ἀμάραντον τετηρημένην ἐν οὐρανοῖς εἰς ὑμᾶς, 5 τοὺς ἐν δυνάμει θεοῦ φρουρουμένους διὰ πίστεως εἰς σωτηρίαν ἑτοίμην ἀποκαλυφθῆναι ἐν καιρῷ ἐσχάτῳ· 6 ἐν ᾧ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε ὀλίγον ἄρτι, εἰ δέον *ἐστίν, λυπηθέντες ἐν ποικίλοις πειρασμοῖς 7 ἵνα τὸ δοκίμιον ὑμῶν τῆς πίστεως πολυτιμότερον χρυσίου τοῦ ἀπολλυμένου διὰ πυρὸς δὲ δοκιμαζομένου εὑρεθῇ εἰς ἔπαινον καὶ δόξαν καὶ τιμὴν ἐν ἀποκαλύψει Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ· 8 ὃν οὐκ *ἰδόντες ἀγαπᾶτε, εἰς ὃν ἄρτι μὴ ὁρῶντες πιστεύοντες δὲ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε χαρᾷ ἀνεκλαλήτῳ καὶ δεδοξασμένῃ, 9 κομιζόμενοι τὸ τέλος τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν, σωτηρίαν ψυχῶν· 10 περὶ ἧς σωτηρίας ἐξεζήτησαν καὶ ἐξηραύνησαν προφῆται οἱ περὶ τῆς εἰς ὑμᾶς χάριτος προφητεύσαντες, 11 ἐραυνῶντες εἰς τίνα ἢ ποῖον καιρὸν ἐδήλου τὸ ἐν αὐτοῖς πνεῦμα χριστοῦ προμαρτυρόμενον τὰ εἰς χριστὸν παθήματα καὶ τὰς μετὰ ταῦτα δόξας· 12 οἷς ἀπεκαλύφθη ὅτι οὐχ ἑαυτοῖς ὑμῖν δὲ διηκόνουν αὐτά, ἃ νῦν ἀνηγγέλη ὑμῖν διὰ τῶν εὐαγγελισαμένων ὑμᾶς πνεύματι ἁγίῳ ἀποσταλέντι ἀπ᾽ οὐρανοῦ, εἰς ἃ ἐπιθυμοῦσιν ἄγγελοι παρακύψαι.
What are your thoughts on this view of the relative functioning as a type of colon?
serunge
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Re: Relative pronouns as sentence separators

Post by serunge »

It may well be a separate clause, but the primary function of relative clauses in such cases is to connote a dependency relationship wrt what precedes compared to the use of a coordinating conjunction. This has the effect of taking what might have been several co-equal coordinate clauses, and subordinating some of them into one complex clause with v. 3a as the main one. I discuss this more in my article on non-narrative grounding in the Greek Verb Revisited.

On this view, vv. 1-12 serve as the logical grounds for the exhortations that begin in v. 13. The punctuation is more a consequence of the larger paragraphing than the complex clause. REL=Relative clause, ELAB=Elaborating (post-verbal adverbial) participle, Exh= exhortation
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We see the same kinds of dependency relationships created in Paul's thanksgivings at the beginning of his epistles, and in support of exhortations by introducing the Christ hymn Phil 2:6 as a relative clause complex. So how you punctuate it and how you analyze the discourse are separate issues IMO.
Steve Runge
Matthew Longhorn
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Re: Relative pronouns as sentence separators

Post by Matthew Longhorn »

Thanks for the response Dr Runge.
Agreed that the punctuation and the analysis of the discourse is different - I haven’t managed to read the rest of Starwalt’s analysis of this section of the text so I will keep your comments in mind as I do.
Thanks for the pointer back to your chapter as well.
Stephen Carlson
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Re: Relative pronouns as sentence separators

Post by Stephen Carlson »

It's common enough in good Latin prose.
Stephen C. Carlson, Ph.D.
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Matthew Longhorn
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Re: Relative pronouns as sentence separators

Post by Matthew Longhorn »

Stephen Carlson wrote: July 14th, 2021, 8:54 pm It's common enough in good Latin prose.
Interesting, do you know if Greek and Latin influenced each other in any ways (not necessarily just in this)?
Stephen Carlson
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Re: Relative pronouns as sentence separators

Post by Stephen Carlson »

Drinka thinks that the modern Greek perfect (a periphrastic construction) was influenced by the Latin. In any case, areal influence on unrelated languages is common throughout the world even if the causal mechanism cannot be shown.
Stephen C. Carlson, Ph.D.
Melbourne, Australia
Matthew Longhorn
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Re: Relative pronouns as sentence separators

Post by Matthew Longhorn »

Thanks
I just remembered this paper by Papedemetriou from BAGL, as well. I read it a while back but seem to have retained none of it!

On the Use of the Conjunction ινα in Hellenistic Koine and in the Language of the New Testament: A Possible Latin Influence
http://bagl.org/files/volume9/BAGL_9-3_ ... etriou.pdf
Abstract: The use of ἵνα in Hellenistic Koine and in the New
Testament texts has been sufficiently investigated and its linguistic
development from Classical Greek to Modern Greek has been
outlined. This paper intends to contribute to this discussion, drawing
attention to the syntax of the substantive clauses in Latin introduced
with the conjunction ut, and suggesting a similar syntax of ἵνα
employed as a novel volitional expression in Hellenistic Koine.
Concretely, while the prevailing view is that there is an independent
parallel development, the present paper aims to reinforce the view
that there is a Latin influence in this particular case. The sociolinguistic factors of bilingualism and language interference are
highlighted, and for the first time, as far as we know, the Latin
translation practice practiced widely in the Roman Empire is
suggested as an argument to support this view. (Article)
Daniel Semler
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Re: Relative pronouns as sentence separators

Post by Daniel Semler »

I read this by Dickey on the systems of address recently https://www.academia.edu/8113272/The_Gr ... n_CQ_2004_

which is interesting in respect of Latin influence on Greek.

Thx
D
Matthew Longhorn
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Re: Relative pronouns as sentence separators

Post by Matthew Longhorn »

Nice, thanks Daniel, I will download that later.
I have Sihler’s Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin which I may have to get to at some point. For some unknown reason I thought it may be an interesting read


https://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Comparati ... 709&sr=8-2
Stephen Carlson
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Re: Relative pronouns as sentence separators

Post by Stephen Carlson »

Sihler is interesting if you’re into Proto-Indo-European.
Stephen C. Carlson, Ph.D.
Melbourne, Australia
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