Explicit vs. circumloquacious self-referentiality

[Stephen Hughes]

Does anybody have thoughts on why there are such different strategies employed at different times to refer to oneself?

On the one hand, there is the uneqivocable "ἐγὼ Παῦλος", used 6 times in his epistles, and the other hand there is the inferential style of ὁ μαθητὴς ὃν ἐφίλει ὁ Ἰησοῦς, used by the Evangelist when speaking of himself.

Relevent verses are:

Αὐτὸς δὲ ἐγὼ Παῦλος παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς διὰ τῆς πρᾳότητος καὶ ἐπιεικείας τοῦ χριστοῦ, ὃς κατὰ πρόσωπον μὲν ταπεινὸς ἐν ὑμῖν, ἀπὼν δὲ θαρρῶ εἰς ὑμᾶς·

Ἴδε, ἐγὼ Παῦλος λέγω ὑμῖν, ὅτι ἐὰν περιτέμνησθε, χριστὸς ὑμᾶς οὐδὲν ὠφελήσει.

Τούτου χάριν ἐγὼ Παῦλος ὁ δέσμιος τοῦ χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν τῶν ἐθνῶν,

[τὸ εὐαγγέλιον] οὗ ἠκούσατε, τοῦ κηρυχθέντος ἐν πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει κτίσει τῇ ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν, οὗ ἐγενόμην ἐγὼ Παῦλος διάκονος.

διὸ ἠθελήσαμεν ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἐγὼ μὲν Παῦλος καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δίς, καὶ ἐνέκοψεν ἡμᾶς ὁ Σατανᾶς.

ἐγὼ Παῦλος ἔγραψα τῇ ἐμῇ χειρί, ἐγὼ ἀποτίσω· ἵνα μὴ λέγω σοι ὅτι καὶ σεαυτόν μοι προσοφείλεις.

Ἦν δὲ ἀνακείμενος εἷς τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, ὃν ἠγάπα ὁ Ἰησοῦς·

Ἰησοῦς οὖν ἰδὼν τὴν μητέρα, καὶ τὸν μαθητὴν παρεστῶτα ὃν ἠγάπα , λέγει τῇ μητρὶ αὐτοῦ, Γύναι, ἰδοὺ ὁ υἱός σου.

Τρέχει οὖν καὶ ἔρχεται πρὸς Σίμωνα Πέτρον καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἄλλον μαθητὴν ὃν ἐφίλει ὁ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς, Ἦραν τὸν κύριον ἐκ τοῦ μνημείου, καὶ οὐκ οἴδαμεν ποῦ ἔθηκαν αὐτόν.

Λέγει οὖν ὁ μαθητὴς ἐκεῖνος ὃν ἠγάπα ὁ Ἰησοῦς τῷ Πέτρῳ, Ὁ κύριός ἐστιν.

Ἐπιστραφεὶς δὲ ὁ Πέτρος βλέπει τὸν μαθητὴν ὃν ἠγάπα ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀκολουθοῦντα, ὃς καὶ ἀνέπεσεν ἐν τῷ δείπνῳ ἐπὶ τὸ στῆθος αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν, Κύριε, τίς ἐστιν ὁ παραδιδούς σε;

[Stephen Hughes]

Λέγει οὖν ὁ μαθητὴς ἐκεῖνος ὃν ἠγάπα ὁ Ἰησοῦς τῷ Πέτρῳ, Ὁ κύριός ἐστιν.

Could the use of "ἐκεῖνος" here be more semantic than syntactic?

Using the ἐκεῖ as either a marker of distance from the speaker, so either distain, or from a visual/ perspective point of view, the person would appear to be of smaller stature. When used in syntax, the meaning might only be demonstrative, but in this case (and in Matthew 27:63 ἐκεῖνος ὁ πλάνος), the meaning seems more connative than grammatical. If that is the case, the circumloqacious self-referentiality may be being accompanied by a form of self-deprecation or modesty - the one out of the lime-light, "that unimportant man who was loved by Jesus". It may also refer to a person who is respectfully (as opposed to disrespectfully) removed from the present company.

Just to point out how that thinking differs from BDAG (esp. a. γ.), let me say that BDAG is compiled on the exclusive basis that ἐκεῖνος is a relative pronoun (in all cases). Referring in a.γ, as they say, to unmentioned, but the well-known or notorious - it is a relative pronoun of what was not just mentioned. I am suggesting that the distance value of ἐκεῖνος (a lexical meaning) is sometimes used exclusively, in cases where the demonstrative (a syntactic value) is not employed. Without a syntactic role, if it needed a label, ἐκεῖνος would be an adjective.

[Stephen Hughes]

Those uses of explicit self referentiality appear to be accompanyinv performative verbs - statements about what one is doing. A performative verb draws close attention to the one, who is doing it.

Αὐτὸς δὲ ἐγὼ Παῦλος παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς διὰ τῆς πρᾳότητος καὶ ἐπιεικείας τοῦ χριστοῦ, ὃς κατὰ πρόσωπον μὲν ταπεινὸς ἐν ὑμῖν, ἀπὼν δὲ θαρρῶ εἰς ὑμᾶς·

[See, look at me, I'm imploring you.]

Ἴδε, ἐγὼ Παῦλος λέγω ὑμῖν, ὅτι ἐὰν περιτέμνησθε, χριστὸς ὑμᾶς οὐδὲν ὠφελήσει.

[See, look at me, I'm saying this to you]

Τούτου χάριν ἐγὼ Παῦλος ὁ δέσμιος τοῦ χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν τῶν ἐθνῶν,

And let me add verse verse 13 to that

... αἰτοῦμαι μὴ ἐκκακεῖν ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσίν μου ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, ἥτις ἐστὶν δόξα ὑμῶν.

[See look at me, I'm asking you to do me this indebted favour for me]

[τὸ εὐαγγέλιον] οὗ ἠκούσατε, τοῦ κηρυχθέντος ἐν πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει κτίσει τῇ ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν, οὗ ἐγενόμην ἐγὼ Παῦλος διάκονος.

***Still thinking about this one***

διὸ ἠθελήσαμεν ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἐγὼ μὲν Παῦλος καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δίς, καὶ ἐνέκοψεν ἡμᾶς ὁ Σατανᾶς.

[See, look at me, I (we) HAVE been wanting to...]

ἐγὼ Παῦλος ἔγραψα τῇ ἐμῇ χειρί, ἐγὼ ἀποτίσω· ἵνα μὴ λέγω σοι ὅτι καὶ σεαυτόν μοι προσοφείλεις.

[See look at me, I am writing this]