[B-Greek] hOTI in 1 Cor 15:50

Iver Larsen iver_larsen at sil.org
Mon Nov 30 01:20:29 EST 2009


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Elizabeth Kline" <kline_dekooning at earthlink.net>
To: "Iver Larsen" <iver_larsen at sil.org>
Cc: "greek B-Greek" <b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: 29. november 2009 22:57
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] hOTI in 1 Cor 15:50



On Nov 28, 2009, at 12:49 AM, Iver Larsen wrote:

> 1 Cor 15:50: Τοῦτο δέ φημι, ἀδελφοί, ὅτι  σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα βασιλείαν θεοῦ
> κληρονομῆσαι οὐ δύναται
> TOUTO DE FHMI, ADELFOI, hOTI SARX KAI hAIMA BASILEIAN QEOU  KLHRONOMHSAI OU
> DUNATAI
> Now, I am saying what I have just said, my brothers, because flesh  and blood
> cannot get access to God's Kingdom (Heaven).
>
> Most translations take the hOTI here as "that", but it is better to  take it
> as
> "because". The context is not decisive, but the pattern of the usage  of FHMI
> strongly suggests that hOTI here means "because".

There are several issues here. Do we read TOUTO as anaphoric or
cataphoric, is hOTI a marker of "speech" (i.e. presentational)  or a
logical connector (i.e. grounds). The TOUTO question is somewhat
independent of the hOTI question. Johann Christian Konrad von Hoffman
(cited in H.A.W Meyer 1Cor, American Edition) read TOUTO as anaphoric
and hOTI as logical (grounds). Meyer states this was also Theodore
Beza's reading.
.
1Cor. 7:29 Τοῦτο δέ φημι, ἀδελφοί, ὁ
καιρὸς συνεσταλμένος ἐστίν· τὸ
λοιπόν, ἵνα καὶ οἱ ἔχοντες γυναῖκας
ὡς μὴ ἔχοντες ὦσιν
.
1COR. 7:29 TOUTO DE FHMI, ADELFOI, hO KAIROS SUNESTALMENOS ESTIN· TO
LOIPON, hINA KAI hOI ECONTES GUNAIKAS hWS MH ECONTES WSIN
.
The same introduction formula: TOUTO DE FHMI, ADELFOI is used in 1Cor
7:29 without hOTI. G.Fee (1Cor NICNT) claims that both of these are
cataphoric introducing something that Paul affirms. It might be useful
to draw a distinction between hOTI used as speech marker and hOTI used
as a presentational marker to introduce an idea or an affirmation
following FHMI. I would suggest that the presentational function is a
more general category that would include quoted speech.
.
Elizabeth Kline

Iver:

Yes, you are right. There are several issues involved here. There is also the
issue of whether the statement in question is considered new or old information.
In 1 Cor 7:29, the hO KAIROS SUNESTALMENOS ESTIN has no semantic overlap with
the preceding verses. The absence of hOTI also supports that it depends on FHMI.

TOUTO is normally anaphoric, but can be kataphoric in special constructions. It
is often kataphoric in connection with a verb denoting knowledge, and it serves
to highlight the following statement as in

Luk 10:11: πλὴν τοῦτο γινώσκετε ὅτι ἤγγικεν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ.
PLHN TOUTO GINWSKETE hOTI HGGIKEN hH BASILEAI TOU QEOU (new information)

Luk 12:39: τοῦτο δὲ γινώσκετε ὅτι εἰ ᾔδει ὁ οἰκοδεσπότης
TOUTO DE GINWSKETE hOTI EI HiDEI hO OIKODESPOTHS (new information)

Rom 6:6 τοῦτο γινώσκοντες ὅτι ὁ παλαιὸς ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος συνεσταυρώθη
TOUTO GINWSKONTES hOTI hO PALAIOS hHMWN ANQREPOS SUNESTAURWQH (emphatic, new?)

2 Cor 5:14: κρίναντας τοῦτο, ὅτι εἷς ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀπέθανεν
KRINANTAS TOUTO, hOTI hEIS hUPER PANTWN APEQANEN (emphatic)

2 Cor 10:7 τοῦτο λογιζέσθω πάλιν ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτοῦ, ὅτι καθὼς αὐτὸς Χριστοῦ, οὕτως καὶ
ἡμεῖς.
TOUTO LOGIZESQW PALIN EF' hEAUTOU, hOTI KAQWS AUTOS CRISTOU, hOUTWS KAI hHMEIS
(emphatic)

2 Cor 10:11 τοῦτο λογιζέσθω ὁ τοιοῦτος, ὅτι οἷοί ἐσμεν τῷ λόγῳ δι᾽ ἐπιστολῶν
ἀπόντες
TOUTO LOGIZESQW hO TOIOUTOS, hOTI hOIOI ESMEN TWi LOGWI EPISTOLWN APONTES...

Eph 5:5 τοῦτο γὰρ ἴστε γινώσκοντες, ὅτι πᾶς πόρνος ἢ ἀκάθαρτος ...
TOUTO GAR ISTE GINWSKONTES, hOTI PAS PORNOS H AKAQARTOS...

Php 1:6 πεποιθὼς αὐτὸ τοῦτο, ὅτι ὁ ἐναρξάμενος ἐν ὑμῖν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν...
PEPOIQWS AUTO TOUTO, hOTI hO ENARXOMENOS EN hUMIN ERGON AGAQON...

2 Tim 1:15 Οἶδας τοῦτο, ὅτι ἀπεστράφησάν με πάντες οἱ ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ
OIDAS TOUTO, hOTI APESTRAFHSAN ME PANTES hOI EN THi ASIAi

2 Tim 3:1 Τοῦτο δὲ γίνωσκε, ὅτι ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις ἐνστήσονται καιροὶ χαλεποί
TOUTO DE GINWSKE, hOTI EN ESCATAIS hHMERAIS ENSTHSONTAN KAIROI CALEPOI

2 Pet 1:20 τοῦτο πρῶτον γινώσκοντες ὅτι πᾶσα προφητεία... (Also 2 Pet 3:3)
TOUTO PRWTON GINWSKONTES hOTI PASA PROFHTEIA...

2 Pet 3:8 Ἓν δὲ τοῦτο μὴ λανθανέτω ὑμᾶς, ἀγαπητοί, ὅτι μία ἡμέρα παρὰ κυρίῳ ὡς
χίλια ἔτη
hEN DE TOUTO MH LANQANETW hUMAS, AGAPHTOI, hOTI MIA hHMERA PARA KURIWi hWS CILIA
ETH

In these constructions, the TOUTO emphasizes and the hOTI introduces what the
addressee knows or is urged to recognize.

There are other constructions with a hOTI, where the TOUTO is anaphoric, e.g.

Php 1:25 καὶ τοῦτο πεποιθὼς οἶδα ὅτι μενῶ καὶ παραμενῶ...
KAI TOUTO PEPOIQWS OIDA hOTI MENW KAI PARAMENW...

2 Pet 3:5 λανθάνει γὰρ αὐτοὺς τοῦτο θέλοντας ὅτι οὐρανοὶ ἦσαν ἔκπαλαι...
LANQANEI GAR AUTOUS TOUTO QELONTAS hOTI OURANOI HSAN EKPALAI...

The question is: Where does 1 Cor 15:50 fit best?

1 Cor 15:50: Τοῦτο δέ φημι, ἀδελφοί, ὅτι σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα βασιλείαν θεοῦ
κληρονομῆσαι οὐ δύναται
TOUTO DE FHMI, ADELFOI, hOTI SARX KAI hAIMA BASILEIAN QEOU KLHRONOMHSAI OU
DUNATAI

There is no word for knowing or realizing here. It is unusual for hOTI to
introduce the content of FHMI.
I suppose one could say that the word FHMI implies something that they ought to
recognize. (CEV: I want you to know). Paul is coming to the end of a long
section about earthly and heavenly bodies, so what he says here should not be
new information. On the other hand, the TOUTO may be used to emphasize the
following point.
The presence of DE after TOUTO seems to support the kataphoric analysis as in 1
Cor 7:29.

2 Cor 9:6 is similar, except that FHMI/FHSIN is missing/implied:

Τοῦτο δέ, ὁ σπείρων φειδομένως φειδομένως καὶ θερίσει
TOUTO DE, hO SPEIRWN FEIDOMENWS, FEIDWMENOS KAI QERISEI

So, I am far from sure about this verse. Both TOUTO and hOTI are ambiguous, and
I cannot be dogmatic, especially since hOTI does follow FHMI once in a while. At
the moment I am inclined to go back to the kataphoric analysis, which is the 
majority opinion.

Iver




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