Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Dave Washburn" <dwashbur AT nyx.net>]

Randall,
> dave washburn katav:
> >Frank Stagg, writing in JBL, referred to
> >it ast "the abused aorist" and pointed out that the aorist is exactly
> >what its name implies: the undefined simple past (at least in the
> >indicative).
>
> which is like saying it's not half a dozen, it's six. "Undefined simple
> past" is a perfective par excellance. In fact, 'simple' is a nice synonym
> for perfective. As for 'past' in the indicative. He's right, of course.
> Which Porter rejects because it's not "exceptionless". I don't have a lot
> of time for counting angels on pinheads. I think most intuitively recognize
> that indicative aorist encodes past.

I'd have to go back and reread Stagg to know how he treats this
part of it.  But his article was a much-needed caution against
reading too much into the aorist.  The citation is JBL 91:222-231
(1972) if you want to check it out yourself.


Dave Washburn
http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur
"Éist le glór Dé."