Roger Thornhill
Active member
The Greek article is basic to Greek, but it's not that basic functionally. In my Greek reading I have found that looking for the antecedent of articular nouns instead of considering it to merely make something definite is more illuminating.
Comments?
https://www.wenstrom.org/downloads/written/word_studies/greek/ho.pdf
Ho
A. Function of the Definite Article
1. The article was originally derived from the demonstrative pronoun ho, he, to, and is clearly akin to the relative pronoun hos, he, ho.
2. It always retained some of the demonstrative force.
3. This fact is evidenced by its frequent use in the papyri purely as a demonstrative pronoun.
4. The function of the article is to point out an object or to draw attention to it.
5. It was used by the Greeks to make a word stand out distinctly.
6. Whenever the article occurs the object is certainly definite.
7. The basal function of the Greek article is to point out individual identity.
B. Dan Wallace lists 3 basic forces of the article (Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics-Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament, pages 210-211):
1. Conceptualize
2. Identify
3. Definitize
C. Wallace states that “all articles that conceptualize also identify; all articles that identify conceptualize” (ibid.).
D. Liddel and Scott divide the definite article’s classical usage under 4 general categories (pages 1192-1195):
1. demonstrative pronoun, that
2. definite article, the, to specifiy individuals
3. relative pronoun
4. crasis of article
E. The
1. As a demonstrative pronoun
New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon lists the following 2 basic usages for the article (pages 433-437):
a. In the words of the poet Aratus quoted by Paul Acts 17:28.
b. In prose, where it makes a partition or distributes into parts
c. In narration, when either two persons or two parties are alternately placed in opposition to each other
and the discourse turns from one to the other......
... truncated due to length
Comments?
https://www.wenstrom.org/downloads/written/word_studies/greek/ho.pdf
Ho
A. Function of the Definite Article
1. The article was originally derived from the demonstrative pronoun ho, he, to, and is clearly akin to the relative pronoun hos, he, ho.
2. It always retained some of the demonstrative force.
3. This fact is evidenced by its frequent use in the papyri purely as a demonstrative pronoun.
4. The function of the article is to point out an object or to draw attention to it.
5. It was used by the Greeks to make a word stand out distinctly.
6. Whenever the article occurs the object is certainly definite.
7. The basal function of the Greek article is to point out individual identity.
B. Dan Wallace lists 3 basic forces of the article (Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics-Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament, pages 210-211):
1. Conceptualize
2. Identify
3. Definitize
C. Wallace states that “all articles that conceptualize also identify; all articles that identify conceptualize” (ibid.).
D. Liddel and Scott divide the definite article’s classical usage under 4 general categories (pages 1192-1195):
1. demonstrative pronoun, that
2. definite article, the, to specifiy individuals
3. relative pronoun
4. crasis of article
E. The
1. As a demonstrative pronoun
New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon lists the following 2 basic usages for the article (pages 433-437):
a. In the words of the poet Aratus quoted by Paul Acts 17:28.
b. In prose, where it makes a partition or distributes into parts
c. In narration, when either two persons or two parties are alternately placed in opposition to each other
and the discourse turns from one to the other......
... truncated due to length
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