Francis G.H. Pang, «Aspect, Aktionsart, and Abduction: Future Tense in the New Testament», Vol. 23 (2010) 129-159
This study examines the treatment of the Future tense among the major contributions in the discussion of verbal aspect in the Greek of the New Testament. It provides a brief comparative summary of the major works in the past fifty years, focusing on the distinction between aspect and Aktionsart on the one hand, and the kind of logical reasoning used by each proposal on the other. It shows that the neutrality of the method is best expressed in an abductive approach and points out the need of clarifying the nature and the role of Aktionsart in aspect studies.
Aspect, Aktionsart, and Abduction: Future Tense in the New Testament 159
aspect and as a result produces conflicting conclusions. Porter’s systemic
functional model seems to have a more rigorous method, even though his
take on non-temporality will continue to face heated criticism.
The goal of the present study is to lay out the groundwork for a
practitioner to test the validity of various aspect theories. Using one of
the criteria suggested by Porter for evaluation of a linguistic model, the
possible next step of this study is to test the inclusiveness of each model157.
The same data should be used to apply to all models. The objective is to
determine which model incorporates “the largest number of pertinent
pieces of data with the fewest items excluded”158. However, this is out of
the scope of this paper.
Francis G.H. PANG
McMaster Divinity College
1280 Main Street West,
Hamilton, Ontario, CANADA L8S 4K1
pangif@gmail.com
157
Porter lists three criteria, whether a model (i) treats the data inclusively; (ii) has
resulted in rational discourse and (iii) provides creative and provocative conclusions that
offer potential for further research. See Porter, Verbal Aspect, 5-6.
158
Porter, Verbal Aspect, 5.
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