This article resolves the semantic, syntactic, and lexical requirements for the grammatical use of the twenty-nine New Testament verbs that designate communication without a necessary reference to speaking. The discussion establishes criteria for distinguishing verbal usages, identifies four basic usages of non-spoken communication, and examines the conditions for the permissible omission of required complements. The presentation of the licensing properties of verbs with the four basic usages clarifies the similarities and dissimilarities in the realizations of complements for verbs of non-spoken and spoken communication and illustrates two further usages that are restricted to verbs of non-spoken communication. The concluding discussion considers patterns in the distribution of complements and usages among verbs of non-spoken communication.
The Licensing Properties of New Testament Verbs of Non-Spoken Communication 45
and indirect communication, in which the Content complement relates
information in summary fashion.
With Usage ACE, the clause or maximal verb phrase (V+) realizes the
Content of direct non-spoken communication. The V+ Content occurs
with the dative case (to) noun phrase (N+dat) and DNC Experiencer with
one verb (59):5
Τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν ᾽Εφέσῳ ἐκκλησίαϛ γράψον· Τάδε λέγει ὁ κρατῶν…
(Rev 2,1)
To the angel of the church in Ephesus write, “The one holding…says these
things”.
λέγει αὐτῷ· εἰ υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ θεοῦ, βάλε σεαυτὸν κάτω (Matt 4,6)
He says to him, “If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down”.
The remaining realizations of the Content grammaticalize indirect
communication. The Content of indirect communication is realized by
two categories of maximal verb phrases, those introduced by conjunc-
tions (V+conj) and those introduced by pronouns (V+pron). In the former
category are the ἵνα (that) clause (V+ἵνα) and the ὅτι (that) clause (V+ὅτι).
The V+ἵνα Content occurs with the DNC Experiencer with one verb (1):
πῶς γέγραπται ἐπὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἵνα πολλὰ πάθῃ καὶ
ἐξουδενηθῇ; (Mark 9,12)
How is it written about the Son of Man that he should suffer much and
be despised?
οὐ περὶ ἐκείνης λέγω ἵνα ἐρωτήσῃ (1 John 5,16)
I do not say that you should ask about that.
The V+ὅτι Content occurs with the N+dat and DNC Experiencer with
seven verbs (27):6
5
AC/E, V+/N+dat: γράφω (8), Mark 12,19; Rev 2,1.8.12.18; 3,1.7.14; V+/DNC: γράφω
(51), Matt 2,5; 4,4.7.10; 11,10; 21,13; 26,31; Mark 1,2; 14,27; Luke 3,4; 4,8.17; 7,27; 19,46;
John 2,17; 6,31.45; 12,14; Acts 1,20; 7,42; 13,33; 15,15.23; Rom 1,17; 2,24; 3,4; 9,13.33;
10,15; 11,8.26; 12,19; 14,11; 15,3.9.21; 1 Cor 1,19.31; 2,9; 3,19; 1 Cor 7,1 [gen
FOLLOW US