Stratton L. Ladewig, «Ancient Witnesses on Deponency in Greek.» filologia-neotestamentaria, Vol. 25 (2012) 3-20 page 7

Vol 25 (2012)

Stratton L. Ladewig, «Ancient Witnesses on Deponency in Greek.», Vol. 25 (2012) 3-20

Deponency has been the focus of investigation in the last decade. Some grammarians have questioned and/or denied the validity of deponency in Greek. One of the arguments used to support such a conclusion is based in ancient history. I investigate the writings of three ancient grammarians (Dionysius Thrax, Apollonius Dyscolus, and Macrobius) to determine the grammatical Sitz im Leben of voice in the ancient Greek. This inquiry establishes that deponency in Greek is a concept with roots that run deep into the ancient period, thereby refuting the challenge to Greek deponency.

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Ancient Witnesses on Deponency in Greek 7 Διαθέσεις εἰσὶ τρεῖς, ἐνέργεια, πάθος, μεσότης· ἐνέργεια μὲν οἷον τύπτω, πάθος δὲ οἷον τύπτομαι, μεσότης δέ ἡ ποτὲ μὲν ἐνέργειαν ποτὲ δὲ πάθος παριστᾶσα, οἷον πέπηγα διέφθορα ἐποιησάμην ἐγραψάμην15. CONCERNING THE VERB The verb is a word peculiar in form without cases, capable of containing tenses and persons and numbers, representing activity or passivity. But eight [characteristics] belong to the verb: moods, voices, species, forms, numbers, persons, tenses, conjugations. Therefore, there are five moods: indicative, imperative, optative, subjunctive, infinitive. There are three voices: active, passive, middle; active such as τύπτω, but passive such as τύπτομαι, but middle representing at one time active and at another time passive, such as πέπηγα διέφθορα ἐποιησάμην ἐγραψάμην. Technē Grammatikē provides us with important information about the understanding of voice at ca. 100 b.c. The first paragraph provides a definition of the verb. In the first sentence, we observe ἐνέργειαν (ac- tivity) and πάθος (passivity) mentioned for the first time. The second sentence clearly identifies eight characteristics of the verb. Among those, the second mentioned characteristic is διάθεσις (voice). The three voices are distinctly noted in the third paragraph: ἐνέργεια, πάθος, and μεσότης (middle). However, there is an apparent discrepancy between paragraphs one and three. In the first sentence, only two voices are mentioned: ἐνέργειαν and πάθος, whereas in the third paragraph, there are three voices men- tioned: ἐνέργεια, πάθος, and μεσότης. This is not a real discrepancy if figurative language is recognized. In the first occurrence of only two voices, synecdoche is being utilized. The parts (ἐνέργειαν and πάθος) are being used for the whole (διάθεσις). The recognition of the figure of speech eliminates the apparent discrepancy. Dionysius Thrax says that μεσότης fluctuates between reflecting an active and a passive verb. The interpretation is extremely difficult. Rijksbaron notes, “The ultimate problem with the category of ‘middle’ [in Dionysius Thrax] would seem to be that it is too wide: διέφθορα, 15 Thracis, “Ars Grammatica”, 46-53. The English translation that follows is my own and was translated from the standard edition for Dionysius Thrax’s grammar. For another English translation, see Dionysios Thrax, The Grammar of Dionysios Thrax, trans. T. Davidson (St. Louis 1874).