Granville Sharp's Canon and Its Kin : Semantics and Significance

by Wallace, Daniel B.

• ISBN13: 9780820433424
• ISBN10: 082043342X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-11-01
• Publisher: Peter Lang Pub Inc

Summary

Granville Sharp's Canon and Its Kin explains that the semantics of the article-substantive-KAI-substantive construction (TSKS) have been largely misunderstood and that this misunderstanding has adversely impacted the exegesis of several theologically significant texts. This issue is addressed from three angles: historical investigation, linguistic-phenomenological analysis of the construction, and exegetical implications. The reasons for the misunderstanding are traced historically; a better comprehension of the semantics of the construction is established by an examination of primary literature in the light of linguistic theory; and the implications of this analysis are applied to a number of passages in the New Testament. Historically, the treatment begins with a clear grammatical principle articulated by Granville Sharp, and it ends with the present-day confusion. This book includes a detailed examination of the New Testament data and other Ancient Greek literature, which reveals that Sharp's rule has a general validity in the language. Lastly, a number of exegetically significant texts that are affected by the linguistic-phenomenological investigation are discussed in detail. This enlightening text is a valuable resource for undergraduate and graduate students of religion, linguistics, history, and Greek.

Author Biography

Daniel B. Wallace is Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary and Executive Director of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts.

Table of Contents

Historical Investigation
Preface: Jesus as [actual symbol not reproducible] in the New Testament	p. 27
Granville Sharp and His Remarks on the Uses of the Definitive Article	p. 31
A Short Life of Granville Sharp	p. 31
The Writings of Granville Sharp	p. 44
Sharp's Remarks on the Uses of the Definitive Article	p. 47
Two Centuries of Misunderstanding	p. 55
From Wordsworth to Winstanley: Early Reactions to Sharp's First Principle	p. 58
From Middleton to Winer: The Eclipse of Understanding	p. 65
The Rising Misunderstanding, Abuse, and Neglect of Sharp's Canon	p. 71
Sharp Redivivus?	p. 79
Linguistic-Phenomenological Analysis
The Nature of the Construction in General	p. 89
The Construction Involving Personal, Singular, Non-Proper Substantives	p. 101
A Proper Semantic Grid	p. 102
The Empirical Data	p. 106
Summary	p. 131
The Construction Involving Personal, Plural, Non-Proper Substantives	p. 135
A Proper Semantic Grid	p. 136
The Empirical Data	p. 142
The Construction Involving Personal, Singular, Proper Names	p. 159
The Construction Involving Impersonal Substantives	p. 163
A Proper Semantic Grid	p. 163
The Empirical Data	p. 169
Mixed Constructions	p. 179
Exegetical Implications and Interactions
Impersonal Substantive Constructions	p. 187
Concrete Impersonal Constructions	p. 187
Abstract Impersonal Constructions	p. 201
Personal, Plural, Non-Proper Constructions	p. 211
Ambiguous Passages	p. 212
Exegetically Significant Passages	p. 214
Personal, Singular, Non-Proper Substantive Constructions	p. 233
Sharp's Application to Christologically Significant Texts	p. 233
Passages Overlooked by Sharp	p. 237
Two Christologically Significant Texts	p. 241
Mixed Constructions	p. 273
Conclusions	p. 279
Constructions in the New Testament that Fit the Requirements of the Granville Sharp Rule	p. 287
Bibliography	p. 303
Ancient Reference Index	p. 333
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