Patrick A. Tiller, «Reflexive Pronouns in the New Testament», Vol. 14 (2001) 43-63
The purpose of this study is to answer two basic
questions concerning reflexive and reciprocal pronouns in the New
Testament: (1) What are the syntactic constraints on reflexives, that
determine when they may be used? (2) What are the semantic constraints
that determine when in fact they are used? In answering the first question
the author considers both reflexives and reciprocals and discuss the whole
NT; for the second, the author attempts to suggest answers for third
person reflexives and based only on the Pauline Epistles commonly
recognized as authentic.
Patrick A. Tiller
56
There is one apparent exception to the logophoric rule that must be
discussed. The following verse has a verb that appears to be logophoric
but the pronoun in the embedded clause is not reflexive.
1 Cor 2:12 ina ei]dwmen
{ ta; uJpo; tou` qeou` carisqevnta hJmi`n:
that we-might-know the by the God given to-us;
... that we might know the things given to us by God.
In this case the pronoun is not truly logophoric. The participle does
not represent a part of the thought of the subject of the matrix clause («...
that we might know that certain things have been given to us by God.»).
Rather it supplies additional information that limits the scope of what
«we» may know. This is different from Phil 2:3 above where the partici-
ple represents the thought of the subject.
These observations help us to understand the following text more
precisely.
John 17:13 kai; tau`ta lalw' ejn tw'/ kovsmw i{na e]cwsin th;n xara`n
and these-things I-speak in the world in-order-that they-might-
have the joy
thn ejmh;n peplhrwmevnhn ejn eJautoi`~.
;
the of-me made-full in themselves.
Since ejcwsin (‘have’) is clearly not logophoric, one must understand
the prepositional phrase ejn eJautoi`~ (‘in themselves’) to be governed not
by the participle but by the matrix verb e[cwsin. «And I say these things
in the world in order that they might have in themselves my joy made
full.» Other manuscripts (P66 a D L Q 054 f1.(13) M) have the personal
pronoun which then becomes part of the participial clause: «And I say
these things in the world in order that they might have my joy made full
in them.»
Doubtful Cases
Verbs meaning ‘call’, ‘make’, ‘consider’, and ‘show’ take a double accu-
sative object. The first is the direct object and the second is a predicate to
the first.
Matt 4:19 poihsw uJma`~ aJliei`~ ajnqrwvpwn.
v
I-will-make you fishers of-people.
This is different from the syntax of Rev 2:2 (repeated below for con-
venience) in which the first accusative (eJautou;~) is not the direct object
but the subject of an omitted infinitive.