A Syntactical Analysis of oὖν in Papyrus 66 85 clause. The resumptive οὖν signals a connection to something not immediately preceding38. BDF state, “After parenthetical re- marks οὖν indicates a return to the main theme (resumptive)”39. Poythress is more specific: “Oun regularly occurs at the point in a narrative when the narrator returns to the main line of events after a digression, a parenthesis, or the supplying of background information”40. A syntactical arrangement often present in P66 is that the intervening detail is indicated by δέ. In the textual history, the resumptive οὖν is the least questioned use of οὖν, so that NA27 rarely omits or seriously questions a resumptive οὖν present in P66. I locate 25 occurrences of resumptive οὖν in P66 although a few of these texts are debatable41. The NRSV indicates some of these asides by the narrator with parentheses (e.g. 4:9; 12:6; 18:32), but the example below is less obvious. 11:1-3a: ην δε τις ασθενων λαζαρος απο βηθανιας εκ της κωμης μαριας και μαρθας της αδελφης αυτης ην δε μαρια η αλιψασα τον κν μυρω και εκμαξασα τους ποδας αυτου ταις θριξιν αυτης ης ο αδελφος λαζαρος ησθενει απεστιλαν ουν αι αδελφαι προς αυτον42. The narrator wants to clarify the identity of Mary and Lazarus, and v. 2 provides these details. This insertion breaks the flow of the narrative and is marked by δέ. Verse 3 picks the narrative back up with a resumptive use of οὖν. 38 Poythress, “Use of the Intersentence Conjunctions”, 329-30, explains, “I maintain that, at least in a general way, oun, is used by John to suggest or intimate that there is a quasi- causal relationship involved. Oun occurs at just those points in the narrative where, without such a suggestion, the narrative would be in some danger of falling into pieces. For example, the end of a parenthesis, or the end of a piece of text giving background information, often constitutes a point where there occurs a wide shift in topic. The presence of oun can assure the reader. Of course, oun does not assure him that what follows is directly related to what immediately precedes. But it assures him that it is directly related to something preceding, whether immediate or further back”. 39 BDF, Grammar, 451.1. cf. Winer, Treatise, 555; Denniston, Particles, 428; Mantey, “Meaning”, 57; BDAG, οὖν 2.a. LSJ, οὖν .II. notes “οὖν is also used alone merely to resume after a parenthesis or long protasis”. 40 Poythress, “Use of the Intersentence Conjunctions”, 327; cf. Buth, “Οὖν, Δέ, Καί, and Asyndeton”, 155. Poythress and Buth do not distinguish the resumptive from the responsive uses. 41 The resumptive ουν can follow an insertion in a number of forms: without a particle: 6:60; 8:21, 28, 31; 10:7; δέ: 6:5, 7, 10; 7:3; 9:15; 11:3, 14, 20, 31; 12:7, 34; 13:30; 18:33 γάρ: 4:9; 7:6; καί: 4:28; οὖν…δέ: 11:38; or a larger textual unit: 10:24; 18:19, 28. 42 “And a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. And it was Mary, who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother, Lazarus, was sick. So the sisters sent for him [Jesus]”.