Stratton L. Ladewig, «Ancient Witnesses on Deponency in Greek.» filologia-neotestamentaria, Vol. 25 (2012) 3-20 page 8

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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8 Stratton L. Ladewig ἐγραψάμην ... can only be brought together under one heading at the cost of a considerable loss of clarity”16. There are two possible interpreta- tions of the seminal grammarian’s statement: (1) there is an incongruity between the form and function of the verb17 or (2) there are “verbs that individually have forms that may have active as well as passive mean- ing”18. To understand the description of μεσότης, we must look at his examples, which are listed in Table 1: Dionysus Thrax’s Examples of ἡ μεσότης Voice. Table 1: Dionysus Thrax’s Examples of ἡ μεσότης Voice ἐνέργειαν πάθος μεσότης τύπτω (Pres, Act, Indic, 1, τύπτομαι (Pres, Pass, πέπηγα (Perf, Act, Indic, 1, Sing from τύπτω, meaning Indic, 1, Sing from τύπτω, Sing from πήγνυμι, meaning Ι I strike) meaning I am struck) fix [for/by myself]) διέφθορα (Perf,19 Act, Indic, 1, Sing from διαφθείρω, mea- ning I destroy [for/by myself]) ἐποιησάμην (Aor, Pass20, Indic, 1, Sing from ποιέω, meaning I do [for/by myself]) ἐγραψάμην (Aor, Pass21, Indic, 1, Sing from γράφω, meaning I write [for/by myself]) For our discussion of deponency, the examples, πέπηγα, διέφθορα, ἐποιησάμην, and ἐγραψάμην are significant. The first two forms are per- fect verbs that possess active endings with passive meaning, and the last two convey active function22. Nevertheless, Dionysius Thrax tells us that they are all middle. It seems that the correct interpretation of Dionysius 16 A. Rijksbaron, “The Treatment of the Greek Middle Voice by the Ancient Grammar- ians”, in Philosophie du langage et grammaire dans l'antiquité (Cahiers de philosophie ancienne 5; Éditions Ousia 1986) 433. 17 Albert Rijksbaron says that the incongruity connotes “verbs that have active forms but passive meaning and vice versa” (Rijksbaron, “Greek Middle Voice”, 428). However, I understand the text to indicate a verb whose morphology is active or passive but its function is middle. 18 Rijksbaron, “Greek Middle Voice”, 428. 19 This form is 2nd perfect constructed intransitively. The ordinary perfect form for the transitive verb is διέφθαρκα. 20 See n 23. 21 See n 22. 22 Rijksbaron, “Greek Middle Voice”, 428. Rijksbaron is simply restating Dionysus Thrax’s categorization of these verbs (see Thrax, Grammar, 12). We would now say that ἐποιησάμην and ἐγραψάμην are conjugated as middles.