Friday, March 22, 2024

The Second Line of the Letter to Theodore

Καλῶς ἐποίησας ἐπιστομίσαι τὰς ἀῤῥήτους διδασκαλίας τῶν Καρποκρατιανῶν. 

ἐπιστοµίσας [MS, PV] ἐπιστοµίσαι [AT] 

The first option, "Καλῶς ἐποίησας ἐπιστοµίσας τὰς ἀῤῥήτους διδασκαλίας τῶν Καρποκρατιανῶν," seems to make more sense grammatically. In this sentence, "ἐποίησας" (you did) is followed by a participle, "ἐπιστοµίσας" (having written), which agrees in gender, number, and case with the noun it modifies, "διδασκαλίας" (teachings). This participle is in the accusative case because it is functioning as the direct object of the verb "ἐποίησας." The second option, "Καλῶς ἐποίησας ἐπιστομίσαι τὰς ἀῤῥήτους διδασκαλίας τῶν Καρποκρατιανῶν," doesn't seem to fit grammatically because the verb "ἐποίησας" is followed by an aorist infinitive "ἐπιστομίσαι" (to write). This doesn't agree with the tense of the main verb "ἐποίησας," which is in the aorist tense. So, the first option appears to be the correct grammatical choice.


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