a definite rule for the use of the article in the greek new testament

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verb. Sixteen definite predicates are used without the article in relative clauses, two before the verb (with the relative in the genitive) and fourteen after the verb (with the relative in the nominative). Thus only two out of twenty-six predicates precede in relative clauses. If the predicates which occur in relative clauses are subtracted, the totals are as follows: I. Definite Predicate Nouns with Article . . . 244 A. After Verb 229 94% B. Before Verb 15 6% II. Definite Predicate Nouns without the Article . . . 123 A. After Verb 26 21% B. Before Verb 97 79% The close relation between word-order and the use of the article in these cases can be shown by a different grouping of the same figures: I. Definite Predicates after the Verb . . . 255 A. With the Article 229 90% B. Without the Article 26 10% II. Definite Predicate before the Verb. . . 112 A. With the Article 15 13% B. Without the Article 97 87% It is obvious that the significance of these figures rests upon the accuracy with which definite predicate nouns without the article have been identified. There are bound to be mistakes in the list of definite predicate nouns without the article, but an attempt has been made to exclude all nouns as to whose definiteness there could be any doubt 12 . This means, of course, that “qualitative” nouns have been omitted, since all such nouns (and their total in the New Testament is small) are not definite. An inspection of some of the definite predicate nouns without the article will demonstrate that they are definite even though they lack the article. 12 The last definite nouns included are found in a group of about ten phrases such as (the) seed of Abraham, e.g., John 8: 39. Practically all such expressions as o` qeo.j avga,ph evsti,n have been excluded from this study; their inclusion would greatly increase the total for predicate nouns without the article before the verb. Proper names also have been excluded because they regularly lack the article whether they appear before or after the verb. 17
None of the predicates in the following passages has the article in the original and each of them precedes the verb. In Hebrews 9:15 it is claimed that Jesus is (the) mediator of a new covenant, in 1 Timothy 6:10 the love of money is identified as (the) root of all evil, in John 10:2 the one who enters by the door is (the) shepherd of the sheep, in Matthew 5:35 Jerusalem is (the) city of the Great King, 13 in Mark 2:28 the Son of Man is also (the) lord of the Sabbath, in 1 Corinthians 4:4 Paul says, “It is (the) Lord who must examine me,” in Revelation 21:22 it is said of the New Jerusalem that God is (the) temple in it, etc. etc. This is a fair sample of what lies behind the statistics given above. The rule that it is the exception that proves the rule finds no exception here. The exceptions to the rule that definite predicate nouns before the verb omit the article are about fifteen in number 14 . Half of them are scattered around in Luke, John, 2 Peter, and Revelation, and in five of these passages there is serious manuscript evidence for the omission of the article according to the rule. The other half of these exceptions (7) are grouped in 1 and 2 Corinthians, and there is no significant manuscript evidence for variation here. Five of the seven put the predicate not only before the verb, but also before the subject, e.g., 1 Corinthians 9:1 ouv to. e;rgon mou u`mei/j evste evn kuri,w|. Thus the order in these five Corinthian passages is predicate-subjectverb. This is obviously a stylism temporarily affected by the Apostle to the Gentiles, possibly for the sake of greater emphasis. Aside from these five passages, Paul’s exceptions do not loom up as especially significant. The other class of exceptions – the omission of the article after the verb – contains more examples 15 . Approximately twenty-six definite predicate nouns omit the article after the verb 16 . Two of 13 The Septuagint of Psalm 47:3 reads h` po,lij tou/ basile,wj tou/ mega,lou without a verb. 14 Luke 4:41; John 1:21; 6:31; 15:1; 2 Peter 1:17; Romans 4:33; 1 Corinthians 9:1, 2; 11:3, 25; 2 Corinthians 1:12; 3:2, 17; Revelation 19:8; 20:14. 15 Proper names regularly omit the article in the predicate when after the verb, they are not included here. For relative clauses, cf. p. 17. 16 Matthew 20:16; Mark 4:32; 9:35; 12:28; Luke 20:33; 22:24; John 4:18; 18:13, 37; Acts 10:36; Romans 4:11, 16; 7:13; 8:16, 29; 11:6; 1 Corinthians 12:27; 16:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 6:16; Galatians 4:31; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 1 Peter 5:12; Hebrews 11:1. 18
Page 1 and 2: Journal of Biblical Literature, 52
Page 3 and 4: as a predicate with the article 5 ,
Page 5: and Hort’s Heavenly Twins (Codex
Page 9 and 10: future when they say that predicate

a definite rule for the use of the article in the greek new testament

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