Ralph Marcus, "On Causal Eis,"
Journal of Biblical Literature 70, no. 2 (June, 1951): 129-30
1. Polybius ii.54.14,
διαφηκε παντας εις την χειμασιαν. Hence εις clearly indicates place to
which.
2. Polybius v.571.1.
The same construction appears here.
3. Polybius v.66.6(l.5).
Exactly the same construction appears here as in Nrs. 1 and 2.
4. Polybius v.22.8, εις α
βλεπων ο Φιλιππος κτλ. Dr. Mantey renders "Because of which Philip decided etc." He
completely ignores the participle βλεπων, on which the preposition εις depends.
The locution βλεπων εις τι means "to have regard to something." In
this and similar locutions we have a metaphorical use of εις as a preposition
indicating place to which.
5. Polybius v.30.2,
exactly same as Nr. 4.
6. Polybius v.38.8,
exactly the same as Nrs. 5 and 6.
7. Polybius x.6.4,
αμυνασθαι σπουδαζοντας την Καρχηδονιων εις αυτους αδελγειαν. Dr. Mantey renders
"from eagerness to be avenged on the Carthaginians because of their
brutal conduct." The text really says, "being eager to take vengeance
for the Carthaginians' (wanton) violence toward them." There is not
the slightest shadow of a causal εις here.
8. Josephus Ant. ix.3.1 (32),
εις αποριαν υδατος τοις τε κτηωεσι και τη στρατια περιστησαν. Dr. Mantey renders,
"because of the lack of water for their cattle and the army, they
were in desperate need." The text really says, "they were reduced to
lack of water for their cattle and the army." The locution περιισταναι εις
τι, which is common in medical writers, means "to be reduced to a certain (unfortunate)
condition." Here, as in Nr. 4, we have a metaphorical use of εις as a
preposition indicating place to which.
Ralph Marcus, "The Elusive Causal
Eis," Journal of Biblical Literature 71, no. 1 (March 1952): 43-44
The first example,
from Polybius I.87.4, . . . His translation reads in part, "and to force
them, because of the circumstances, εις τα παροντα, to be
reconciled." Unfortunately Prof. Mantey has neglected to cite all of the
relevant phrase in Greek, which reads βλεψαντας τις τα παροντα. Here the εις is
dependent upon βλεψαντας (as in the three other examples from Polybius noted in
my first article) and indicates (figurative) place to which. There is no
shadow of a causal εις here.
The second example,
from Pap. Oxy. iv.787, contains the phrase εις την εμην καταλογην, which Prof.
Mantey translates, "on ( = because of) my recommendation."
This translation is unexceptional but it hardly establishes εις as causal. The
phrase meant originally "(set down) to one's account) and only secondarily
came to mean "on one's recommendation." Suppose an English grammarian
were to argue that since "on his initiative" means the same thing as
"because of his initiative", the preposition "on" is
causal. Would that be regarded as good linguistic description?
The third and fourth
examples are almost identical, one being taken from Lucian's Dead Come to Life
12, the other from Essays in Portraiture Defended 23. Both passages
speak of a woman who is praised for her beauty, επαινουμενη εις καλλος and
επαινειν . . . εις το καλλος. In these cases, to be sure, the beauty is a cause
for praise, but that does not make the εις a causal εις. Suppose, again, that
an English grammarian were to argue that since such an expression as
"commendable in spirit" or "laudable in attitude" is
equivalent to "commendable because of spirit" or "laudable
because of attitude," the English preposition "in" is causal.
That would hardly be considered good linguistic description. Similarly it is
not good linguistic description to say of εις after επαινειν that it is causal
when it is primarily an indication of respect in which.
The next example is
from Dionysius Hal. II.72.3, reading in part εις αναγκην κατασταντες, which
Prof. Mantey renders, "being constrained by ( = on account of)
necessity." But the causality comes only from the free English
translation. The Greek says clearly "being reduced to need". The εις
therefore indicates (figurative) place to which. . . .
LXX, Gen 4 23,
ανδρα απεκτεινα εις πραυμα εμοι και vεανισκον εις μωλωπα εμοι, and translated
by him as "I killed a man for wounding me, and a young man for striking
me." I'm afraid that Prof. Mantey's translation of the Greek is less
accurate than the LXX translation of the Hebrew. The Greek says literally,
"I killed a man to a wound for me, and a young man to a bruise for
me". The LXX has simply given a mechanical rendering of the Hebrew
preposition le, the meaning of which in this brief and
obscure fragment of poetry is uncertain to us and was probably uncertain to the
translator. Whether the LXX translator meant this εις no one, I think, can say.
Further Reading
"Acts 2:38 and 1 Peter 3:19-21," in "Born of Water and of the Spirit": The Biblical Evidence for Baptismal Regeneration, pp. 106-24 (for those who want a free PDF copy, email me at ScripturalMormonismATgmailDOTcom)
