Statistics: Posted by mwh — Mon Sep 30, 2024 4:51 pm
Koine and Biblical and Medieval Greek • Re: Acts 8,19 – confusion in subclause
Yes I figured that that's what had thrown you, the use of ἐάν for ἄν. It’s actually very common in post-classical texts. If you find ἐάν after a clause-initial relative such as ὅς or ὅστις (or ᾧ in this instance), that’s what it will be, not ἐάν “if.” In either case a subjunctive will normally follow. (The Septuagint’s occasional use of apparent indicative is a different phenomenon.) Textbooks are not very good at mentioning this use of ἐάν=ἄν, but it’s everywhere in the papyri, and there’s nothing exceptional about Acts 8.19; cf. e.g. 1 Cor.16.6 ἵνα ὑμεῖς με προπέμψητε οὗ ἐὰν πορεύωμαι (“… wherever I go”).