LESSON 34
INFINITIVE

Τὸν μὲν πρῶτον λόγον ἐποιησάμην περὶ πάντων, ὦ Θεόφιλε,
ὧν ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς ποιεῖν τε καὶ διδάσκειν ¹

Lexical Study

1. An infinitive is a verbal noun that is not inflected
2. The infinitive as a verb
   1. Character: As a verb, the infinitive has voice and tense.
   2. Usage: As a verb, the infinitive may take an object and it may be modified by adverbs.
   3. To express the purpose of the main verb
      1. μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἦλθον καταλῦσαι τὸν νὀμον.
      2. καταλῦσαι is an aorist active infinitive (indicates the purpose of the action)
      3. νομίσητε is aorist subjunctive, 2nd person plural (prohibits the starting of the action)
      4. Do not start to conclude that I have come to destroy the law.
   4. To express the result of the main verb
      1. ἐγένετο ὡσεὶ νεκρός, ὥστε τοὺς πολλοὺς λέγειν ὅτι ἀπέθανεν
      2. He became as a dead man, so that many said he had died.
      3. The noun or pronoun indicating the persons involved in producing the action of an infinitive is always in the accusative case. τοὺς πολλοὺς is accusative.
   5. To express temporal ideas
      1. "Before" is expressed by πρίν + the infinitive, πρὶν ἤ + the infinitive, or πρὸ τοῦ + the infinitive
         1. Κύριε, κατάβηθι πρὶν ἀποθανεῖν τὸ παιδίον μου.
         2. Literally: Lord, come down before to die my child.
         3. Thus: Lord, come down before my child dies
      2. "While" is expressed by ἐν τῷ + the infinitive
         1. ἐθαύμαζον ἐν τῷ χρονίζειν ἐν τῷ ναῷ αὐτόν.
         2. They were wondering while he was delaying in the temple.
      3. After is expressed by μετὰ τό + the infinitive
         1. παρέστησεν ἑαυτὸν ζῶντα μετὰ τὸ παθεῖν αὐτόν.
         2. He showed himself alive after his suffering.
   6. To express cause, διὰ τό + the infinitive is used.
      1. οὐκ ἔχετε διὰ τὸ μὴ αἰτεῖσθαι ὑμᾶς
      2. You have not because you ask not.
3. The infinitive as a noun
   1. Character: Originally it was inflected as a noun, but the inflection has been lost
   2. Usage: The infinitive may be used in any was a noun can be used.
   3. As the subject of a finite verb
      1. οὐχ ὑμῶν ἐστιν γνῶναι χρόνους ἤ καιρούς
      2. Literally: not yours is to know the times or seasons
      3. Better: To know times or seasons is not yours.
   4. As the direct object of a verb
      1. ὁ ̓Ιησοῦς ἤρξατο ποιεῖν καὶ διδάσκειν
      2. Jesus began to do and to teach.
   5. As the indirect object of a verb
      1. ἔχω σοί τι εἰπεῖν
      2. I have something [τι is direct object] to say [εἰπεῖν is indirect object] to you.
   6. As an appositional substantive
      1. θρησκεία καθαρὰ ... αὕτη ἐστίν, ἐπισκέπτεσθαι ὀρφανοὺς ...
      2. Pure religion ... is this, to visit orphans ...
   7. As a modifier
      1. ἧλθεν ὁ καιρὸς τῶν νεκρῶν κριῆναι
      2. The time of the dead to be judged has come.

Translate the following:

I John 2:18-29

¹⁸ Παιδία, ἐσχάτη ὥρα ἐστίν, καὶ καθὼς ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἀντίχριστος ἔρχεται, καὶ νῦν ἀντίχριστοι πολλοὶ γεγόνασιν, ὅθεν γινώσκομεν ὅτι ἐσχάτη ὥρα ἐστίν. ¹⁹ ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐξῆλθαν ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ ἦσαν ἐξ ἡμῶν· εἰ γὰρ ἐξ ἡμῶν ἦσαν, μεμενήκεισαν ἂν μεθ᾿ ἡμῶν· ἀλλ᾿ ἵνα φανερωθῶσιν ὅτι οὐκ εἰσὶν πάντες ἐξ ἡμῶν. ²⁰ καὶ ὑμεῖς χρῖσμα ἔχετε ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου οἴδατε πάντες. ²¹ οὐκ ἔγραψα ὑμῖν ὅτι οὐκ οἴδατε τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἀλλ᾿ ὅτι οἴδατε αὐτὴν καὶ ὅτι πᾶν ψεῦδος ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας οὐκ ἔστιν. ²² Τίς ἐστιν ὁ ψεύστης εἰ μὴ ὁ ἀρνούμενος ὅτι Ἰησοῦς οὐκ ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός; οὗτος ἐστιν ὁ ἀντίχριστος, ὁ ἀρνούμενος τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὸν υἱόν. ²³ πᾶς ὁ ἀρνούμενος τὸν υἱὸν οὐδὲ τὸν πατέρα ἔχει, ὁ ὁμολογῶν τὸν υἱὸν καὶ τὸν πατέρα ἔχει. ²⁴ ὑμεῖς ὁ ἠκούσατε ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς ἐν ὑμῖν μενέτω. ἐὰν ἐν ὑμῖν μείνῃ ὁ ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς ἠκούσατε, καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐν τῷ υἱῷ καὶ ἐν τῷ πατρὶ μενεῖτε. ²⁵ καὶ αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἐπαγγελία ἣν αὐτὸς ἐπηγγείλατο ἡμῖν, τὴν ζωὴν τὴν αἰώνιον.

²⁶ Ταῦτα ἔγραψα ὑμῖν περὶ τῶν πλανώντων ὑμᾶς. ²⁷ καὶ ὑμεῖς τὸ χρῖσμα ὃ ἔλαβετε ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ, μένει ἐν ὑμῖν καὶ οὐ χρείαν ἔχετε ἵνα τις διδάσκῃ ὑμᾶς, ἀλλ᾿ ὡς τὸ αὐτοῦ χρῖσμα διδάσκει ὑμᾶς περὶ πάντων καὶ ἀληθές ἐστιν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ψεῦδος, καὶ καθὼς ἐδίδαξεν ὑμᾶς, μένετε ἐν αὐτῷ.

²⁸ καὶ νῦν, τεκνία, μένετε ἐν αὐτῷ, ἵνα ἐὰν φανερωθῇ σχῶμεν παρρησίαν καὶ μὴ αἰσχυνθῶμεν ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ. ²⁹ ἐὰν εἰδῆτε ὅτι δίκαιός ἐστιν, γινώσκετε ὅτι καὶ πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν δικαιοσύνην ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεγέννηται.