Τhe Present and Future Verbs in Koine Greek (聖經希臘文的動詞之現在與將來）

So now we come to verbs in Koine Greek.

The aspects of a verb in koine greek is a bit more complicated than that of English.  Instead of the clearcut present/past/future/perfect tense in English, in Koine Greek, more often one needs to check on the context, related adverbs, prepositional phrases, conjunctions and narrative sequencing to determine the tense during the translation.  

Now we first try to identify the verb aspects by looking at the forms. 

The word used as an example to illustrate the change in the forms in the referenced textbook is λύ.   The stem means “loose”.  The basic form most often quoted is λύω, meaning I loose.  

The verb shall be modified by adding a “pronominal ending” to form the present active indicative (PAI) in agreement with the person and number of the noun. 

Present Active Indicative	Stem + Pronomial Suffix
	Pronomial suffix for Singular	Examples	Pronomial suffix for Plural	Examples
First person	-ω	λύω	-ομεν	λύομεν
Second person	-εις	λύεις	-ετε	λύετε
Third person	-ει	λύει	-ουσι(ν)	λύουσι(ν)

To indicate a passive or middle voice, the primary endings differ from the active ones and can be summarized as below:

Present Middle/Passive Indicative	Stem + Pronomial Suffix
	Pronomial suffix for Singular	Examples	Pronomial suffix for Plural	Examples
First person	-ομαι	λύομαι	-όμεθα	λυόμεθα
Second person	-ῃ(σαι)	λύῃ	-εσθε	λύεσθε
Third person	-εται	λύεται	-ονται	λύονται

The middle voice is present in Koine Greek but not in English.  It is sometimes used often to emphasize the participation of the subject in respect of the verb, expresses self-interest, or used reflexively.  It may a stylistic preference of certain authors such as the Gospel according to Mark.  The middle voice is sometimes translated into active voice in English depending on the context.  If so, they are called deponent verbs as there is not a PAI form but only the middle form.  

If a verb is to indicate a future aspect, the format will require an additional future connective to the respective PAI and Present Middle/Passive Indicative as shown below: 

Future Verbs	Stem + future connective (σ) + Ending
	Future Active Indicative		Future Middle Indicative
	Singular	Plural	Singular	Plural
First person	λύσω	λύσομεν	λύσομαι	λυσόμεθα
Second person	λύσεις	λύσετε	λύσῃ	λύσεσθε
Third person	λύσει	λύσουσι(ν)	λύσεται	λύσονται

The pitfalls with future paradigms of verbs are when there is a final consonant in the verb stem.  There are also deponent futures and irregular futures which we should deal with later.

So now we come to imperfect verbs. 

Imperfect verbs may be associated with continuous, repeated or dwelt on action.  

Imperfect Active Indicative	Augment +  Stem + Connecting Vowel + Secondary Active Endings ε + [stem] + [ο before μ or ν and ε elsewhere] + [secondary active endings]
	secondary active endings for singular	Examples	secondary active endings for plural	Examples
First person	-v	ἔλυον	-μεν	ἐλύομεν
Second person	-ς	ἔλυες	-τε	ἐλύετε
Third person	-ε	ἔλυε(ν)	-ν	ἔλυο(ν)

Imperfect verbs in middle/passive indicative paradigm can be formed by changing the secondary active endings as below: 

Imperfect Middle/Paasive Indicative	Augment +  Stem + Connecting Vowel + Secondary Middle/Passive Endings ε + [stem] + [ο before μ or ν and ε elsewhere] + [secondary middle/passive endings]
	secondary middle/passive endings for singular	Examples	secondary middle/passive endings for plural	Examples
First person	-μην	ἐλυόμην	-μεθα	ἐλυόμεθα
Second person	-ου	ἐλύου	-σθε	ἐλύεσθε
Third person	-το	ἐλύετο	-ντο	ἐλύοντο

When dealing with these additional augment or connecting word or endings, some general rules are: 

• when the augment ε precede another vowel or diphthong, there will be contraction resulting in η, ω, ῃ, or ῳ.
• when the connective σ adjoins a labial, palatal, or dental consonant, there will be conversion of the consonant.  

A little statistics provided in the Hildebrant Greek Textbook, the frequency of use of these various tenses are: 

• present indicative : 5,534 times
• the aorist : 5,877 times
• imperfect: 1,682 times
• future: 1,608 times
• perfect following: 837 times and 
• pluperfect 83 times 

Ref: Ted Hildebrandt.  Mastering New Testament Greek Textbook.  Chapters 3, 9, 10, and 12 on present active verbs, present middle/passive verbs, future verbs and imperfect verbs.  In: Mastering New Testament Greek Textbook.  Downloaded at http://biblicalelearning.org/introductory-languages/mastering-new-testament-greek/.

瑪竇福音28:19及十字聖號經 (Matthew 28:19 and the Sign of the Cross)

瑪竇福音27章19節，復活的耶穌在加里肋亞的山上對門徒說，...你們要去使萬民成為門徒，因父及子及聖神之名給他們授洗....

讓我們看看這一句「因父及子及聖神之名」的希臘文是：

εἰς τὸ ὄνομα καὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγιοῦ Πνεύματος

經過前三篇關於希臘文的名詞、冠詞、介詞、形容詞，現在可以嘗試分析一下這段後來成為十字聖號經的短句：

text	greek word	grammatical considerations
εἰς	εἰς	preposition (介詞), used with accusative case,  meaning “in”, no gender/number soft breathing mark, no accent (proclitics)
τὸ ὄνομα	τὸ	“the”; the article preceding the noun “name”, accusative case, neuter, singular, changed to grave accent
	ὄνομα	noun[ὄνομα, -ατος, τὸ], meaning "name", third declension noun, in accusative case, neuter, singular
τοῦ Πατρὸς	τοῦ	both the article and the noun [πατήρ, πατρός, ὁ] in genitive case (third declension), masculine, singular, changed to grave accent, defines the relationship with the preceding noun, meaning “of the Father”
	Πατρὸς
καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ	καὶ	conjunction, translated as “and”, grave accent
	τοῦ	both the article and the noun in genitive case, the noun [υἱός, -οῦ, ὁ ] meaning "son", a second declension noun, masculine, singular; defines the relationship with the “τὸ ὄνομα”, meaning “of the Son”
	Υἱοῦ
καἰ τοῦ Ἁγιοῦ Πνεύματος	καὶ	conjunction, translated as “and”, grave accent
	τοῦ	article, genitive case, neuter, singular
	Ἁγιοῦ	adjective, stem [ἅγιος, -α, -ου] taking second declension to give genitive case, neuter, singular, meaning “holy”, note the rough breathing mark
	Πνεύματος	noun, stem [πνεύμα, -ατος, τό], taking third declension to give genitive case, neuter, singular; the stem means air, wind, breathing, and here refers to the spirit; putting together, this phrase means "of the Holy Spirit", pronunciation needs to have a labial "p" sound in the beginning

我們常用的十字聖號經，在天主教教理，是屬於「聖儀」(Sacramentals)，第1668條，提到：

Holy Cross at the Chiesa di Santa Maria
della Grazia in Milan, Italy 

• 「聖儀是由教會所建立的，為聖化教會的某些職務、生命中某些情況、基督徒生活的不同境遇、及有益於人類使用的物品。聖儀根據主教的牧民決策，也可用以回應某一時代或某一地區基督徒的文化、歷史和其他需要。聖儀常包含祈禱，並時常伴以一種指定的標記，例如覆手、劃十字聖號、灑聖水(使人紀念聖洗聖事)等。」

• “Sacramentals are instituted for the sanctification of certain ministries of the Church, certain states of life, a great variety of circumstances in Christian life, and the use of many things helpful to man. In accordance with bishops' pastoral decisions, they can also respond to the needs, culture, and special history of the Christian people of a particular region or time. They always include a prayer, often accompanied by a specific sign, such as the laying on of hands, the sign of the cross, or the sprinkling of holy water (which recalls Baptism).”

而十字聖號經的起源，最常引用的是教父戴都良(Tertullian)所説的：

• “In all our travels and movements, in all our coming in and going out, in putting on our shoes, at the bath, at the table, in lighting our candles, in lying down, in sitting down, whatever employment occupies us, we mark our foreheads with the sign of the cross” (Tertullian (d. c. 250) De corona, 30).

現在，我們可以用中文、英文、或希臘文在祈禱前後說：

因父及子及聖神之名，亞孟。

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

εἰς τὸ ὄνομα καὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγιοῦ Πνεύματος, ἀμὴν.

Ref: 

1. Bible Hub.  Greek Text Analysis.  Access: https://biblehub.com/text/matthew/28-19.htm

2. Father William P. Saunders.  “What is the origin of the sign of the cross?” at Catholic Straight Answers.  Access: http://catholicstraightanswers.com/what-is-the-origin-of-the-sign-of-the-cross/