Paul Danove, «The 'aiteo' / 'aiteomai' Distinction in the New Testament: A Proposal.», Vol. 25 (2012) 101-118
This article investigates the seventy New Testament occurrences of aiteo to determine the motivation for and distinctive implications of the verb’s active and middle forms. The introductory discussion specifies the semantic and syntactic characteristics of aiteo and develops two features that have implications for distinguishing verbal usages. The discussion then proposes the distinction between active and middle forms and demonstrates this distinction in occurrences of the verb.
114 Paul Danove
Since this recognition would require the use of middle forms, this
discussion will need to provide an explanation of the two active occur-
rences with Herod as the referent of the Experiencer (Mark 6:22, 23).
The restriction of the two active and fifteen middle occurrences to usages
AEC-Act and AEC-Mid acknowledges the role of the officials (Experi-
encer) in imposing the constraint.
Two further considerations concerning the form and referent of Con-
tent complements distinguish the fifteen middle and two active occur-
rences with Roman officials as referents of the Experiencer from the pre-
viously considered forty-seven occurrences of αἰτέω (§§3 and 4.1). First,
among the previous occurrences, the Content complement is realized on
twenty-five occasions, and only eight of these have a specific referent:
bread (Matt 7:9); a fish (Matt 7:10; Luke 11:11); sitting at Jesus’ right and
left (Matt 20:22; Mark 10:39); an egg (Luke 11:12); something to drink
(John 4:9); alms (Acts 3:2); and letters (Acts 9:2). It is possible, but highly
unlikely, that only the high priest is able to grant the letters requested by
Saul; and the giving of bread, fish, eggs, something to drink, and alms is
not uniquely restricted to the noted referents of the Experiencer. In the
remaining occurrences, Jesus, the referent of the Experiencer, explicitly
states that sitting at his right and left is not his to give. Thus, in these
eight occurrences, the Content does not reference something that the ref-
erent of the Experiencer uniquely is able to give. In contrast, all seventeen
of the occurrences with officials as referent of the Experiencer realize
the Content. Thirteen of these have a specific referent that the referent of
the Experiencer uniquely is able to give: Barabbas (Matt 27:20); the body
of Jesus (Matt 27:58; Mark 15:43; Luke 23:52); the wish that Herod give
to the daughter the head of John the Baptist (Mark 6:26); that Pilate act
according to his custom (Mark 15:8); that Jesus be crucified (Luke 23:23);
the imprisoned man (Luke 23:25); that a murderer be given (Acts 3:14);
peace (Acts 12:20); that Jesus be killed (Acts 13:28); that Paul be sent to
Jerusalem (Acts 25:3); and a sentence against Paul (Acts 25:15). These
specify something that the official uniquely is able to give. Again, this
accounts for the restriction of these occurrences to usages that emphasize
the Experiencer.
Second, in seven of the eight previous occurrences with a specific real-
ized Content, a character other than the Agent speaks the statements.
In contrast, the Agent directly addresses the Experiencer in twelve of
the thirteen occurrences of Content complements with a specific referent.
This ensures that the Agent recognizes the unfulfilled implicit constraints.
Taken together, these two considerations clarify a consistent pattern
among the sixty-four occurrences of αἰτέω investigated to this point:
whenever the Agents formulate their own requests and realize a specific