This article seeks to discern the actual benefits and liabilities of Verbal Aspect Theory
(VAT) for NT exegesis by examining its application in Ciampa and Rosner’s Commentary
on 1 Corinthians. They apply VAT to four primary areas: the explanation of Aktionsart, time
and verb tense, present and aorist imperatives, and the perfect tense. The article concludes
that a helpful nuance is gained by the use of VAT, though some need for consistency and
clarity remains. On the other hand, VAT may at times result in a flattened interpretation
of Greek verbs because in some areas VAT provides limited interpretive options that do not
always best explain the data.
