Where the Rubber Meets the Road: An Analysis of the Use of Verbal Aspect Theory in Ciampa and Rosner’s Commentary on First Corinthians
Author
Kelley, Noah W.Date
2016Abstract
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.