| 22. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the main clause axioumen de para sou akousai ha phroneis {ἀξιοῦμεν δὲ παρὰ σοῦ ἀκοῦσαι ἃ φρονεῖς | axioûmen dè parà soû akoûsai ha phroneîs}, where the finite verb axioumen governs the complementary infinitive akousai and the relative clause ha phroneis as its object, forming the request “we desire to hear from you what you think.” The prepositional phrase para sou identifies Paul as the source of the desired information. The following segment, peri men gar tes haireseos tautes gnōston hēmin estin hoti pantachou antilegetai {περὶ μὲν γὰρ τῆς αἱρέσεως ταύτης γνωστὸν ἡμῖν ἐστιν ὅτι πανταχοῦ ἀντιλέγεται | perì mén gàr tês haireseōs taútēs gnōstòn hēmîn estin hóti pantachoû antilégetai}, is an explanatory clause introduced by gar, giving the reason for their desire to listen. The particle men marks the topic “as for this sect,” while gnōston functions as a predicate adjective with estin, and hēmin is a dative of reference, producing the sense “it is known to us.” The conjunction hoti introduces the content of this knowledge, and the adverb pantachou placed before the passive verb antilegetai emphasizes the universality of opposition. In translation, this structure is preserved by keeping the main request first, followed by a causal clause, and by rendering the impersonal passive “it is spoken against” either literally or with an explicit subject (“people speak against it”) to convey the ongoing, widespread contradiction. |