The Perfect Introduction to the Perfect Tense Debate

Those of us who learned Greek were told that the perfect tense form denotes a past event with an on-going effect.

However, these days, leading grammarians and linguists have successfully shown that in the Greek language verbs were not so much concerned with the time of action but with the type of action, called “aspect.”

At the most recent SBL meeting in Baltimore, there was a great session on “The Perfect Storm” featuring Buist Fanning, Stan Porter, and Con Campbell.

In a nutshell, Buist Fanning argues for a modified form of the traditional view  with a past event leading to an on going state. Stan Porter claims that the perfect tense form is stative and denotes a state of affairs of some kind. Con Campbell believes that the perfect tense form is imperfective and signifies a heightened sense of proximity.

Now this can seem very academic and something that only Greek Bible nerds would haggle over. That said, in the latest issue of New Testament Studies, Madison Pierce and Ben Reynolds have a great article illustrating how this debate about the perfect tense form impacts exegetical discussion. Their article is called “The Perfect Tense-Form and the Son of Man in John 3.13: Developments in Greek Grammar as a Viable Solution to the Timng of the Ascent and Descent,” NTS 60.1 (2014): 149-55. Here’s for info

Abstract:

The perfect tense-form verb ἀναβέβηκεν in John 3.13 is usually interpreted in light of traditional verb theory, as a ‘past action with present results’. This interpretation introduces an apparent problematic chronology in that the Son of Man ascends before descending; however, recent developments in Greek grammar, particularly verbal aspect theory, provide a viable solution to this grammatical ‘problem’ and indicate that the Son of Man’s descent precedes his ascent.

If you want an entree into a complex debate about Greek verbs, grammar, and how it shapes biblical interpretation, please read this article!