“Only If Father God Is with You”: Translating Post-nuclear Conditional Clauses in the Gospels

Abstract

Most conditional clauses in NT Greek are pre-nuclear and provide a frame for what follows. In contrast, most conditional clauses that are post-nuclear are either clausal complements (if introduced with εἰ) or focal protases (whether introduced with εἰ or with ἐάν). In verb- object languages like English, placing the protasis after the apodosis often implies that the protasis is focal. If the protasis is negative in Greek, another way to show that it is focal in many languages (including verb- final ones) is to make it positive and use an adverb such as “only” or “always.” In many verb-final languages, all conditional clauses are pre- nuclear, so translators need to distinguish those that provide a frame from those that are focal. This paper includes examples from four verb-final Quichuan languages that show how they made this distinction.