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Greek Verb Tense × Voice in Pauline Letters

Source: STEPBible TAGNT
Scope: All verb tokens in the 13 Pauline epistles

Build script: scripts/nt/verbs/build_tense_voice_heatmaps.py

(Romans, 1–2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1–2 Thessalonians, 1–2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon)

Greek Tense × Voice in Pauline Letters

Summary

The heatmap shows Paul's verb tense/voice usage. Paul's letters are primarily argumentative prose (as opposed to narrative), which shapes his verb profile.

Key Observations

  • Present Active dominates — Paul makes present-tense statements and commands throughout his letters.
  • Aorist Active is the second highest — used for completed past actions and aorist imperatives (commands).
  • Aorist Passive is significant — Paul frequently uses the passive to describe what God has done to/for believers ("justified", "reconciled", "raised").
  • Paul uses Perfect Active more than the NT average, consistent with his theological emphasis on the ongoing effects of past events (e.g., "I have learned", "Christ has been raised").

Generated by notebooks/02_query_demo.ipynb