Luke 1:28

[JM3]

A caller on Open Line today was saying that there is a fourth tense in the greek which means past, present and future combined, or at the same time, or something like that.

This is from scripturetext.com/luke/1-28.htm

κεχαριτωμενη verb - perfect passive participle - nominative singular feminine
charitoo khar-ee-to’-o: to grace, i.e. indue with special honor – make accepted, be highly favoured.

Can someone explain the greek meaning. Does it mean that the Blessed Virgin Mary was, is and always will be, Full of Grace?

 

[Dave_Noonan]

A caller on Open Line today was saying that there is a fourth tense in the greek which means past, present and future combined, or at the same time, or something like that.

That’s not correct as far as I know.

 

[NHInsider]

A caller on Open Line today was saying that there is a fourth tense in the greek which means past, present and future combined, or at the same time, or something like that.

This is from scripturetext.com/luke/1-28.htm

κεχαριτωμενη verb - perfect passive participle - nominative singular feminine
charitoo khar-ee-to’-o: to grace, i.e. indue with special honor – make accepted, be highly favoured.

Can someone explain the greek meaning. Does it mean that the Blessed Virgin Mary was, is and always will be, Full of Grace?

perfect = past tense/accomplished/finished
passive = the subject is the recipient of the action, rather than the actor
participle = verb acting as a descriptor (and, in this sentence, as a title).

So κεχαριτωμενη means, grammatically, that she was already filled with grace by God. Which the Church has always interpreted as a statement about her having been preserved from sin, in order to provide a pure vessel for the Incarnate God.

Incidentally, I dislike the translation of “honor” or “favor” in place of “grace” because the first two may imply that the recipient earned the distinction, while “grace” makes it clear that this is a gift.

 

[losh14]

A caller on Open Line today was saying that there is a fourth tense in the greek which means past, present and future combined, or at the same time, or something like that.

Going to wiki (sorry) there’s the aoristic aspect which may indicate that an action is always occuring, but not necessarily.

For example in Mt 6:11 the Our Father, “Give us this day our daily bread” is aorist but perfective (ie, it’s done once). In Lk 11:3, the same verb is rendered imperfect, ie “Give us day by day our daily bread” so that it’s implied to be continual.

κεχαριτωμενη verb - perfect passive participle - nominative singular feminine
charitoo khar-ee-to’-o: to grace, i.e. indue with special honor – make accepted, be highly favoured.

The perfect tense means the action is definite and complete. Consider past perfect - “I went to Mass” versus past imperfect “I was going to Mass”.

Can someone explain the greek meaning. Does it mean that the Blessed Virgin Mary was, is and always will be, Full of Grace?

I don’t think even the grammar can fully resolve this on its own here - having an imperfect tense (rather than the perfect, as you indicate) would support that there is no definite beginning and end to the grace given. That said, a perfect tense doesn’t mean that Mary isn’t always full of Grace - it just indicates that the Grace spoken of by the angel has been given (and it is the passive mood that indicates it was Grace received - ie Mary was favored, not that Mary was the one who favored).