Adjective – Comparatives μείζων, πλείων

ObjectivesLearning objectives

• The morphology and syntax of the comparatives μείζων and πλείων
• The difference between comparatives and regular adjectives

VocabularyVocabulary

MorphologyMorphology: Adjective – Comparatives μείζων, πλείων

• Comparatives like μείζων follow the same pattern as the first class of 3rd declension -ων nouns like τέκτων (see 30.1.3.1)

SemanticsSemantics: Adjective – Comparatives (Comparatives vs. regular)

One semantic feature of comparatives often noted in the linguistics literature is that comparative adjectives do not necessarily entail the regular adjective. For example, if we say The blue cup is bigger than the red cup, we cannot conclude that the blue cup is big. It may still be small, but it may be big in comparison to the red cup. Although this may seem obvious, it is an important logical characteristic of comparatives that to say something is bigger than something else does not mean that it is itself big.

As comparatives, this applies to μείζων and πλείων as well:

• (343) Comparative with μείζων ὁ πατὴρ μείζων μού ἐστιν (John 14:28)
• My father is greater than me

The property being compared in the context of John 14 as a whole seems to be authority. Jesus and his father are portrayed as individuals that should be loved and obeyed, but Jesus says that his father is μείζων than him. Ultimately, he also submits to his father’s will. It is in this property, and not others, that the two are being compared. If we have correctly identified the property that we are comparing, we can now establish what we can and cannot say about Jesus’s relation to the father. Since a comparative adjective does not say anything about the positive form of the adjective, we can conclude that the father has more authority than Jesus, but we cannot conclude anything about Jesus’s authority in general. This does not mean he has authority, nor does it mean he lacks it. It says nothing about it other than that it is not as great as Jesus’s father’s. When interpreting a text, it is sometimes just as important to establish what the text is not saying as it is to establish what is being said. This is particularly relevant for adjectives whose meaning is often context-dependent.