Condition

The circumstantial participle expresses simply circumstance or manner in general. It may imply various other relations, such as time, manner, means, cause, purpose, concession, condition, etc. But it is often impossible to assign a participle exclusively to any one of these relations (which are purely logical), nor can all the delicate relations of the participle be set forth in systematic form.

Condition (negative always μή).—σὺ δὲ κλύων ( = ἐᾱ̀ν κλύῃς) εἴσει τάχα but if you listen you shall soon know Ar. Av. 1390, οὐκ ἂν δύναιο μὴ καμὼν ( = εἰ μὴ κάμοις) εὐδαιμονεῖν you cannot be happy unless you work E. fr. 461.

Genitive Absolute.—A circumstantial participle agreeing with a genitive noun or pronoun which is not in the main construction of the sentence, stands in the genitive absolute. Like other circumstantial participles, the genitive absolute expresses time, cause, condition, concession, or simply any attendant circumstance.

a. Time: ταῦτ᾽ ἐπρᾱ́χθη Κόνωνος στρατηγοῦντος these things were effected while Conon was in command I. 9.56, τούτων λεχθέντων ἀνέστησαν this said, they rose X. A. 3.3.1, Ἠϊόνα . . . Μήδων ἐχόντων πολιορκίᾳ εἷλον they blockaded and captured Eïon which was held by the Medes T. 1.98.

b. Cause: τῶν σωμάτων θηλῡνομένων καὶ αἱ ψῡχαὶ ἀρρωστότεραι γίγνονται by the enfeebling of the body, the spirit too is made weaker X. O. 4.2.

c. Opposition or Concession: καὶ μεταπεμπομένου αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐθέλω ἐλθεῖν even though he is sending for me, I am unwilling to go X. A. 1.3.10. καίπερ is usually added (2083).

d. Condition: οἴομαι καὶ νῦν ἔτι ἐπανορθωθῆναι ἂν τὰ πρᾱ́γματα τούτων γιγνομέ- νων if these measures should be taken, I am of the opinion that even now our situation might be rectified D. 9.76.

e. Attendant Circumstance: Κῦρος ἀνέβη ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη οὐδενὸς κωλῡ́οντος Cyrus ascended the mountains without opposition (lit. no one hindering) X. A. 1.2.22 (or since no one opposed him).

ὥσπερ as, just as, as it were, an adverb of comparison, denotes that the action of the main verb is compared with an assumed case. Thus, κατακείμεθ᾽ ὥσπερ ἐξὸν ἡσυχίᾱν ἄγειν we lie inactive just as if it were possible to take one's ease X. A. 3.1.3, ὠρχοῦντο . . . ὥσπερ ἐπιδεικνύμενοι they danced as it were making an exhibition 5. 4. 34, οἱ δὲ ὡς ἤκουσαν, ὥσπερ συὸς ἀγρίου φανέντος, ῑ̔́ενται ἐπ᾽ αὐτόν but when they heard him, just as though a wild boar had appeared, they rushed against him 5. 7. 24. Cp. 2078.

a. Where a condition is meant, we have ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ (ὡσπερανεί). Cp. 2480 a.

b. Hom. uses ὥς τε, ὡς εἰ, ὡς εἴ τε like ὥσπερ or ὡς. ὡς εἰ, ὡς εἴ τε occur also in tragedy, and do not have a conditional force. Thus, ὀλοφῡρόμενοι ὡς εἰ θανατόνδε κιόντα bewailing him as if he were going to death Ω 328. Cp. 2481.

(VI) To state a condition or a proviso (on condition that, provided that).

πολλὰ μὲν ἂν χρήματ᾽ ἔδωκε Φιλιστίδης ὥστ᾽ ἔχειν Ὠρεόν Philistides would have given a large sum on condition of his holding Oreus D. 18.81, ὑπῑσχνοῦντο ὥστε ἐκπλεῖν they gave their promise on the condition that they should sail out X. A. 5.6.26. On condition that is commonly expressed by ἐφ᾽ ᾧ or ἐφ᾽ ᾧτε (2279) with or without a preceding ἐπὶ τούτῳ.

A condition is a supposition on which a statement is based. A conditional sentence commonly consists of two clauses:

The protasis: the conditional, or subordinate, clause, expressing a supposed or assumed case (if).

The apodosis: the conclusion, or principal clause, expressing what follows if the condition is realized. The truth or fulfilment of the conclusion depends on the truth or fulfilment of the conditional clause.

a. The protasis has its name from πρότασις, lit. stretching forward, that which is put forward (in logic, a premiss); the apodosis, from ἀπόδοσις, lit. giving back, return; i.e. the resuming or answering clause.