How to translate a Future Passive Participle?

[MichaelJYoo]

How would I translate the word "consequendum" in this sentence?

"Summa doctrinae fidei ad salutem aeternam consequendum necessariae, quae Sacris Novi Foederis libris plene & perfecte continetur."

I'm pretty sure that "consequendum" is a future passive participle functioning as a substantive, and not a gerund or gerundive. However, since it does not modify anything, how would I translate it? Any translation seems like it would end up modifying the word "doctrinae," but this can't be the case since they don't agree.

 

[Bitmap]

There is no such thing as a future passive participle. consequendum is a gerund here that takes salutem aeternam as its object. ad consequendum depends on necessariae, which in turn modifies doctrinae: "... of the doctrine (/teaching) of faith necessary for achieving eternal salvation"

 

[Pacifica]

There is no such thing as a future passive participle.

Some people call the gerundive a future passive participle, but it's a misleading label since it was used as such only occasionally in late Latin.

 

[Godmy]

Yes, by semantics, future passive participle would have to attribute a meaning to a noun phrase, a meaning that would express: "which will be done" ("done" to be substituted by any other verb "which will be [verb]+ed ") and, truly, in the classical Latin and 95% of the Latin you ever meet this will never be true. Therefore the gerundive (never gerund) cannot be a future participle.

The terminology tries to emulate the Ancient Greek which indeed has such a rich participal system (much richer than Latin) and where the labels aren't misleading... It is "Greek envy" in the eyes of the old Latin grammarians manifesting itself in misleading terms and labels.

 

[MichaelJYoo]

There is no such thing as a future passive participle. consequendum is a gerund here that takes salutem aeternam as its object. ad consequendum depends on necessariae, which in turn modifies doctrinae: "... of the doctrine (/teaching) of faith necessary for achieving eternal salvation"

But why is "consequendum" in the accusative form? Is it the d.o. of some verb? You said that it depends on necessariae.

 

[Pacifica]

It's accusative after ad.

Are you familiar with gerunds and gerundives, and especially the construction with ad indicating purpose?

 

[MichaelJYoo]

It's accusative after ad.

Are you familiar with gerunds and gerundives, and especially the construction with ad indicating purpose?

Somewhat. I am still not very solid though when it comes to participles, vs gerunds, vs gerundives, and the supine. I am working through Learn to Read Latin by Andrew Keller to help me learn.

 

[Pacifica]

Perhaps this post can help.

 

[MichaelJYoo]

Perhaps this post can help.

Thanks a lot!

 

[Pacifica]

You're welcome!