Cheryl Schatz

Mark you said:

Mat 13:44 “Again the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

‘buys’ here is the present indicate as are ‘goes, sells and has’. The action however has occurred in the past: the man took the money, paid and the deed was done.

The use of the present in this effect relates the hearer and reader into almost a present position, yet the context shows a past action.

The action cannot be past action because it isn’t true, but a parable or “story”. This is a story telling “time” that is called the historical present. A real story can be told with the historical present, but it would then be a narrative but told as if the events were actually happening at the moment.

Historical Present—“The historical or historic present is the name given to the use of the present tense in a narrative when the verb would be expected to have been in the past tense … [It] usually occurs prior to the event or group of events that are of particular significance” The Lexham Discourse Greek New Testament: Glossary.

These are termed “historical presents,” and such occurrences dramatize the event described as if the reader were there watching the event occur. Some English translations render such historical presents in the English past tense, while others permit the tense to remain in the present.
Pierce, L. Tense Voice Mood.

Surely you aren’t claiming that Ephesians 2:1 is a historical narrative story? And once again the example you gave is the present indicative (which Eph 2:1 is not) and the example is a story-telling feature that is outside of doctrinal facts.
I came across this issue many years ago when I was dealing with the Jehovah’s Witnesses and I had presented them with Jesus’ statement saying “I AM” (present tense). They said that it was not present tense but was meant to be taken as a historical present. Although John 8:58 is a present indicative (unlike the grammar of Eph 2:1), John 8:58 cannot be taken as a historical present because it is doctrinal truth and not a story telling narrative. It was meant to show Jesus as His very being is one of timeless “present” state of being and because the Jews understood Jesus in what He was saying about Himself, they picked up stones to kill him.
Sorry, Mark, but once again your attempt to claim the present indicative is the same as the present grammar of Ephesians 2:1, you are wrong again.

To be continued shortly…