The Perfect is still, with very few exceptions, a true Perfect, but it has begun to be an Aorist. In modern English we see the process at a point midway between that represented by the Greek of the New Testament and that which appears in the Latin of about the same time. Modern German represents about the same stage as modern English, but a little further advanced. It should be borne in mind that in determining whether a given Perfect form is a true Perfect in sense or not, the proper English translation is no certain criterion, since the functions of the Perfect tense in the two languages differ so widely. The Perfect pepoi,hka in 2 Cor.
Many Aorists even go quite naturally and correctly into English Perfects.
The Perfect pe,praken in Matt. Mark's use of the word is possibly the same, but the evidence is not decisive. All other writers of the New Testament use the form as a true Perfect. Still other cases should perhaps be explained as Aoristic Perfects, but for the reasons mentioned in 86 it is impossible to decide with certainty. While there is clear evidence that the Perfect tense was in the New Testament sometimes an Aorist in force, yet it is to be observed that the New Testament writers had perfect command of the distinction between the Aorist and the Perfect.