None is more . . . than . . . except . . .

Greek Learning Greek
1

In the Posterior Analytics B19, Aristotle has these

• οὐδὲν ἐπιστήμης ἀκριβέστερον ἄλλο γένος ἢ νοῦς
• οὐδὲν ἀληθέστερον ἐνδέχεται εἶναι ἐπιστήμης ἢ νοῦν

which translaters read as

• no kind other than nous ⟨is⟩ more precise than episteme
• nothing at all except nous can be more fully true than episteme.

I get that ἐπιστήμης is a genitive of comparison. But I am not sure of ἢ. Why is nous in the nominative in the first and accusative in the second?

2

In the first, you can understand εστι, so it’s nominative all the way. (In an “A η B” construction, B has the same case as A.) In the second, ενδεχεται ειναι means “admits of being X,” taking the accusative.

3

Ah, and ἀληθέστερον is accusative, not nominative.

Thanks!