John 1.3

Pete Phillips p.m.phillips at cliff.shef.ac.uk
Mon Jul 19 10:06:18 EDT 1999


OK, don't let this be the start of all out orthodoxical warfare nor the definitive argument on Christology nor the basis to rant about HJ research...

I was just wondering about the Greek of John 1.3 and especially the role of DIA and GINESQAI in the phrase PANTA DI'AUTOU EGENETO.

LSJ and Louw-Nida point to DIA being instrumental - 'through him/it' but Louw-Nida seem to suggest that in other places there is an element of agency with DIA so that it would = hYPO.

GINESQAI - usually means something coming into being - i.e. used for process phrases whereas EINAI is used for stasis phrases.  Would you agree?  That would mean either 'happened' or 'came into being' - because the previous verses have set the paradigmatic/intertextual context to be the Hebrew creation narrative - therefore PANTA EGENETO = "everything was created" in most commentaries but Lamarche/Ashton = "everything that has happened (in history ever since, and so including, creation)".

OK - any comments?




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