Jo 19:25

Steven Craig Miller scmiller at www.plantnet.com
Mon Oct 18 11:18:08 EDT 1999


To: Wieland Willker,

<< Jo 19:25 EISTHKEISAN DE PARA TWi STAURWi TOU IHSOU H MHTHR AUTOU KAI H 
ADELFH THS MHTROS AUTOU MARIA H TOU KLWPA KAI MARIA H MAGDALHNH >>

Since there is no KAI before the first MARIA, it is possible to translates 
this passage three different ways:

(a) "And standing near Jesus' cross were his mother, and his mother's 
sister, that is: Clopas' Mary and Mary Magdalene" (thus there were only two 
women);

(b) "And standing near Jesus' cross were his mother, and his mother's 
sister, that is Clopas' Mary, and Mary Magdalene" (thus there were only 
three women);

and (c) "And standing near Jesus' cross were his mother, his mother's 
sister, Clopas' Mary and Mary Magdalene" (thus there were four women).

The grammatical question is why was the KAI omitted before the first MARIA? 
One obvious place to look for NT examples is the list of the 12 in the 
Synoptics. At Mark 3:13-19 and Luke 6:12-16 one finds a KAI before every 
name (except the first). Thus with a series of 12 names, one finds KAI 
eleven times. But at Mt 10:1-4, things are different. The first four names 
has KAI three times, but after that the names are listed in pairs, with a 
KAI joining the paired names, but no KAI joining the pairs, so that we 
have: "Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James 
son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot 
..." Similarly, at Acts 1:13b, the first three names are joined together 
with two KAIs, but the following names are paired off. What does this 
prove? It shows that it is very possible to read John 19:25 as two sets of 
pairs, listing four women: the two sister and the two Marys.

I will also note that here DE might mean "on the other hand," (note the MEN 
with hOI MEN OUN STRATIWTAI TAUTA EPOIHSAN).

-Steven Craig Miller
Alton, Illinois (USA)
scmiller at www.plantnet.com

 From Luther's Large Catechism: "Why, do you think, is the world now so 
full of unfaithfulness, shame, misery, and murder? It is because everyone 
wishes to be his or her own master, be free from all authority, care 
nothing for anyone, and do whatever he or she pleases. So God punishes one 
knave by means of another" (BoC 386.154).



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