"In the beginning was the word" (Jn 1:1a) <LYR324-39855-2000.02.22-21.24...
Polycarp66 at aol.com
Polycarp66 at aol.com
Tue Feb 22 23:52:59 EST 2000
In a message dated 2/22/2000 11:13:23 PM Central Daylight Time,
x99swain at wmich.edu writes:
<<
Now I would argue that LOGOS is in some senses all of these, what possible
English word or short phrase could cover this? Or word or phrase in
another language? Utterance doesn't. Word doesn't (wonder why Jermoe
chose Verbum for LOGOS---don't have the VL to check what others may have
made of it in Latin before Jerome.) In short, this is one place that I
think that no matter how we choose to render it, it won't quite fit what
is hapening in the Greek. >>
It surely doesn't mean ALL of those things in Jn. 1.1. It has a very
specific range of meaning. The job is to discern what that range includes
and to try to convey that notion in whatever language we happen to be using.
I think we get too philosophical and try to make it mean everything. Gen.
1.1 is the most likely referent as I see it. Let's face it, John (or whoever
wrote the 4th gospel) wasn't primarily a philospher. True, none of us can
help dabbling in philosophy to a greater or lesser extent since we must have
some conception of what this world is all about, but this isn't a
philosophical text.
gfsomsel
More information about the B-Greek
mailing list