[B-Greek] Mary's PRWTOTOKOS

mrt mrt at hisurfer.net
Mon Dec 22 21:30:18 EST 2003


Dr Mark Goodacre
> So I'm wondering whether PRWTOTOKOS would suggest further children.
> I'd have thought that one might say firstborn without that necessary
> implication, especially if one were narrating the birth of the
> firstborn.  It would be different to describe someone as "firstborn"
> at a subsequent stage, I'd have thought.  But I just don't know what
> the background is. Does anyone have any ideas?

So does PRWTOTOKOS (in and of itself) indicate the necessity of MORE
offspring?

The use of PRWTOTOKOS here may be no more than to clearly state that Mary
was a virgin and had no other children BEFORE Jesus.  Luke seems to make a
big deal about Mary's virginity (cf 1:27 bis, 34) even more than any other
gospel (cf. Mat 1:23).
In addition, it may be that since the gospel writers indicate that Mary had
more children (Matt 12:46; Mk 3:31; Lk 8:19f), so as not to have ANY
confusion... a lucid statement such as Lk 2:7 is appropriate i.e. Jesus was
the eldest son; born of a virgin.

Other secondary features may be to indicate headship of Jesus - as the rank
he enjoys over a family of multiple siblings. But I don't know about this...
and rather have doubts.

It is interesting that NET translates PRWTOTOKOS as "first-born" (w. hyphen)
in the Luke passage but everywhere else in the GNT it is "firstborn" (Rom.
8:29; Col. 1:15, 18; Heb. 1:6; 11:28; 12:23; Rev. 1:5).  Perhaps they did
this to indicate that PRWTOTOKOS is only nuanced in the natural sense (i.e.
the eldest) and not indicating preeminent in position, highest in rank, etc.

I did find one example where the term was used for an only child:

Psalms of Solomon 18:4 Your discipline for us is as for a firstborn son, an
only child, to divert the obedient soul from the stupidity caused by
ignorance.

However if one is interested in following biblical uses... from the Bible I
constantly seen it uses as:

eldest one whether animal or mankind is the most common use of PRWTOTOKOS
as in: eldest vs. youngest Jos 6:26, 1 Sam 14:49, 2 Sam 19:43

Psa 89:28 preeminent in position; highest in rank

I don't know if the Zech passage really argues here that the firstborn is an
only son.  But that he is like an especially favored child.

Zechariah 12:10 ...and they will mourn for him, as one mourns for an only
son,
and they will weep bitterly over him, like the bitter weeping over a
first-born.

N.B. A common misconception in approaches to Hebrew poetry is that
parallelism implies saying the same thing twice, when in fact meanings are
constantly being advanced, heightened, and focused.  Good poetry at all
times is an intellectually robust activity to which laziness is alien.
cf. Robert Alter/ The World of Biblical Literature/ Basic Books/ 1991/ pg.
178

Michael Tarver
OR. USA
<'\\><  laus Deo




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