[B-Greek] John 18:37

David Rollins david87350 at earthlink.net
Mon Jan 8 00:37:03 EST 2007


18:37	EIPEN OUN AUTW O PILATOS, OUKOUN BASILEUS EI SU ; APEKRIQH O  
IHSOUS, SU LEGEIS OTI BASILEUS EIMI.  EGW EIS TOUTO GEGENNHMAI KAI  
EIS TOUTO ELHLUQA EIS TON KOSMON, INA MARTURHSW TH ALHQEINAS

This exchange between Pilate and Jesus has always seemed odd to me  
because it seems so stilted.  My range of reading in greek is limited  
to the NT, LXX, and a limited amount of other attic and koine  
sources.  I'm sure someone else on the list can point to an example  
from other texts of how this conversation should read.  The OUKOUN  
( not therefore ?) is used only here in the NT and is puzzling to  
me.  Everyone I have read reads it as , "So, you are a king..."  Is  
there another example of this kind of use somewhere else?  Why does  
Jesus respond SU LEGEIS OTI BASILEUS EIMI  with a sort of ( to me at  
least) indirect answer?  Obviously I am not familiar with this kind  
of conversation. What are the nuances behind the words?

David Rollins



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