[B-Greek] PARA in John 1:14

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Fri Nov 2 17:13:41 EDT 2007


On Nov 2, 2007, at 4:47 PM, Jerry Reimer wrote:

> Concerning PARA with the genitive case:
>
> An expositor has said that both meanings (from [genitive] and with  
> [dative]) are present in a place like John 1:14 (PARA PATROS).  
> Thus, from-with is his translation. This construction is said to  
> prove that the Son is both from the father and with the father at  
> the same time; that is to say, the son came from the father and the  
> father came down onto the earth with the son. I am not asking about  
> the theology of this exposition. I am asking about the language  
> which is being used (misused?) to support it. Does the language  
> support this view?
>
> If my understanding is correct, you cannot have your cake and eat  
> it too; that is to say, it is either from or with (depending on the  
> case of the object) and that the most you can say is that the son  
> was with the father and came from the father but that it is  
> illegitimate totality transfer (per James Barr) to cram multiple  
> meanings into this preposition for the sake of a theological  
> position. Am I missing something here or do prepositions carry all  
> of their semantic baggage with them all the time regardless of the  
> case of the object? Isn't that what cases are about (thus limiting,  
> narrowing down the several meanings of prepositions)?

Text:
John 1:14 	Καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο  
καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν, καὶ  
ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν  
ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός, πλήρης  
χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας.
KAI hO LOGOS SARX EGENETO KAI ESKHNWSEN EN hHMIN, KAI EQEASAMEQA THN  
DOXAN AUTOU, DOXAN hWS MONOGENOUS PARA PATROS, PLHRHS CARITOS KAI  
ALHQEIAS.

For my part, I can see no justification whatsoever for understanding  
PARA PATROS as anything other than "from a father." I don't see how  
PARA with a genitive is supposed to be simultaneously equivalent to  
PARA with a dative.

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Ret)




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