[B-Greek] Jn 2.4 and translation practices
Oun Kwon
kwonbbl at gmail.com
Tue Feb 12 13:11:59 EST 2008
I am going over this topic again and a few lingering questions.
My choice for English equivalent here in Jn 2:4 is 'My Dear!' (along
with a footnote) as suggested by Carl. [In my native Korean, any
other than 'mother' (with or without respectful postfix) is very
awkward.]
Now, GUNAI is seen in 4:21 (to Samaritan); 8:10 (to the woman caught
in adultery) and in 20:13 (to Maria the Magdalene) in the G-John.
When it comes to his mother (in 2:4 and 19:26), however, I wonder why
did he do the same way as to other women? Why didn't He say simply
"MHTHR!" as it should have been customary since his childhood? GUNAI
may be of endearment but still sounds formal. Would he call her
"GUNAI!" even at home?
Was it especially because he now grown-up was on the public stage? As
I read somewhere it signifies "He is no longer Mary's son before the
world", does it?
Is it a special roundabout way of addressing when on the public? [A
fictional example from USA. Pardon me that I have substituted her for
his wife: Mr. McCain may call his mother 'Mother!' at home, but I can
picture this: he would say to her on public platform during the
campaign after being nominated for the Republican Party candidate: "My
Dear (lady)! My time to run for the presidency has come!".]
Oun Kwon.
On Nov 27, 2006 9:55 PM, Ann Nyland <nyland at tsn.cc> wrote:
> Hi all,
> Jesus did not address his mother as "Woman", he addressed her as GUNAI,
> which was a most common form of polite address in Greek, e.g. in
> Aristophanes, Acharnians, 262 Dikaiopolos says, "Dear wife, you watch us
> from the roof. Let's go!" (Trans. as "Dear wife" not "woman" by
> J.Henderson.) R.D. Dawe, (ed.) Sophocles: Oedipus Rex. Cambridge Greek and
> Latin Classics, (Cambridge: C.U.P., 1982), p. 190 translates GUNAI in
> Sophocles, O.T., 928, as "lady".
> It was a common term of endearment or respect in the Greek language.
> Ann Nyland
>
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