[B-Greek] Fw: Musings over John 1:16

Donald COBB docobb at orange.fr
Mon Apr 20 06:41:41 EDT 2009


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Iver Larsen" <iver_larsen at sil.org>
To: "Donald COBB" <docobb at orange.fr>; "Margaret Sim" <margaret_sim at sil.org>;
<b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 16, 2009 1:46 PM
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] Musings over John 1:16


Dear Iver,

Just one detail:

>> So where does that leave the hOTI that begins v. 16? If it's not 
>> causal--or
>> "representational", Mary, if I've correctly understood your terminology 
>> in
>> my rapid perousal of your chapter (many thanks!)--then it seems to be
>> hanging somewhat loosely. X. Léon-Dufour, in his commentary, translates:
>> "Yes, from his fullness we have received". Could we then say, along with
>> Léon-Dufour and Ridderbos, that the clause introduced by hOTI (v. 16)
>> functions as a summary of what precedes (including perhaps also v. 15)?
>
> Do these two gentleman suggest that hOTI functions to mark a summary? I am 
> not aware that hOTI (or KAI) can ever introduce a summary. Are they 
> translating the text with hOTI or the alternative reading with KAI, which 
> is well supported and the majority text reading?

Both are commenting on hOTI and not the maj. reading. X. Léon-Dufour
especially (1) sees hOTI as introducing a summary. Ridderbos (2) sees it
more along the lines of a "confirmation" of v. 14 but also of v. 15 (perhaps
added later). In that sense it would seem to have a much larger referant,
i.e., "In effect, we have all received...", somewhat along the lines of BDAG
4,b that you mentioned.

My original question was, Are there other places (esp. outside of the NT; I
don't recall ever seeing anything in the NT) where hOTI could introduce a
summary (not in an apodosis)? The two passages I mentioned in Epictetus and
M-M could go in that direction, but it would be interesting to see if there
are other examples in Koine Greek that might confirm that.

Donald Cobb
Aix-en-Provence


(1) X. Leon-Dufour, *Lecture de l'évangile selon Jean*, 1/3, Paris: Seuil,
1988, 128.

(2) H. Ridderbos, *The Gospel of John. A Theological Commentary*, Grand
Rapids-Cambridge: Eerdmans, 1997 (orig. Dutch, 1987), 56

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