[B-Greek] John 3:16 "so"

Harold Holmyard hholmyard3 at earthlink.net
Wed Dec 16 12:02:31 EST 2009


George,
> After all of your verbiage, if I recall correctly, the original 
> question you posed was whether the ὥστε hWSTE in Jn 3.16 indicated 
> degree or manner.  In the Trallians passage Ignatius seems to be using 
> it in the sense of degree though I continue to think that in Jn 3.16 
> it is used as "manner."

HH: You may be right that the usage in the Trallians' passage indicates 
degree, but what I was trying to say was that it might indicate manner. 
That is, Polybius' rejoicing together with Ignatius occurred "in this 
way":  a blameless mind that was unwavering in endurance. I'll give a 
translation of the text you supplied to reflect that interpretation:

>
> > 1.1 AMWMON DIANOIAN KAI ADIAKRITON EN hUPOMONHi EGNWN hUMAS EXONTAS OU
> > KATA KRHSIN ALLA KATA FUSIN, KAQWS EDHLWSEN MOI POLUBIOS hO EPISKOPOS
> > hUMWN, hOS PAREGENETO QELHMATI IHSOU XRISTOU EN SMURNHi, KAI hOUTWS
> > MOI SUNEXARH DEDEMENWi EN XRISTWi IHSOU, hWSTE ME TO PAN PLHQOS hUMWN
> > EN AUTWi QEWRHSAI. (2) APODECAMENOS OUN THN KATA QEON EUNOIAN DI'
> > AUTOU, EDOCASA hEURWN hUMAS, hWS EGNWN, MIMHTAS ONTAS QEOU.


I have come to know that you to have a blameless mind and one unwavering 
in endurance, not according to usage but according to nature, just as 
Polybius, your overseer, informed me, who came to Smyrna by the will of 
God and Jesus Christ and in this way rejoiced together with me, bound as 
I was in Jesus Christ, so that I beheld the whole multitude of you in 
him. Receiving therefore your godly benevolence through him, I gave 
glory, finding you, as I have come to know, to be imitators of God.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard





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