[B-Greek] Can QEOS be used in apposition to MONOGENHS in John 1:18-revised

Blue Meeksbay bluemeeksbay at yahoo.com
Tue Nov 3 17:24:27 EST 2009


I have noticed some believe QEOS should be seen in apposition to MONOGENHS in John 1:18. This seems to me to be an unusual grammatical construction.  
If QEOS was to be used in apposition to MONOGENHS in this verse, would not it have normally been used in a relative clause or, perhaps, have been preceded by a pronoun, as “Saviour” is preceded by “our,” in “God our Saviour” in Jude 1:25? Then John 1:18 would read “the One and Only, our God,” or the "Only Begotten, our God," depending on one's understanding.  Or if MONOGENHS is supposed to be viewed as a substantive, would not it have been normal to write QEOS with the definite article as is commonly done in the LXX (e.g. Lord God – KURIOSO QEOS)?  If John wants us to view QEOS in apposition to MONOGENHS, it seems he is using an unusual construction. It seems the simpler translation would be to understand MONOGENHS as an adjective modifying “QEOS,” so that it would read, "the One and Only God," or the "Only Begotten God," according to one's preference. Are there any thoughts as to this issue, or are there any other examples
 by any other writers who use a construction like this, but in a verse with less ambiguity?
Yours Truly,
B. Harris
P.S. Please excuse my earlier email. I did not fully understand the protocols. I hope this one is done correctly.


      


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