[B-Greek] John 1:18
Blue Meeksbay
bluemeeksbay at yahoo.com
Sat Nov 7 11:56:20 EST 2009
Let me mention one last thought, in concert with Carl Conrad’s understanding of MONOGENHS as “only-generated.” The fact that GENNAW, even though it may not be the immediate root of GENHS, is used of both the male and the female (Matt. 1:2, 16; 19:12 etc.), perhaps shows us a better translation of Heb. 11:17 might be TON MONOGENHS – “the only generated” rather than “his only son” NET.
Everyone always interprets MONOGENHS to mean “one of a kind” in this verse because Abraham had other sons, but that is presuming the translation of “his only son,” whereas if it is translated as “the only begotten,” Isaac may have, indeed, been the “only begotten” of all Abraham’s children, thus the title MONOGENHS. He certainly was the only begotten of Sarah. Why do we presume MONOGENHS must always refer to the father? If all Abraham’s other wives had more than one child, Isaac, indeed, could be the only one who was actually, “the only begotten.”
I know that some will say, “But wasn’t Ishmael an “only generated?” Perhaps, but it is interesting that there is a Jewish tradition that the writer of Hebrews may have had in mind when he said “TON MONOGENHS.”
It is interesting that when Abraham was asked to offer up his son in sacrifice, Jewish tradition has him replying:
“But I have two sons.” 'Thine only one, ‘was the reply.’ “But each is the only one of his mother!” 'Whom thou lovest,' he was told. “But I love both!” and the answer came 'Even Isaac.'“[1]
This might give the basis that MONOGENHS can also being used in reference to mothers.
Then years, later, according to Jewish tradition, Hagar, after she was sent away by Abraham, remarried and had other children. Such Jewish Rabbis as Aben Ezra and the famous rabbi David Kimchi held to this view[2]
They believed the people spoken of in I Chr. 5:10, known as the Hagarites, were descendents of this second marriage. This verse seems to speak of a matrilineage rather than patrilineage. This seems to me an unusual appellation, unless Hagar was known to have other children, and, because of her importance in the Genesis narrative, perhaps, she was known as a matriarch of a tribe.
This may also help explain why the Hagarites were listed separately from the Ishmaelites in Ps. 83:6. The verse reads as follows, “It includes the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagarites” (NET).
In any case, getting back to MONOGENHS in Heb. 11:17, perhaps, the writer of Hebrews knew of this tradition, and this is what he had in mind when using MONOGENHS of Isaac. He truly was the only one of all Abrahams children who could be called “the only begotten” of his “mother.” (Forgive me Dr. Conrad, I am so used to using “only begotten”) – “the only generated” of Sarah, and this preserves the idea of “generation” since the context in the same sentence structure is “seed” (vs. 18). Abraham’s seed was preserved in “TOV MONOGENHS” of Sarah.
With best regards,
B. Harris
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[1] Cohen, Dr. A., The Soncino Chumash, (The Soncino Press, London, Jerusalem, New York, 1983), pg. 108
[2]See page 17 of the Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, Vol. IV, by John M’Clintock, D.D., and James Strong, S.T.D., Harper and brothers, New York, 1872,
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From: Carl Conrad <cwconrad2 at mac.com>
To: Leonard Jayawardena <leonardj at live.com>
Cc: b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Sat, November 7, 2009 1:28:27 AM
Subject: Re: [B-Greek] John 1:18
On Nov 7, 2009, at 12:14 AM, Leonard Jayawardena wrote:
>
>
> One final comment on the meaning of MONOGENHS in the first chapter
> of John: Doesn't TON YION TON MONOGENH in John 3:16 clinch my
> position that MONOGENHS means "only-begotton." In view of this
> verse, would you still hold that MONOGENHS means "one of a kind" or
> unique?
You evidently missed my message of November 6, 2009 2:30:59 PM EST
where I conceded that the meaning of MONOGENHS must be "only
generated." h John 3:16 is different from John 1:18 precisely in that
the noun construed with MONOGENH is hUION; in 1:18 the noun construed
with MONOGENHS is QEOS, if that reading as accepted in NA27/UBS4 is
preferred. At any rate, I accept that "only-begotten" is good 17th-
century English for MONOGENHS.
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
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