[B-Greek] MONOGENHS in the fourth gospel

Blue Meeksbay bluemeeksbay at yahoo.com
Sat Sep 25 13:03:24 EDT 2010


Hi Leonard -
 
Michael’s question reminded me of the exchanges last fall. 
 
On Sat Nov 7 04:28:27 EST 2009 Carl Conrad wrote:
 
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)
 
I like Carl’s take – *only generated,* or the good 17th century English word 
*only-begotten.* 

 
The 17th century had other good English words, like the good old Shakespearian 
English words: methinks, shrive, whence and zounds!  

 
Sincerely,
Blue Harris




________________________________
From: Leonard Jayawardena <leonardj at live.com>
To: b-greek at lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Fri, September 24, 2010 11:28:05 PM
Subject: [B-Greek] MONOGENHS in the fourth gospel



Sometime ago, I argued under the above thread that MONOGENHS in the fourth 
gospel meant "best-beloved," citing, inter alia, Josephus 20:20 as supporting 
this understanding of this word.


I have reconsidered this matter since and now think that MONOGENHS in the fourth 
gospel has exactly the same sense that it has in all other occurrences in the 
NT: "only." Therefore the phrase MONOGENHS hUIOS in the fourth gospel (and 1 
John) means "only son" and MONOGENHS QEOS in John 1:18 means "only god." As I 
explained in an earlier post, QEOS in MONOGENHS QEOS is a common noun.

I do not now think that there are any occurrences of MONOGENHS in extant Greek 
literature which support understanding MONOGENHS as "best-beloved" or 
"favourite." 



Leonard Jayawardena                         
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