Re: John 5:39-40

From: Stefan Sondergaard (sks@www.cybercity.dk)
Date: Tue Dec 12 1995 - 06:45:39 EST


Calton L. Winbery asked

>John 5:39 ERAUNATE TAS GRAFAS, hOTI hUMEIS DOKEITE EN
>AUTAIS ZWHN AIWNION EXEIN
>KAI EKEINAI EISIN hAI MARTUROUSAI PERI EMOU 40
>KAI OU QELETE ELQEIN PROS ME hINA ZWHN EXHTE.
> [...] Can the first KAI have the function of a mild adversative like DE?

Grammatically the use of KAI is very varied in Greek and the influence from
Aramaic/Hebrew may as others have mentioned makes this variation even
bigger. So from KAI alone nothing can decided.
   I think that the first KAI in not adversative but used in a way that can
be translated as "as well", "in deed", "also". That KAI and EKEINAI are
right next to each other may support that. The first KAI may be used to
express that the audience is on the right way.
   The second KAI however is then strongly adversative (="And in spite of
that"): The (right) direction that they have taken (looking for life in the
Scriptures) is broken as they will not accept that Jesus' as the one who
the Father has sent.
   The latest Danish authorised translation (1992) says (in my crude and
somewhat exaggerated translation):
"You scrutinise the Scriptures because you believe that you have eternal
life in them,
and these actually _do_ bear witness to me.
But in spite of that you will not come to me to have life"

Stefan K. Soendergaard

Student at the Faculty if Theology, University of Aarhus, Denmark.
sks@vip.cybercity.dk



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Sat Apr 20 2002 - 15:37:34 EDT