Jn 20:22

Carl W. Conrad cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu
Mon Dec 6 15:15:04 EST 1999


At 2:57 PM -0600 12/6/99, Dave Scarpino wrote:
>Would someone please help me in translating the words "Labete & eipwv",
>found in John 20:22, in context with its sourounding text?
>
>If I typed this correctly the text is:  Kai touto eipwn evephusasev kai
>legei autois labete pneuma agiov
>
>I translated as follows: And after [He] says this He breathed in and says
>to them, (_____ labete) Spirit Holy...

We talked about this a few weeks ago and also earlier this year; you might
want to check the archives for February 13-15, 1999 and again more recently
for October 13, 1999.

EIPWN is aorist ptc. nom. sg. masc. and agrees with the subject of
ENEFUSHSEN (i.e. Jesus). This is a common use of an aorist participle in
coordination with a narrative verb in a past tense to indicate a succession
of actions. So you could make this: "And after/upon saying this, he
breathed on them ... " or "And he said this and then breathed on them ..."

LABETE is aorist 2nd pl. active imperative, here part of Jesus' direct
words to the disciples: "Receive/take/accept holy spirit." I've indicated
my own view that the evangelist here deliberately imitates the language of
Genesis 2:7 in ENEFUSHSEN in a way indicating the notion that Jesus
"infuses" the spirit into the disciples and then says, "Receive/accept"
that holy spirit that he has made available to them now in his risen
identity.


Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics/Washington University
One Brookings Drive/St. Louis, MO, USA 63130/(314) 935-4018
Home: 7222 Colgate Ave./St. Louis, MO 63130/(314) 726-5649
cwconrad at artsci.wustl.edu 



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