From: Richard Ghilardi (qodeshlayhvh@juno.com)
Date: Thu May 31 2001 - 14:25:58 EDT
Dear b-greekers,
I hate to disagree with such sharp guys as MH, HH, and HWJ, to say
nothing of HAWM, but I must side with Bengel and Ebrard on this one.
[Holmyard]
In BAGD, under KAI, at I.6, there is mention of KAI to introduce
contrasts
where there are two KAI's, yielding "although" . . ."yet." That is what
the
context in John 17:25 suggests.
[Haggett]
I don't think this does fit, because I don't see this contrast as being
between the two KAIs but between the first KAI and the EGW DE.
I suppose you could translate:
"Righteous Father, although the world did not know you, (yet) I knew you
..."
But to my mind this doesn't quite convey the TONE of what Jesus is saying
here. That idea would more likely be expressed with a MEN ... DE
construction.
[Ghilardi]
John doesn't like MEN...DE contrastive. He uses it far less than any
other major NT writer. In fact, it never appears in his letters or
Revelation and only 4 times in his gospel -- 10:41; 16:22; 19:32f;
20:30f. Instead, he employs the Semitic construction KAI...KAI in 6:36;
15:24 and 17:25. This structure may also be found in Ac 23:3; Lk 5:36 and
Mk 9:22. I got these references from the article in BAGD mentioned by HH.
In light of the above, we cannot say with MH that <<That idea would more
likely be expressed with a MEN ... DE
construction>> but rather that John is just as likely to use either
construction.
I agree that there is a contrast between the first KAI and the EGW DE,
but this contrast is subordinate and parenthetical to the contrast
between the two KAI's.
So I would render the verse like this:
"Righteous Father, THE WORLD does not know you, (though I know you), and
yet THESE do know that you sent me."
The parallel with v. 11 would suggest this take on v. 25:
25) KAI hO KOSMOS SE OUK EGNW, EGW DE SE EGNWN, KAI hOUTOI EGNWSAN hOTI
SU ME APESTEILAS
11) KAI OUKETI EIMI EN TWi KOSMWi, KAI AUTOI EN TWi KOSMWi EISIN
I would render v. 11 as:
"I am no longer in the world, and yet THEY are in the world."
The only major structural difference between the two vss. is the
intervening DE clause in v. 25. John shows us the parenthetical nature of
this clause by using a postpositive conjunction that is weaker than KAI.
Grammatically, the DE clause is unecessary. The verse makes good sense
without it, as does v. 11. But logically, the DE clause is needed because
Jesus' knowledge of the Father is the link between the disciples'
knowledge of Jesus and his mission and their knowledge of the Father. (I
say this knowing that logic has had a bad rap on this list lately.)
In other words:
Because Jesus knows the Father and because the disciples know Jesus the
disciples know the Father (as the world does not know Him) through the
mission of Jesus.
I believe that the above interpretation is entirely in keeping with the
TONE of this prayer. cf vss. 11, 14, 16, 18, 23.
Yours in His grace,
Richard Ghilardi -- qodeshlayhvh@juno.com
New Haven, CT USA
Nibai kaurno hwaiteis gadriusando in airtha gaswiltith,
silbo ainata aflifnith: ith jabai gaswiltith, manag akran bairith.
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