[b-greek] Re: Joh 9:3

From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Fri Jul 06 2001 - 07:02:14 EDT


At 6:19 AM -0400 7/6/01, Andre Jogi wrote:
>... HMARTEN (3 sg. aor. ind. act.) ... GENNHTH (3 sg. aor. pass.)
>Is it possible, that this man had opportunity to make sin b e f o r e he
>is born ? It means some kind of recarnation meaning could be there ...

The relevant text: (2) KAI HRWTHSAN AUTON hOI MAQHTAI AUTOU LEGONTES:
"hRABBI, TIS hHMARTEN, hOUTOS H hOI GONEIS AUTOU, hINA TUFLOS GENNHQHi?"
(3) APEKRIQH IHSOUS: "OUTE hOUTOS OUTE hOI GONEIS AUTOU, ALL' hINA
FANERWQHi TA ERGA TOU QEOU EN AUTWi.

The center of gravity of this portion of the story is surely Jesus'
response rather than the disciples' question. I think that Jesus probably
means to call into question the notion that human suffering must
necessarily be the consequence of personal or ancestral sin.

I also don't think there's very much point in analyzing the logic of the
disciples' question, but I will say that more likely than any notion of
reincarnation is the notion that the blind man was predestined to be blind
because it was foreknown that he would sin. But I really think that such
speculation is pointless--I really think that the point of the narrative
here is Jesus' response rather than the disciples' question.
--

Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Emeritus)
Most months: 1647 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu OR cwconrad@ioa.com
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/

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