John

[John Reece]

This is a non-debate reading and grammatical analysis thread.

Please do not post any cabala in this thread.

Abbreviations:

BDAG: A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature Third Edition Revised and Edited by Frederick William Danker (University of Chicago Press, 2000).

BG: Biblical Greek Illustrated by Examples, English Edition Adapted from the Fourth Latin Edition by Joseph Smith, S.J.. (Rome: Scripta Pontificii Instituti Biblici, 1963), by Maximilian Zerwick, S.J.

LXX: Septuaginta : Editio altera, Revised Edition (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2006), edited by Alfred Rahlfs

NA27: Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament (27th edition), edited by Barbara and Kurt Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce M. Metzger.

NETS: A New English Translation of the Septuagint and the Other Greek Translations Traditionally Included Under That Title, Albert Pietersma and Benjamin G. Wright, Editors (Oxford, 2007).

Zerwick: An Analysis of the Greek New Testament, by Max Zerwick and Mary Grosvenor (Rome: Biblical Institute Press, 1981).

[Cow Poke]

Subscribing noncabalically.

[John Reece]

Subscribing noncabalically.

[John Reece]

John 1:1a

Text: (NA27):

Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος

Transliteration (Accordance):

Εν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος

Translation (NRSV):

In the beginning was the Word

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

ἀρχή : beginning; ἐν ἀρχῇ = Gen 1:1, a deliberate allusion, hence "when all things (the universe, verse 3) began".
ἦν : imperfect of εἰμί, imperfect of duration, was, was in existence ; the fourfold ἦν opposite ἐγένετο verse 3
λόγος : word, here personal.

[John Reece]

John 1:1b

Text: (NA27):

καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος.

Transliteration (Accordance):

kai ho logos ēn pros ton theon, kai theos ēn ho logos.

Translation (NRSV):

and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

πρός : with accusative in Hellenistic Greek = παρά with dative beside, with a person but in John apparently connoting towards (a person).
θεός : "the word was divine" predicate with article, insisting on the nature of the Word.*

*such a person or thing, i.e. regards not this individual but rather it nature or quality. Hence it is sometimes stated as a "rule" that "the article is not used with the predicate". In fact, predicates commonly lack this article, but this is not in virtue of any "rule" about predicates in particular, but in virtue of the universal rule: for in the nature of things, the predicate commonly refers not to an individual as such, but to the class to which the subject belongs, to the nature or quality predicated of the subject: e.g. John 1:1 θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος, which attributes to the Word the divine nature (ὁ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος, at least in NT usage, would signify personal identity of the Word with the Father, since the latter is ὁ θεός).

[John Reece]

Text: (NA27):

καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος.

Transliteration (Accordance):

kai ho logos ēn pros ton theon, kai theos ēn ho logos.

Translation (NRSV):

and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

πρός : with accusative in Hellenistic Greek = παρά with dative beside, with a person but in John apparently connoting towards (a person).
θεός : "the word was divine" predicate with article, insisting on the nature of the Word.*

*such a person or thing, i.e. regards not this individual but rather it nature or quality. Hence it is sometimes stated as a "rule" that "the article is not used with the predicate". In fact, predicates commonly lack this article, but this is not in virtue of any "rule" about predicates in particular, but in virtue of the universal rule: for in the nature of things, the predicate commonly refers not to an individual as such, but to the class to which the subject belongs, to the nature or quality predicated of the subject: e.g. John 1:1 θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος, which attributes to the Word the divine nature (ὁ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος, at least in NT usage, would signify personal identity of the Word with the Father, since the latter is ὁ θεός).

An alternate opinion, from The Gospel According to JOHN

More, the Word was God. That is the translation demanded by the Greek structure, theos ēn ho logos. A long string of writers has argued that because theostheiosAdditional note:en tropō theoulogos

[John Reece]

John 1:2

Text: (NA27):

οὗτος ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεόν.

Transliteration (Accordance):

houtos ēn en archȩ̄ pros ton theon.

Translation (NRSV):

He was in the beginning with God.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

ἀρχή : beginning.

[John Reece]

John 1:3a

Text: (NA27):

πάντα δι᾿ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (NRSV):

All things came into being through him

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

δι᾿ = διά, with genitive through, of an instrumental cause (also of a principal cause, Romans 11:36)
ἐγένετο : aorist of γίνομαι become, come into being.

[John Reece]

John 1:3b

Text: (NA27):

καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν.

Transliteration (Accordance):

kai chōris autou egeneto oude hen.

Translation (NRSV):

and without him not one thing came into being.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

χωρίς᾿ : separately, apart, by itself.
ἐγένετο : aorist of γίνομαι come into being.
οὐδὲ ἕν = οὐδέν not a single thing.

[John Reece]

John 1:3c-4

Text: (NA27):
Transliteration (Accordance):

ho gegonen 4 en autō̧ zōē ēn, kai hē zōē ēn to phōs tōn anthrōpōn

Translation (NRSV):

What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

γέγονεν᾿ : perfect of γίνομαι that which came into existence ; some editions punctuate with full point after existence ; some editions punctuate with full point after γέγονεν was not anything made that was made (cf Weymouth, RSV). Taken with what follows ὃ γέγονεν ... ἦν, "that which has come to be was life in him" (cf Weymouth and RSV margin, NEB, JB).

[John Reece]

John 1:5

Text: (NA27):

καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει, καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβεν

Transliteration (Accordance):

kai to phōs en tȩ̄ skotia̧ phainei, kai hē skotia auto ou katelaben

Translation (NRSV):

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

σκοτία : darkness, with ethical content.
φαίνω : intransitive shine, present because stating the essential nature of light.
κατέλαβεν : aorist of καταλαμβάνω seize, grasp, comprehend ; also overtake, suppress.

[John Reece]

John 1:6

Text: (NA27):

Ἐγένετο ἄνθρωπος, ἀπεσταλμένος παρὰ θεοῦ, ὄνομα αὐτῷ Ἰωάννης

Transliteration (Accordance):

Egeneto anthrōpos, apestalmenos para theou, onoma autō̧ Iōannēs

Translation (NRSV):

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

ἐγένετο : aorist of γίνομαι here came appeared.
ἀπεσταλμένος : perfect passive participle of ἀποστέλλω send.
παρά : with genitive of person from, or in Hellenistic Greek may stand for ἀπό.
ὄνομα αὐτῷ Ἰωάννης : a parenthesis, " (the) name to him (was) John". his name was John

[John Reece]

John 1:7

Text: (NA27):

οὗτος ἦλθεν εἰς μαρτυρίαν ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτός, ἵνα πάντες πιστεύσωσιν δι᾿ αὐτοῦ.

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (NRSV):

He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

ἦλθεν : aorist of ἔρχομαι come.
εἰς : with a view to, for (the purpose of).
μαρτυρία : testimony ; εἰς μαρτυρίαν to witness.
μαρτυρήσῃ : aorist subjunctive of μαρτυρέω to confirm or attest something on the basis of personal knowledge or belief, bear witness, be a witness.
πιστεύσωσιν : aorist subjunctive of πιστεύω be a believer, aorist inceptive* come to believe.
δι᾿ = διά through.

*BG: 250. The inceptive aorist. The aorist calls for especial attention in verbs which of their nature indicate a state; with these verbs the aorist commonly (but not necessarily) indicates the inception of the state and this may demand a difference in the translation. ...

[John Reece]

John 1:8

Text: (NA27):

οὐκ ἦν ἐκεῖνος τὸ φῶς, ἀλλ᾿ ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ φωτός.

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (NRSV):

He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

ἀλλ᾿ ἵνα μαρτυρήσῃ : sc. ἦλθεν (aorist of ἔρχομαι come).

[John Reece]

John 1:9

Text: (NA27):

Ην τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν, ὃ φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον, ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον.

Transliteration (Accordance):

Ēn to phōs to alēthinon, ho phōtizei panta anthrōpon, erchomenon eis ton kosmon.

Translation (NRSV):

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world..

Grammatical Analysis (Zerwick/BDAG, meanings in this context):

ἦν : verse 1 ; either (with τὸ φῶς as subject) was in existence, or with "he" (the Word) as subject and τὸ φῶς as predicate) he was the true light, or (τὸ φῶς as subject and ἦν ... ἐρχόμενον as predicate) the true light ... was coming (periphrastic construction).
ἀληθινός : true, genuine, veritable.
φωτίζω : shed light on.
ἐρχόμενον : particle of ἔρχομαι either accusative masculine referring to ἄνθρωπον (perhaps reflecting rabbinic expression "all who come into the world" for "man, mankind:) ; or nominative neuter referring to φῶς, he was the true light which, coming into the world, sheds light onto every man.
κόσμος : the world, mankind.