[b-greek] RE: Jn.3:15,16

From: c stirling bartholomew (cc.constantine@worldnet.att.net)
Date: Sun Oct 14 2001 - 02:04:03 EDT


Hello Paul and Ted,

Intriguing question.

on 10/13/01 7:51 PM, Paul Zellmer wrote:

> This is the only place in the Gospel of John (and, it appears, the rest of
> the Johannine works) where PISTEUW + EN is found. Elsewhere the preposition
> is always EIS, or the simple dative is used. So John 3:16 is the normal
> case for the book.

I checked this in John, 1Jn, 2Jn, 3Jn & Apoc and this is the only place it
is found in all of these books.

B.M. Metzger (Textual Comm. 1st ed.) has a good brief lucid discussion of
this. He points out that John sometimes places an adverbial phrase with EN
before its verb when the phrase is emphatic or metaphorical (Jn 5:39, 16:33,
1Jn passim). He concludes that EN makes good sense here and explains the
other readings, therefore it should be accepted as the best reading.

The mss. support for EN isn't all that great, B P75 W(supp). Sinaiticus
reads EIS along with a host of others. Lucifer also reads EIS which might
seem significant to some people.

>
> Some translations see this unique use of EN where EIS would be expected to
> cause the prepositional phrase to be attached to the ECH ZWHN AIONION
>
Yes and and also some commentators including: R.E. Brown, D.A. Carson, B.F.
Westcott, Leon Morris, H.A.W. Meyer. Please forgive me for citing
commentaries, I realize these guys don't know greek nearly as well some some
folks down on the Lower Columbia River. :-))))

> But, according
> to Louw and Nida, the semantic domains of EPI, EIS, and EN appear to overlap
> in the area of markers of content as a means of specifying a particular
> referent . . .

Overlapping semantic domains do not rule out distinct usage in particular
contexts. B.M. Metzger suggest that EN + substantive prior to a verb
functioning as an adverbial is something found in John and 1John. In a case
like this I would not be inclined to go with Metzger and all the other guys
listed above.

They could, of course, all be wrong.

Greetings to all,

Clay

--
Clayton Stirling Bartholomew
Three Tree Point
P.O. Box 255 Seahurst WA 98062



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