I'd like to add an observation that εἷς is a general sort of word.
A more specific word is μονάς (-άδος, ἡ)
monad, (a self-contained being at the exclusion of others), which would exclude the understanding of the εἷς as being a τριάς (-άδος, ἡ). That is to say that the internal nature of God is not being made clear by use of the word εἷς.
Also the word μόνος
alone,
solitary is not used either, suggesting that by using εἷς, he is not talking about his relationship to other beings.
Just for clarification's sake, the Greek also doesn't say πρῶτος (θεῶν ἑτέρῶν cf. Ex.20:3)
first (
among other gods), either. Which might suggest a hierarchy and / or sequence of many gods.
εἷς is Greek is more than just the way that you count things, (answering the question "How many?" εἷς, δύο, τρεῖς ... πολύς, παράπολυς). It can be
a certain one,
an individual set apart from the rest. A unity - many tributaries form one river.
As for the grammar, I think it is a little
un-Greek, but it occurs in a few other places too, such as
Matthew 23:10 wrote:Μηδὲ κληθῆτε καθηγηταί· εἷς γὰρ ὑμῶν ἐστιν ὁ καθηγητής, ὁ χριστός.
Regardless of my opinion about it, there could be syntactic parallels (in the plural) in
1 John 5:7,8 wrote:Ὅτι τρεῖς εἰσιν οἱ μαρτυροῦντες, τὸ πνεῦμα, καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ τὸ αἷμα· καὶ οἱ τρεῖς εἰς τὸ ἕν εἰσιν.
There are three who testify to (it) [a transitive verb in English]
Revelations 17:10 wrote:Καὶ βασιλεῖς εἰσιν ἑπτά· οἱ πέντε ἔπεσον, ὁ εἷς ἔστιν, ὁ ἄλλος οὔπω ἦλθεν· καί, ὅταν ἔλθῃ, ὀλίγον δεῖ αὐτὸν μεῖναι.
There are seven kings.
John 11:9 wrote:Ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς, Οὐχὶ δώδεκά εἰσιν ὧραι τῆς ἡμέρας; Ἐάν τις περιπατῇ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, οὐ προσκόπτει, ὅτι τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου τούτου βλέπει.
Are there not twelve hours during the course of the day.
But I want to see a native speaker example before my somber
![Neutral :|](./images/smilies/icon_neutral.gif)
countenance turns into a welcoming
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
.
I think that the textual variation in Matthew 19:17 is interesting
Matthew 19:17 (Byzantine RP 2005) wrote:Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Τί με λέγεις ἀγαθόν; Οὐδεὶς ἀγαθός, εἰ μὴ εἷς, ὁ θεός. Εἰ δὲ θέλεις εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν ζωήν, τήρησον τὰς ἐντολάς.
(Eclectic Text) wrote:Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Τί με ἐρωτᾷς περὶ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ; Εἷς ἐστιν ὁ ἀγαθός. Εἰ δὲ θέλεις εἰς τὴν ζωὴν εἰσελθεῖν, τήρησον τὰς ἐντολάς.
I hazard a guess that the Byzantine reading is a explanation (working into Good Greek) of a difficult phrase phrase to understand in Greek.
To apply the same explication in the Greek to εἷς ἐστὶν ὁ θεός would give
My paraphrase based on textual variants in Matthew 19:17 wrote:Οὐδεὶς θεός, εἰ μὴ εἷς, ὁ θεός
"No one is a god, except one, God"
That makes it a statement against polytheism or something of the like.
The paraphrase given by the scribe in
Mark 12:29,32 wrote:Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ ὅτι Πρώτη πάντων τῶν ἐντολῶν, Ἄκουε, Ἰσραήλ· κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, κύριος εἷς ἐστίν· Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ γραμματεύς, Καλῶς, διδάσκαλε, ἐπ’ ἀληθείας εἶπας ὅτι εἷς ἐστιν, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλος πλὴν (Ex.40:3 again) αὐτοῦ·
The LORD is one ... He is one, and there is not another besides Him.
could give you some idea about how the phrase was understood.