Μονογενης

How can I best learn new vocabulary items? What aids are there and what pitfalls should be avoided? How does a beginner learn to use a lexicon?
Post Reply
Alan Patterson
Posts: 158
Joined: September 3rd, 2011, 7:21 pm
Location: Emory University

Μονογενης

Post by Alan Patterson »

It appears to me that this word never meant "only BEGOTTEN." (per BDAG) Does this word have any meaning I'm not aware of that allows it to be translated, "only BEGOTTEN"?
χαρις υμιν και ειρηνη,
Alan Patterson
Eeli Kaikkonen
Posts: 616
Joined: June 2nd, 2011, 7:49 am
Location: Finland
Contact:

Re: Μονογενης

Post by Eeli Kaikkonen »

See also http://www.ibiblio.org/bgreek/forum/vie ... tten#p6141.

Yes, you're right. In the original situation it meant either "the only" (son) or "the very special one" amongst several, "the only one of its kind".
NIDNTT Abridged wrote:It reflects what the OT says of Isaac (Gen. 22:2, 12, 16; cf. Heb. 11:17, where monogenes is used).
Alan Patterson
Posts: 158
Joined: September 3rd, 2011, 7:21 pm
Location: Emory University

Re: Μονογενης

Post by Alan Patterson »

Eeli,

I followed your link to a previous discussion of this word and found a paragraph that caught my attention.
Finally, I examined the suffix —γενής found in many Greek words, including εὐηγενής ("well born"), ἀγενής ("low born"), ἀλλογενής ("other born"), πατρογενής ("father born"), πυριγενής/ πυρογενής ("fire born"), γηγενής ("earth born") and θεογενής ("God born").
Here, he argues that all these words with -γενής have the idea of "born." If so, this does seem to imply that our word could mean 'only born.'

I do not really have a preference which way to translate it, but I really do like to be very accurate and precise. Any thoughts?
χαρις υμιν και ειρηνη,
Alan Patterson
Seumas Macdonald
Posts: 33
Joined: June 17th, 2013, 3:14 am
Location: Sydney, Aus

Re: Μονογενης

Post by Seumas Macdonald »

The later church fathers almost certainly use it to mean 'only-begotten', even if the very likely meaning in the NT context is something closer to 'unique in kind'.
Seumas Macdonald, Ph.D.
Sydney, Australia
Post Reply

Return to “Vocabulary”