Re: Understanding John 3:16
Carlton Winbery (winbery@andria.lacollege.edu)
Fri, 20 Dec 1996 10:20:03 -0600
Brent Hudson wrote;
>List,
>On the matter of John 3:16, I have wondered for some time what
>justification there is for translating the sequence hOUTWS +
>indicative as intensive when it is followed by hWSTE +
>indicative. I rely mostly on Smyth here since the hOUTWS . . .
>hWSTE is often referred to as an Atticism. Smyth's example of
>hOUTWS ... hWS, in Xen. H. 4.1.33, supports the claim that
>this sequence indicates *manner* not *degree* (there is no
>difference between hWS and hWSTE according to Smyth
>sec. 2250). Spicq's much quoted article (RB 65 (1958) 358-370)
>in support of hOUTWS as indicating degree or 'emotion' does not
>offer any evidence for this interpretation (although my French
>is quite rusty and I may have missed something). Could someone
>PLEASE explain to me why the English translations opt for "God
>loved the world *so much*" rather than "God loved the world
>*in this way*" when the examples of hOUTWS...hWSTE in Classical
>Greek (according to Smyth) support the later.
>
I have long considered I John 4:9 as a latter repetition of this verse in
the Johannine community,
EN TOUTWi EFANERWQH hH AGAPH TOU QEOU EN hHMIN, hOTI TON hUION AUTOU TON
MONOGENH APESTALKEN hO QEOS EIS TON KOSMON hINA ZHSWMEN DI' AUTOU.
EN TOUTWi is equivelent to hOUTWS and indicates the manner. "In this way .
. ." Rather than hWSTE hOTI is used (IMO) to explain what the revelation
is, namely "He sent his only son into the world (among humans) in order
that they (human beings) might live through him." John 3:16 seems to me to
state the same thing, albeit in more classical form (so Smyth).
Newman & Nida (Translator's Handbook) state,"The adverb translated _so
much_ in TEV refers more to the manner than the degree of love." Their
suggested translation is, "Here is the way that God loved the world: he
gave his only son . . ." I tend to agree with them.
Carlton L. Winbery
Fogleman Professor of Religion
Chair, Division of Religious Studies
winberyc@popalex1.linknet.net
winbery@andria.lacollege.edu
voice 318 487-7241
fax 318 442-4996