Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Zerwick and John 17:3

Zerwick-Grosvenor (A Grammatical Analysis of the GNT, page 336) understands hINA + subjunctive (John 17:3) to be/function as an epexegetical infinitive that explains hAUTH (the demonstrative), which = "namely (that)."

Cf. sec. 410 of Zerwick's Biblical Greek.

I understand Zerwick-Grosvenor to be saying that we possibly do not have periphrasis for the (non-epexegetical) infinitive at 17:3; however, while Rogers and Rogers understand this verse to be epexegetical like Zerwick-Grosvenor, they seem to allow for the possibility that it could be periphrastic for an infinitive that is not explanatory.

As I read Zerwick and Grosvenor further, I guess we could have hINA + the subjunctive mood as periphrasis for the infinitive, but that only seems to tell the reader how the demonstrative is to be understood. I don't see how the epexegetical use of hINA explains anything but how we might construe the demonstrative hAUTH.

5 comments:

Duncan said...

It appears from this that there must be others who read 17:3 in a similar way to the NWT:-

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=SZD7HnK0KVIC&pg=PA120&lpg=PA120&dq=john+17:3+%22eternal+life+their%22&source=bl&ots=mM_Nrpsu_n&sig=iW-jHRc4o3epQkTyyX4BXqVqQHc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjs64m44P7KAhVFwxQKHcniAMAQ6AEINTAF#v=onepage&q=john%2017%3A3%20%22eternal%20life%20their%22&f=false

Duncan said...

Also from here it seems the NRSV needs examination:-

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=KYktt_ZiTGcC&pg=PA10&lpg=PA10&dq=john+17:3+%22eternal+life+their%22&source=bl&ots=6AeL0vzVeo&sig=vbdLgkBGIY6adYDwIVcvDJUFGvw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjs64m44P7KAhVFwxQKHcniAMAQ6AEIPzAH#v=onepage&q=john%2017%3A3%20%22eternal%20life%20their%22&f=false

Duncan said...

Sorry, nor NRSV but "kleist and lilly"

Edgar Foster said...

Thanks, Duncan. Kleist and Lilly is a somewhat "free" handling of the passage, but the translation certainly uses "their" like NWT does. Also, the passage from Aquinas is interesting.

Here is how the Douay-Rheims and Vg handle the verse:

"Now this is eternal life: That they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (DR).

"Haec est autem vita aeterna: ut cognoscant te, solum Deum verum, et quem misisti Jesum Christum" (Vg).

Appreciate the references.

Duncan said...

I do not have access to the Kleist & Lilly translation but there is a version entitled, "The New Testament: Rendered from the Original Greek With Explanatory Notes", so It might give some justification for this word option.