John 1:18

[mark]

Has anyone here done any research on the the Curetonian vs. Peshitta vs. Diatessaron's version of John 1:18? "only-begotten Son" vs. "only-begotten God"? I've seen it both ways on translations of the Diatessaron...plus without either God or Son? Thanks in advance for any guidance...

[Thirdwoe]

:

Both English translations which are available of the Diatessaron 160 A.D., that I have seen, have the same reading: "...the only begotten, God, which is in the bosom of the Father...;" The comas are not original to the text, and it's a guess how they should be, or if they should be applied here. This is how it is printed in the two English versions I have seen.

The Eastern Peshitta text has the same reading as the western revision of the text, "...the only begotten, God, which is in the bosom of the Father...;" but where the comas must go, if at all, is something to be discussed further. Paul Younan chose to translated it this way, "...the only begotten of God, which is in the bosom of the Father..."; yet, there is no "of" present in the Aramaic Peshitta text, but may be implied and may be correct, though again, it's something to be discussed further.

The Curetonian, in a litteral rendering of the text, says: "For, Alaha, from always, no Man has seen. The only Son, the one from the bosom of The Father, he shows unto us." And we know that this Aramaic text, was revised to conform in places with the Greek text used at the time and in that region.

The Majority of Greek MS has "the only Son", as does Jeromes Latin Vulgate from the 390s, while the Greek Siniaticus text about the 350s, has "No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known." Even though W&H went with "the only begotten God." Which may be because "..the only begotten God..." reading, is found in the oldest Papyri, from 175-225 A.D.

St. Ireneaus (130-200 A.D.), if his books have not been corrupted, quotes it both ways, twice "God", and once "Son" in his "Against Heresies" Books. Clement of Alexandria (153-217 A.D.) has "And John the apostle says: ?No man hath seen God at any time. The only-begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him,?

The Sinaitic Palimpsest (old scratch) lacks this verse, so we can't check it's reading.

All things considered, I say that how the Aramaic Peshitta text reads, is the correct form. But if it should be "the only begotten of God" or just "the only begotten God" is up for debate.



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[mark]

That's great, thanks for your help. I have seen the Diatessaron both ways. We're obviously looking at a translation when we see it in English, so deriving what Tatian actually wrote is somewhat tough.

Apparently Ephraem quotes him as ?only-begotten? but the Arabic has ?only-begotten God?. Don't know if you have more confidence on one over the other. But if Ephraem was correct, does that support the idea that Tatian's text was the Curetonian and this is one of the verses which wasn't adjusted to match the Greek?

[Thirdwoe]

Mark, can you show me where it has that reading in the Diatessaron version you have seen, and as well as the quote from St. Ephraem? I'd like to look it over.

Blessings,

Chuck

[joryprather]

There are not only differences between Aramaic and Greek mss, there are deliberate mistranslations even from among those supposedly based on Greek ms. These cannot just be differences of interpretations. They are clearly pushing an agenda promoting 'Trinity'.

NIV brazenly adds 'Son, WHO IS HIMSELF GOD'. NASB changes to 'only begotton GOD'. RSV removes 'only BEGOTTEN Son'.

John 1:18
RECEIVED TEXT SCRIVENER GREEK: No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, that One explains Him.
KJV: No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
NIV: No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
NASB: No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
RSV: No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.

[ScorpioSniper2]

The Peshitta reads ikhadaya Alaha, which is best translated as "the only God" or "the unique God". Literally, the Aramaic does not say "only begotten", but "only".