The Only Begotten

2001-4-5 18:17:00

I thought I would bring some clarification on the term "Only Begotten." The way this is translated in Bibles does make it sound as if Jesus has a lock on the term. Larry pointed out that perhaps Jesus was merely the first and the title was only temporary in reference to him.

But to understand what is meant by the term we must examine the Greek word from which it originated. It comes from MONOGENES. While it is true that this word can literally be translated as "only begotten" it is also an interesting fact that in the days of Jesus and some time before his birth this word was used by the Greeks to imply a meaning beyond the physical sense. It was often used to imply a unique or special position that one may have.

Therefore, if someone is close to your heart (as a firstborn usually is) then he is referred to as MONOGENES.

Fort instance, Joseph was Jacob's 11th son, but because he was the closest to his father's heart he would have been referred to as his "only begotten" or MONOGENES. A master could have referred to his favorite slave as his MONOGENES slave. An employer could have referred to his favorite employee by this same word.

Therefore, if we were to use the common usage of the word in that era what does the following scripture say?

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

We have a clue from the actual voice of God:

"And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matt 3:17

"Beloved" would be a good translation here which harmonizes with the Greek word MONOGENES and fits in with God's actual description of Christ as well as John's.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his beloved Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Because the bias and attachment to belief systems is so strong a true searcher will discover that every version of the Bible is translated in favor of the scholars' own "beloved" beliefs.