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Depending upon one's translation of choice; Jesus Christ is described in John
1:14, John 1:18, John 3:16, John 3:18, as the only-begotten god and/or the
only-begotten son of God. Either way, the koiné Greek word for "only
begotten" is monogenes (mon-og-en-ace') which is a combination of two
words: the first is mono, which music buffs recognize as a single channel
rather than two or four in surround sound stereo. Mono is very common;
e.g. monogamy, monofilament, monotonous, mononucleotide, monochrome,
monogram, monolith, monologue, monomial, et al.
The other word is genes; from whence we get the English word gene; which
Webster's defines as a biological term indicating a part of a cell that controls
or influences the appearance, growth, etc, of a living thing. In other words:
monogenes refers to one biological gene set rather than many.
Monogenes always, and without exception, refers to a parent's sole
biological child in the New Testament. If a parent has two or three biological
children, none of them qualify as monogenes because in order to qualify as a
monogenes child, the child has to be an only child. Obviously then, an
adopted child can never be monogenes in the home because it wouldn't be
the home's biological child. Examples of monogenes children are located at
Luke 7:12, Luke 8:42, and Luke 9:38.
REBUTTAL: I would submit that monogenes is also used in the context of
"one of a kind" viz: a child who is unequalled when compared to others. For
example, it is found in Hebrew 11:17 of Isaac being Abraham's "only
begotten son." But Isaac's older brother Ishmael was also Abraham's
biological son.
RESPONSE: The rebuttal isn't a translation, it's an interpretation.
To start with, three New Testament examples of monogenes are located at
Luke 7:12, Luke 8:42, and Luke 9:38, and in all three examples it refers not
to a special child, but to a parent's sole biological child.
Now I'll go to the Old Testament; and for the benefit of any Watch Tower
Society missionaries hereabouts; I'll refer to the NWT.
†. Gen 22:2 . . And he went on to say: “Take, please, your son, your only
son whom you so love, Isaac, and make a trip to the land of Moriah and
there offer him up as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall
designate to you.
†. Gen 22:12 . . And he went on to say: “Do not put out your hand against
the boy and do not do anything at all to him, for now I do know that you are
God-fearing in that you have not withheld your son, your only one, from
me.”
The Code Of Hammurabi, and of the still earlier laws of Lipit-Ishtar, implicitly
made inheritance rights a legal consequence of the father's acceptance of an
infant boy as his legitimate son; so then, the laws of Abraham's day entitled
Ishmael to the lion's share of Abraham's estate because he was Abraham's
firstborn. However, there was a clause in the law stipulating that if a slave
owner emancipated his child's in-slavery biological mother; then the mother
and the child would lose any and all claims to a paternal property settlement
with the slave-owner.
The trick is: Abraham couldn't just send Hagar packing, nor sell her, for the
law to take effect; no, he had to emancipate her.
†. Gen 22:14 . . So Abraham got up early in the morning and took bread
and a skin water bottle and gave it to Hagar, setting it upon her shoulder,
and the child, and then dismissed her.
The phrase "dismissed her" is from the Hebrew word shalach (shaw-lakh')
which is a word used of divorce as well as for the emancipation of slaves. In
other words: Hagar wasn't banished as is commonly assumed; no,, she was
set free; and it's very important to nail that down in our thinking because if
Abraham had merely banished Hagar, then her son Ishmael would have
retained his status as Abraham's eldest biological son.
Now the important thing to keep in mind is that after the 21st chapter of
Genesis, Ishmael is no longer reckoned one of Abraham's biological sons.
According to common sense he is, yes, but with God he's not; and I
sincerely believe that is precisely how Heb 11:17 ought to be understood.
My point is: If the Word of John 1:1 really and truly is God's biological
offspring, then the Watch Tower Society has a serious problem with its
Christology; because if God were to reproduce He would give birth to God;
viz: more of Himself; just was when humans reproduce they give birth to
humans; viz: more of themselves.
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