The Evolution of John 1:18 [UPDATED]
10/22/2006 22:47 Filed in: Faith & Reason
I preached on John 1:1-18 tonight. During my preparation for the message, I happened to notice a new rendering for John 1:18 in the TNIV. I say new because I knew that 1:18 had been worded in more than one way already in the NIV tradition. After coming home tonight, I decided to trace the development of these renderings from the 1978 edition of the NIV forward. The progression since the original NIV is quite interesting:
The textual issue here is well known. Older translations used the phrase "only begotten Son" [μονογενὴς υἱός] but with the discovery of p66 and p75, many later twentieth century translations began using "only begotten God" [μονογενὴς θεὸς]. In Metzger's Textual Commentary (I have the 3rd edition; someone let me know if later editions read differently) the latter reading is given a B rating because p66 and p75 are older and μονογενὴς θεὸς is undeniably the more difficult reading. A concise but thorough explanation of the issues is found in the NET Bible notes. Interestingly, the HCSB is the only contemporary translation I've come across that reverts back to "one and only Son" [μονογενὴς υἱός].
The transitions in the NIV tradition are interesting because in the original 1978 edition, both Son [υἱός] and God [θεὸς] were incorporated into the text, although this was dropped in the NIV's final form (1984) in favor of the more accepted μονογενὴς θεὸς. And although the Inclusive Language Edition of the NIV in 1996 made no changes to the 1984 NIV regarding this verse, a year earlier, the NIrV went back to the 1978 NIV's incorporation of both textual traditions. Both traditions are also incorporated into the TNIV, although the emphasis surprisingly seems to be on the later textual tradition, μονογενὴς υἱός, translated as "the one and only Son."
I'd really be interested to know the reasoning behind using both "God" and "Son" in the rendering of the verse. Although the TNIV.info website offers a rationale for the wording in John 1:18, it's not specific enough to fully address this issue.
Incidentally, a number of other translations have also incorporated both Son and God into their rendering of John 1:18 including the REB, NRSV, NLT, and GWT, so the TNIV is in good company. However my only problem with using both traditions in the verse is that a translation has been created which could not possibly be reflected in any ancient manuscript. I'd be interested in anyone's insight into this issue.
Update (10/23, 9:30 AM): Be sure to click the comments link below for a solution to this problem by Suzanne McCarthy (whose mastery of Greek is far superior to mine). She says that the translations are not combining two textual traditions at all, but rather
Be sure to read her entire explanation in the comments below. I do remember reading that μονογενὴς by itself could be rendered "only Son," but I didn't grasp that this is what the TNIV translators were doing in this verse. And I still find it very interesting that they delivered a similar rendering in the very first edition (1978) NIV, and then moved away from it by the 1984 release. Surely those debates must have been interesting. And obviously, this way of rendering John 1:18 is not a fully accepted solution since there is not agreement among all recent translations, but there is certainly an overwhelming consensus.
For the sake of comparison, here is the full Greek text for the verse for reference and the translations that have used similar renderings to what is done in the original NIV and TNIV:
Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακεν πώποτε· μονογενὴς θεὸς ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο.
________________________
No one has ever seen God; but God's only Son, he who is nearest to the Father's heart, he has made him known (NEB, 1970).
No one has ever seen God, but God the only Son, who is at the Father's side, has made him known (NIV, 1978).
No one has ever seen God; God’s only Son, he who is nearest to the Father’s heart, has made him known (REB, 1989).
No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known (NRSV, 1990).
No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is the same as God and is at the Father's side, he has made him known (GNT, 1992)
No one has ever seen God. God’s only Son, the one who is closest to the Father’s heart, has made him known (GWT, 1995).
No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is truly God and is closest to the Father, has shown us what God is like (CEV, 1995).
No one has ever seen God. But God, the one and only Son, is at the Father's side. He has shown us what God is like (NIrV, 1996/1999).
No one has ever seen God. But his only Son, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart; he has told us about him (NLT1, 1996)
No one has ever seen God. But the one and only Son is himself God and is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us (NLT2, 2004).
“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 (TNIV, 2005).
________________________
Translations rendering μονογενὴς as an adjective modifying θεὸς (this cannot be called a "traditional" rendering because it only occurs beginning in 20th Century):
No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known (NIV, 1984/1996).
No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him (NASB, 1995).
No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known (ESV, 2001)
________________________
The only modern translation using the older (pre-p66 and p75) rendering:
No one has ever seen God. The One and Only Son--the One who is at the Father’s side--He has revealed Him (HCSB, 2004).
| John 1:18 in the NIV Tradition | |
|---|---|
| NIV (1978) | No one has ever seen God, but God the only* Son,** who is at the Father's side, has made him known. Notes: *Or but God the only begotten **Some manuscripts but the only Son (or but the only begotten Son) |
| NIV (1984) | No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only,* **who is at the Father's side, has made him known. Notes: *Or the only begotten **Some manuscripts but the only (or only begotten) Son |
| NIrV (1996; 1999 revision reads the same) | No one has ever seen God. But God, the one and only Son, is at the Father's side. He has shown us what God is like. No notes. |
| NIV (Inclusive Language Edition, released only in UK, 1996) | No-one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only,* **who is at the Father's side, has made him known. Notes: *Or the only begotten **Some manuscripts but the only (or only begotten) Son |
| TNIV (2005) | No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and* is in the closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. Note: *Some manuscripts but the only Son, who |
The textual issue here is well known. Older translations used the phrase "only begotten Son" [μονογενὴς υἱός] but with the discovery of p66 and p75, many later twentieth century translations began using "only begotten God" [μονογενὴς θεὸς]. In Metzger's Textual Commentary (I have the 3rd edition; someone let me know if later editions read differently) the latter reading is given a B rating because p66 and p75 are older and μονογενὴς θεὸς is undeniably the more difficult reading. A concise but thorough explanation of the issues is found in the NET Bible notes. Interestingly, the HCSB is the only contemporary translation I've come across that reverts back to "one and only Son" [μονογενὴς υἱός].
The transitions in the NIV tradition are interesting because in the original 1978 edition, both Son [υἱός] and God [θεὸς] were incorporated into the text, although this was dropped in the NIV's final form (1984) in favor of the more accepted μονογενὴς θεὸς. And although the Inclusive Language Edition of the NIV in 1996 made no changes to the 1984 NIV regarding this verse, a year earlier, the NIrV went back to the 1978 NIV's incorporation of both textual traditions. Both traditions are also incorporated into the TNIV, although the emphasis surprisingly seems to be on the later textual tradition, μονογενὴς υἱός, translated as "the one and only Son."
I'd really be interested to know the reasoning behind using both "God" and "Son" in the rendering of the verse. Although the TNIV.info website offers a rationale for the wording in John 1:18, it's not specific enough to fully address this issue.
Incidentally, a number of other translations have also incorporated both Son and God into their rendering of John 1:18 including the REB, NRSV, NLT, and GWT, so the TNIV is in good company. However my only problem with using both traditions in the verse is that a translation has been created which could not possibly be reflected in any ancient manuscript. I'd be interested in anyone's insight into this issue.
Update (10/23, 9:30 AM): Be sure to click the comments link below for a solution to this problem by Suzanne McCarthy (whose mastery of Greek is far superior to mine). She says that the translations are not combining two textual traditions at all, but rather
Monogenes by itself is considered to be the "only son." It is read as a noun not an adjective in this verse. Have a look at John 1:14. So no one is combining two readings of a manuscript, at least not this time.
Be sure to read her entire explanation in the comments below. I do remember reading that μονογενὴς by itself could be rendered "only Son," but I didn't grasp that this is what the TNIV translators were doing in this verse. And I still find it very interesting that they delivered a similar rendering in the very first edition (1978) NIV, and then moved away from it by the 1984 release. Surely those debates must have been interesting. And obviously, this way of rendering John 1:18 is not a fully accepted solution since there is not agreement among all recent translations, but there is certainly an overwhelming consensus.
For the sake of comparison, here is the full Greek text for the verse for reference and the translations that have used similar renderings to what is done in the original NIV and TNIV:
Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακεν πώποτε· μονογενὴς θεὸς ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο.
________________________
No one has ever seen God; but God's only Son, he who is nearest to the Father's heart, he has made him known (NEB, 1970).
No one has ever seen God, but God the only Son, who is at the Father's side, has made him known (NIV, 1978).
No one has ever seen God; God’s only Son, he who is nearest to the Father’s heart, has made him known (REB, 1989).
No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known (NRSV, 1990).
No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is the same as God and is at the Father's side, he has made him known (GNT, 1992)
No one has ever seen God. God’s only Son, the one who is closest to the Father’s heart, has made him known (GWT, 1995).
No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is truly God and is closest to the Father, has shown us what God is like (CEV, 1995).
No one has ever seen God. But God, the one and only Son, is at the Father's side. He has shown us what God is like (NIrV, 1996/1999).
No one has ever seen God. But his only Son, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart; he has told us about him (NLT1, 1996)
No one has ever seen God. But the one and only Son is himself God and is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us (NLT2, 2004).
“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 (TNIV, 2005).
________________________
Translations rendering μονογενὴς as an adjective modifying θεὸς (this cannot be called a "traditional" rendering because it only occurs beginning in 20th Century):
No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known (NIV, 1984/1996).
No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him (NASB, 1995).
No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known (ESV, 2001)
________________________
The only modern translation using the older (pre-p66 and p75) rendering:
No one has ever seen God. The One and Only Son--the One who is at the Father’s side--He has revealed Him (HCSB, 2004).