09-21-2014, 07:36 PM
Shlama Scorpio,
While I know of no modern translation that has this rendering, I do have several from the church fathers. Here are some more quotes of verse 3, all of which end the sentence differently than is done in today's translations:
"Understand now for me the mystery of the truth, granting pardon if I shrink from advancing further in the treatment of it, by announcing this alone: 'All things were made by Him, and without Him was not even one thing.'" (Clement of Alexandria, Stromata 6.11)
"But it is said Providence, from above, from what is of prime importance, as from the head, reaches to all, 'as the ointment,' it is said, 'which descends to Aaron's beard, and to the skirt of his garment'(that is, of the great High Priest, 'by whom all things were made, and without whom not even one thing was made' not to the ornament of the body; for Philosophy is outside of the People, like raiment." (Stromata 6.17)
? 'And God said, Let there be light, and there was light.' Immediately there appears the Word, 'that true light, which lighteth man on his coming into the world,' and through Him also came light upon the world. From that moment God willed creation to be effected in the Word, Christ being present and ministering unto Him: and so God created. And God said, 'Let there be a firmament . . . and God made the firmament;' and God also said, 'Let there be lights (in the firmament); and so God made a greater and a lesser light.' But all the rest of the created things did He in like manner make, who made the former ones?I mean the Word of God, 'through whom all things were made, and without whom nothing was made.' Now if He too is God, according to John, (who says,) 'The Word was God,' then you have two Beings?One that commands that the thing be made, and the Other that executes the order and creates." (Tertullian, Adversus Praxean 12).
"Let him who is inclined to entertain this suspicion hear the undoubted declaration of Scripture pronouncing, 'In wisdom hast Thou made them all,' and the teaching of the Gospel, that 'by Him were all things made, and without Him nothing was made;'" (Origen, De Principiis I.2)
And here are a couple quotes of verse 4, which is in agreement with the ancient rendering:
"John also, who lived after him, said, 'That which was in the Logos was life, and the life was the light of men;'" (Contra Celsum 6.5)
'This is what John suggested when he said about the Word: "That which was made was life in Him." Life then came in the Word.' (Origen, Commentary On John; 22)
More convincing to me though, is the literal rendering of the words of the Aramaic (which to me is easier to see, although the same can be done in Greek as well). If John wanted to communicate that 'without Him nothing existed of what was made', then he would have prefixed the word for 'what' (medem) with a dalet. Since he did not, then the sentence reads more naturally (no need to insert the word 'of') to be ended as it was anciently, after the word medem.
Acts 4:34 gives an example of medem with the dalet prefix rightly being translated as 'of what'.
Ronen
While I know of no modern translation that has this rendering, I do have several from the church fathers. Here are some more quotes of verse 3, all of which end the sentence differently than is done in today's translations:
"Understand now for me the mystery of the truth, granting pardon if I shrink from advancing further in the treatment of it, by announcing this alone: 'All things were made by Him, and without Him was not even one thing.'" (Clement of Alexandria, Stromata 6.11)
"But it is said Providence, from above, from what is of prime importance, as from the head, reaches to all, 'as the ointment,' it is said, 'which descends to Aaron's beard, and to the skirt of his garment'(that is, of the great High Priest, 'by whom all things were made, and without whom not even one thing was made' not to the ornament of the body; for Philosophy is outside of the People, like raiment." (Stromata 6.17)
? 'And God said, Let there be light, and there was light.' Immediately there appears the Word, 'that true light, which lighteth man on his coming into the world,' and through Him also came light upon the world. From that moment God willed creation to be effected in the Word, Christ being present and ministering unto Him: and so God created. And God said, 'Let there be a firmament . . . and God made the firmament;' and God also said, 'Let there be lights (in the firmament); and so God made a greater and a lesser light.' But all the rest of the created things did He in like manner make, who made the former ones?I mean the Word of God, 'through whom all things were made, and without whom nothing was made.' Now if He too is God, according to John, (who says,) 'The Word was God,' then you have two Beings?One that commands that the thing be made, and the Other that executes the order and creates." (Tertullian, Adversus Praxean 12).
"Let him who is inclined to entertain this suspicion hear the undoubted declaration of Scripture pronouncing, 'In wisdom hast Thou made them all,' and the teaching of the Gospel, that 'by Him were all things made, and without Him nothing was made;'" (Origen, De Principiis I.2)
And here are a couple quotes of verse 4, which is in agreement with the ancient rendering:
"John also, who lived after him, said, 'That which was in the Logos was life, and the life was the light of men;'" (Contra Celsum 6.5)
'This is what John suggested when he said about the Word: "That which was made was life in Him." Life then came in the Word.' (Origen, Commentary On John; 22)
More convincing to me though, is the literal rendering of the words of the Aramaic (which to me is easier to see, although the same can be done in Greek as well). If John wanted to communicate that 'without Him nothing existed of what was made', then he would have prefixed the word for 'what' (medem) with a dalet. Since he did not, then the sentence reads more naturally (no need to insert the word 'of') to be ended as it was anciently, after the word medem.
Acts 4:34 gives an example of medem with the dalet prefix rightly being translated as 'of what'.
Ronen