Christ Our Lord

Christ as the "Only Begotten" (monogenes)

W. E. READ, Former Editor, "Israelite" Magazine

All the words used in the Hebrew and Greek that have been rendered "begot­ten," "firstborn," "only begot­ten," and "first begotten" had a primary reference to natural birth. Sometimes, as already stated, they were used in a symbolic sense. In this article we shall think particularly of the Greek word monogenes, which is rendered in the King James New Testament as "only" (Luke 7:12); "only begotten" (John 3:16); "only begotten son" (Hebrews 11:17), and "only child" (Luke 9:38). In the LXX we find the same word, monogenes, and in the Eng­lish translation this appears as:

"only-begotten one" in Psalm 22:20; Psalm 35:17.

"only child" in Judges 11:34.

In the Apocryphal literature it is also to be seen in the following instances:

In Tobit 3:15 "only child"; ch. 6:10 "an only daughter."

In Wisdom of Solomon 7:22 "one only"; R.S.V. "unique."

Some of the English translations of John 3:16 also give "only" instead of "only be­gotten." This is true of such translations as Weymouth, 20th Century, Goodspeed, Basic, R.S.V., Moffatt, Riverside, and others.

As a preliminary observation one might conclude that in this word monogenes the emphasis is particularly on the idea of only, uniqueness, one prized or honored above others in the family. However, we shall come more directly to this later on.

In the meantime let us observe:

1. Meaning and Significance of Monogenes

   a. That the idea of a "beloved" son en­ters into the meaning of monogenes can be seen in the case of Abraham and Isaac.

In Hebrews 11:17 we read:

"He [Abraham] that had received the promises offered up his only begotten [monogenes] son."

But in the LXX we read: "Take thy son, the beloved one [agapeton], whom thou has t loved [egapesas]—Isaac" (Gen. 22:2).
 
   b. Furthermore, at the time of this expe­rience Isaac was not the only son of Abra­ham; he had Ishmael, who was certainly his son (Gen. 16:15; 17:23, 25, 26, etc.), and he was fourteen years old at the time of Abraham's great test of faith. Some have urged that there was a difference, in that Isaac was the son of Abraham's wife and also that he was the son of promise. That is true, but both Ishmael and Isaac were ac­tually the sons of Abraham, and this being so, Isaac was not the "only begotten" of his father, if we take "only begotten" in the physical sense.

Josephus makes reference to this point. In Antiquities, book 20, chapter 2, section 1, there is an editor's footnote that reads:

"Josephus here uses the word monogenes, an only begotten son, for no other than one best beloved, as does both the Old and New Testament, I mean where there were one or more sons besides, Gen. xxii.2, Heb. xi.17."

This is emphasized also in the fact that while Jesus is called "the only begotten Son" he is also referred to as "my beloved Son" (Matt. 3:17), and "his wellbeloved" (Mark 12:6). The R.S.V. has "beloved" in the text of Luke 3:22, but in a footnote has "only begotten." In one of the Greek manuscripts, the Codex Bezae, Luke 3:22 reads "only begotten" instead of "beloved" as in the K.J.V., and this rendering was adopted by Justin Martyr in his "Dialogue With Trypho," ch. CIII, and by Clement of Alexandria in his Instructor.'

How much more meaningful then to rec­ognize "only begotten," monogenes, in the sense of "best or well beloved."

3. Even the Greek verb gennao, the word most frequently used for birth, to be born, et cetera, in the New Testament and in the LXX, is sometimes used symbolically.

There are several instances of this, but we might observe the following:

(1)     To gender or engender strife and discord—"they do gender strifes" (2 Tim. 2:23).

(2)     To describe conversion, the change from darkness to light—"Whosoever believeth       is born of God" (1 John 5:1, 18).

(3)     To denote the beginning of wisdom. "Before the hills was I brought forth" (Prov. 8:25).

(4)     To describe the origin of Jerusa­lem: "Thy root and thy birth are in . . . Canaan" (Eze. 16:3, LXX).

(5)     To describe the planning of evil deeds. "They conceive mischief" (Isa. 59:4).

(6)     To express the birth or rebirth of a nation (Isa. 66:8).

(7)     To express the inauguration of the King Messiah. "I have begotten thee from the womb of the morning" (Ps. 110:3, LXX).

(8)     To describe accepting Christ as Lord. "I have begotten you through the gospel" (1 Cor. 4:15). In the light of these in­stances, and the fact that gennao is used symbolically, supposing the verb gennao had appeared in John 3:16 instead of the word monogenes, it need not be a cause of difficulty to the believer. In their ancient writings the Jews also recognized that "one who became a proselyte is like a new born child."

  d. The significance of monogenes is fur­ther seen in its application to Christ our Lord in John 3:16, 18, et cetera. But as we have already observed here, it was used of Isaac, where the meaning is more in the sense of "only" or "well beloved." Hence, in the relation of Jesus the emphasis cannot be "only" from the standpoint of one; it is rather on the thought that Jesus is the su­premely loved, the unique, the incompa­rable one, the "unspeakable gift" of God's love to humankind.

Another important and conclusive point is the word monogenes itself. This is a com­pound of two words—monos, meaning "only" or "alone," and genos. Genos is an interesting word, and many have thought that it comes from the verb gennao, which certainly has for its primary and literal meaning the idea of birth, being born, be­gat, or begotten. But it will be observed that in genos there is one n, whereas in gennao there are two. This is so, it seems, in practically all instances of its use, in whatever form the word appears.

   e. In the light of the foregoing considera­tions we might think more definitely as to what monogenes really means, especially when it is applied to Jesus, the Messiah.

Monogenes, coming from monos (one, only) and genos (from ginomai, rather than from genna), has no actual reference to birth, being born, or begotten: rather it signifies the uniqueness of the person to whom it is applied.

Now let us look at the word monogenes in non-Biblical literature. We give but a few instances:

In the writings of Plato:

We read in his Timaeus 31 B of the one heaven "unique [monogenes] of its kind."

Also in the same work 92 C, again refer­ring to the same heaven, he mentions "the sole of its kind." The translation is in the Loeb Classical Library.'

In the Wisdom of Solomon:

Speaking of wisdom, the author says it is "holy, unique [monogenes]," et cetera (7:22). The R.S.V. also gives "unique" and Douay "one."

In the Epistle of Clement:

He refers to "a certain bird which is called a phoenix. This is the only one [monogenes] of its kind."

Let us now refer to some Biblical refer­ences as they appear in various translations.

Owing to the controversy on "only begotten" through the centuries, some transla­tors favor this rendering even in modern translations. But many take the view expressed above, as noted in the following:

   f. Let us consider some of the usages of monogenes. In the Septuagint, note four texts—Judges 11:31 and Psalm 25:16, "only child"; Psalm 22:20 and 35:17, "only-begotten one." In the latter reference the K.J.V. has "my darling." In 14 different translations of the Bible into English we find monogenes rendered as "only begot­ten" 7 times, but as "only child" 16, "only one" 12, "darling" 8, and by other words such as "life," "solitary," et cetera, about 20 times.

In the New Testament, see four texts—John 1:14; John 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9. In 30 different translations monogenes is more often rendered as "only begotten," but in a large number as "only son," "first born," only born son," et cetera.

In the French translations, particularly in Osterwald and Segnod renderings, one finds the word "unique" instead of "only begotten." This is similar to the Vulgate, which has unicus.

Moulton and Milligan in their excellent work have the following footnote on mono-genes:

Monogenes is literally "one of a kind," "only," "unique," . . . not "only-begotten," which would be mongenetos... . . . It is . . . used in the NT of "only" sons . . and is so applied in a special sense to Christ . . . where the emphasis is on the thought that, as the "only" Son of God, He has no equal and is able fully to reveal the Father."

This emphasizes an important point. Monogenes, as already mentioned, is from monos—"only"; genos from ginomai. If the idea had been really "only begotten," in the sense of physical generation, the word used should probably have been monogennetos, where the gennetos would be from gennao.

g. In view of the importance of this con­clusion we might appreciate the following extract on this vital word monogenes used in John 5:16.

Thomas Scott:

The second person in the sacred Trinity may be spoken of as "the only begotten Son;" as he is ap­pointed, in the eternal counsels, to be the Image, Representative, and Revealer of the invisible God, to man, in every age, and in every dispensation: and our conception of him, as the Son, should doubtless he restricted to his participation of the divine na­ture, and his representing it to man; so that "he who hath seen the Son, hath seen the Father also."

There seems to be no doubt that the word in its application to Jesus means some­one out of the ordinary, someone who has no counterpart, no equal. Observe the fol­lowing testimonies from two well-known Greek authorities.

"Unique (in kind) of something that is the only example of its category. . . . In the Johannine literature, monogenes used only of Jesus. The meanings only, unique may be quite adequate for all its occurrences here.- "

"There is no doubt that the term "only begotten" indicates a nuance of the Greek monogenes that is seldom emphasized. . . When Christ is designated monogenes huios, the emphasis is laid, not on the fact that He as son was "born" "begotten" . . but on the fact that he is the "only" Son, that as Son of God he has no equal. The Latin translators were right when originally they rendered the expression . . . Filius unicus (Son unique), not by Filius uni­gentus (son begotten)." il

Yes, as some translations express the thought, Jesus of Nazareth, our Lord and Saviour, was certainly unique. He was different from any other being in the universe; He stands alone, as the only one who as God became man, and while in the flesh was both God and man. He was "Emmanuel . . . God with us" (Matt. 1:23). He was unique in His relation to the Father in His divine nature; in the fact that He revealed the Father; in the fact that He and He alone is our Saviour and Redeemer; in the fact that He was sinless, not only in His divine nature but in His human nature.

H. R. Reynolds, in The Pulpit Commen­tary, highlights this thought of the unique­ness of Jesus, and reminds us that through­out the ages there never has been anyone like Him.

The statement of this verse, however, is entirely, absolutely unique. The thought is utterly new. Strauss tells us that the apostolic conception of Jesus can have no historic validity, because it repre­sents a state of things which occurs nowhere else in history. This is exactly what Christians contend for. He is in the deepest sense unique in the history of mankind."

In view of the foregoing, how much more meaningful the word monogenes becomes. We think of it, not as indicating human birth or generation but as highlighting the nature and exalted dignity of Christ our Lord. So we might paraphrase John 3:16 thus:

For God so loved the world, that He gave His son, He who is incomparable, yes, He who is wonderful beyond all description, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

 

Notes:

1 The Book of Tobit, in The R.S.V. Apocrypha (New  York: Thos. Nelson & Sons, 1957).

2 The Wisdom of Solomon, R.S.V.

3 Justin Martyr, Dialogue With Trypko, chap. 103, and  Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor, book 1, chap. 6, par. I, in The Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1.

4 Talmud Yebamoth 21a, Soncino ed.

5 Plato, Timaeus, 31.b and 92.c, in Loeb Classical Library.

6 Wisdom of Solomon, R.S.V.

7 Clement, First Epistle to Corinthians, in ANF, vol. 1.  chap. 25. See also Constitutions of the Holy Apostles, book 5,  sec. 1, chap. 7, in ANF vol. 7.

8 Moulton and Milligan, Vocabulary of the Greek New Testament, p. 416.

9 Thomas Scott, on John 1:18, Commentary on the New  Testament, vol. 1, p. 482.

10 W. F. Arndt and F. W. Gingrich, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, article "Monogenes."

11 Ferdinand Kattenbusch, Dictionary of Christ and the  Gospels, article "Only Begotten."

12 H. R. Reynolds, on John 1:14, in Pulpit Commentary

W. E. READ, Former Editor, "Israelite" Magazine

October 1963

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