Hi Charlie,

happy new year,

> [The Bible (at least in English) certainly uses the term "begotten"
> for Christ.

The NIV uses the word begotten in parentheses as if to say (or it might
be translated this way) which gave me the impression that they were not
confident enough to not include the parentheses or they included the
parentheses to cover themselves from actually "officially" using the
word "begotten".

> The issue is whether it uses the term in John 1 and John
> 3:16. This isn't an issue of theology, but of doing the best
> translation we can.

it is a major theological issue because other Prophets were called the
"only son" of God:

Jacob God's firstborn son (Exodus 4:22)
Ephraim is God's firstborn son (Jeremiah 31:9)
Adam was the only son of God (Luke 3:38) etc..

> I believe the best translation of John is simply
> "only Son." On the other hand, it doesn't seem to make a lot of
> difference. Since sons are begotten from the fathers, "only Son" and
> "only begotten Son" mean pretty much the same thing, as long as you
> realize we're not talking about begetting physically.

It's a major difference because if Jesus was "the only" begotten by
God, then we're ignoring Eve who was also supposedly begotten by God
unless you suggest that she was begotten by Adam.  Thus the entire
parental terminology is better avoided otherwise one would easily
suggest that Adam was God's wife.

> NRSV uses it in
> three NT texts that are citing Ps 2:7: Acts 13:33

those two are talking about David, unless your suggesting that David
was a theopany of Jesus, then your claiming that David was a part of
the God head, thus increasing the number to 4 in 1 rather than 3 in 1?

> Heb 1:5

this is talking about an angel speaking, as if it was a fourth person
account.

thus the entire "only son" and "begotten" lingo is best
left out of
translations otherwise it makes trinity much more confusing.
Peace

Mohamed Ghounem

   ----

[Trying to translate the NT in a way that is acceptable to Muslims is
unlikely to work. However you translate it, the NT assigns a role to
Christ that you're not going to find acceptable. Certainly the Bible
refers to others as children of God. Indeed even the NT refers to us
that way. But the NT sees Jesus as a son of God in a more direct sense
than the rest of us, whether it's translated as "only son" or "only
begotten son." --clh]
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