Journal: Chafer Theological Seminary Journal
Volume: CTSJ 07:2 (Apr 2001)
Article: James 2:24: Retranslation Required Part 2 of 2
Author: John Niemelä

---

CTSJ 7:2 (April 2001) p. 2

James 2:24: Retranslation Required
Part 2 of 2

John Niemelä*

[*Editor's note: John Niemelä received a B.A. (University of Minnesota), and earned the Th.M. and Ph.D. degrees in New Testament Literature and Exegesis from Dallas Theological Seminary. John is Professor of Hebrew and Greek at Chafer Theological Seminary. His email address is [email protected].]

A Continuation

The first part of this article argued for a new translation of monon in James 2:24: You see then that a man is justified by works, and not only by faith.1 Many fail to distinguish adjectival versus adverbial uses of monon. However, the contextual relationship of James 2:21 to 2:24 and the seeming soteriological conflict between Paul and James make it essential. This second part of the article has three facets:

1. a general discussion of adverbs and adjectives,
2. lexical study, and
3. a New Testament word study of monon.

Adverbs versus Adjectives

Adjectives usually modify nouns or pronouns, while adverbs do so for verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Usually Greek, Latin, German, and English adjectives have different endings than adverbs. Furthermore, Greek, Latin, and (usually) German adjectives show their case, number, and gender, but English does not. Unlike adverbs, the textual form of an adjective may differ from the vocabulary form.

A few words have both adjectival and adverbial functions. This applies to the accusative-neuter-singular monon in Greek (tantum in Latin). It also applies to the English only and the German allein. Not only the Greek original, but also Latin, German, and English, render James 2:24 with a word that can either be an adjective or an adverb. The Greek and Latin texts

CTSJ 7:2 (April 2001) p. 3

clearly convey that the word has an adverbial sense here. Unfortunately, the English and German treat it as an adjective.

Greek Monon and Latin Tantus

Each form in the following paradigm has adjectival uses. Only the neuter-accusative-singular can be an adverb. Two purely-adjectival parsings (the masculine-accusative-singular and the neuter-nominative-singular) share this form. If the sentence lacks a substantive that can agree with monon, it is adverbial. If it contains such a substantive, juxtaposing monon and the substantive makes it adjectival.

Paradigm for the Greek Adjective<...

visitor : : uid: ()