Below is a rough translation and some initial comments on John 10:22-30, the gospel reading for the fourth Sunday of Easter. Your comments are always welcomed!
22 Ἐγένετο τότε τὰ ἐγκαίνια ἐν τοῖς Ἱεροσολύμοις: χειμὼν ἦν,
Then the festival of dedication in Jerusalem began; it was winter,
Ἐγένετο: AMI 3s, γίνομαι, 1) to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be
ἦν: IAI 3s, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present
1. Apparently this is a festival of the consecration of the renovated Temple. See 2 Mac. 1: 9, 18; 10: 1; 1 Mac. 4:41, and Josephus’ Antiquities, 7:7. 6, 7
2. “It was winter” is a curious detail. It can snow in Jerusalem in the winter, but I saw this on an executive travel site: “Winter in Jerusalem, from November to February, brings the rainy season and temperatures of between 5 and 13 degrees Celsius (41 and 54 degrees Fahrenheit). Generally, the weather is likely to be very sunny all year round.”
23 καὶ περιεπάτει ὁἸησοῦς ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ἐν τῇ στοᾷ τοῦ Σολομῶνος.
And Jesus walked in the temple in the portico of Solomon.
περιεπάτει: IAI 3s, περιπατέω, 1) to walk
1. Some Bible history sites seem to me a little more devotional than historical. Still, it appears that “Solomon’s portico” is a portion of the first temple wall that Herod chose not to rebuild, but was still standing during the NT era. From what I can gather, the portico was built up on an “E” shaped foundation, because the landform was uneven. K.B. Buchanan helpfully notes in the comments below, “according to all the sources I could find, Solomon's portico did not overlook the city proper but was on the east side of the Temple overlooking the Kidron Valley and toward the Mount of Olives (and, of course, Gethsemane.)”
24 ἐκύκλωσαν οὖν αὐτὸν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ ἔλεγον αὐτῷ, Εως πότε τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶναἴρεις; εἰ σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστός, εἰπὲ ἡμῖν παρρησίᾳ.
Therefore the Judeans surrounded him and were saying to him, “How long will you keep our souls in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us outright.”
ἐκύκλωσαν: AAI 3p, κυκλόω, 1) to go around, lead around 2) to surround, encircle, encompass 2a) of persons standing around 2b) of besiegers
ἔλεγον: IAI 3p, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak
αἴρεις: PAI 2s, αἴρω, 1) to raise up, elevate, lift up ... 3d) to take off or away what is attached to anything 3c) to remove 3d) to carry off, carry away with one 3e) to appropriate what is taken
εἶ: PAI 2s, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present
εἰπὲ: AAImpv 2s, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak
1. The verb αἴρεις (keep in suspense) and the noun παρρησίᾳ (outright) seem to be in opposition to one another. Would it be too much to hear this as “Stop beating around the bush and shoot straight with us. Are you the Christ or not?”
2. Following Richard Horsley’s argument (although he is addressing Mark, which may be a different scenario), I translate Ἰουδαῖοι as Judeans, rather than Jews. It reminds me that the tensions may be more fraternal, between competing strands of Judaism, than Christian v. Jewish, as it is often read.
3. This is a curious use of “souls” or “minds” (psyche/ ψυχὴν). I am inclined to take the question at face value, that they were truly wondering and wanting some verification. Continuing my slanging suggestion in n.1, could we hear this as, “Stop playing mind games with us”?
25 ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, Εἶπον ὑμῖν καὶ οὐ πιστεύετε: τὰ ἔργα ἃ ἐγὼ ποιῶἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ πατρός μου ταῦτα μαρτυρεῖ περὶ ἐμοῦ:
Jesus answered to them, “I told you and you do not believe; the works which I do in the name of my father these witness concerning me;
ἀπεκρίθη: API 3s, ἀποκρίνομαι, 1) to give an answer to a question proposed, to answer
Εἶπον: AAI 1s, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak
πιστεύετε: PAI 2p, πιστεύω, 1) to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in
ποιῶ: PAI 1s, ποιέω, 1) to make 1a) with the names of things made, to produce, construct, form, fashion, etc.
μαρτυρεῖ: PAI 3s, μαρτυρέω, 1) to be a witness, to bear witness, i.e. to affirm that one has seen or heard or experienced something,
1. Jesus now puts the burden of belief back onto the Judeans. He has said it plainly enough and – in addition – his works which are done in God’s name are witnesses.
2. The issue has shifted slightly from ‘speaking outright’ to ‘believing what Jesus has said and what his works testify.’
26 ἀλλὰ ὑμεῖς οὐ πιστεύετε, ὅτι οὐκ ἐστὲ ἐκ τῶν προβάτων τῶν ἐμῶν.
but you do not believe, because you are not out of my sheep.
πιστεύετε: PAI 2p, πιστεύω, 1) to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in
ἐστὲ: PAI 2p, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present
1. And now the issue shifts even more dramatically. It is not just a matter of Jesus telling anything outright or of Jesus letting his works witness to his words. It is a matter of believing based on whose one is – a sheep of this shepherd or of a different flock.
2. The conjunction ὅτι can translated as “that” or “because.” Every translation I’ve seen goes with “because” here, which puts the Judeans’ unbelief as a result of their non-belonging. If we went with translating ὅτι as “that,” it could read, “but you do not believe that you are from my sheep.” Possible, but not really fitting to the overall flow.
3. To say, “You do not believe because you are not out of my sheep” raises a host of issues, more theological than textual. Presbyterians like me could possibly just sit back and wear a smug “Ah, yes, providence, predestination, election, and all that,” but the smugness wears off when we consider other matters, like free will and evangelism. Still, this verse bears a lot of reflection. And, rather than the tired extremes of treating predestination (supralapsarian v. infralapsarian!) as some kind of automated fate which seems to bypass human reflection or will, this text can round out the conversation a bit. What if election and all the other family of terms are all about the process by which one comes to hear and recognize a voice as one’s own shepherd? That seems a lovelier and more promising path for thinking about the divine/human experience.
27τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἐμὰ τῆς φωνῆς μου ἀκούουσιν, κἀγὼ γινώσκω αὐτά, καὶ ἀκολουθοῦσίν μοι,
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me,
ἀκούουσιν: PAI 3p, ἀκούω, 1) to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf
γινώσκω: PAI 1s, γινώσκω, 1) to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel
ἀκολουθοῦσίν: PAI 3p ἀκολουθέω, 1) to follow one who precedes,
1. The matter of belonging to a sheepfold is bi-directional and inseparable. The shepherd knows the sheep, the sheep hear the shepherd’s voice and follow.
28κἀγὼ δίδωμι αὐτοῖς ζωὴν αἰώνιον, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀπόλωνται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ οὐχἁρπάσει τις αὐτὰ ἐκ τῆς χειρός μου.
and I give to them life of the ages, and they may not perish into the ages, and anyone will not snatch these ones out of my hand.
δίδωμι: PAI 1s, δίδωμι, 1) to give 2) to give something to someone
ἀπόλωνται: AMSubj 3p, ἀπόλλυμι, 1) to destroy
ἁρπάσει: FAI 3s, ἁρπάζω, 1) to seize, carry off by force 2) to seize on, claim for one's self eagerly 3) to snatch out or away
1. The verb “I give” is present tense, not future. “Perish” is also not in the future, it is an aorist middle subjunctive. The only verb that is in the future tense here is “will not snatch.” That is curious because we typically hear “life of the ages” and “perish” as future possibilities based on how well we preserve here and now. In this verse, “life of the ages” and “perish” are not future, but the “not-able-to-snatch” is.
29 ὁ πατήρ μου ὃ δέδωκέν μοι πάντων μεῖζόν ἐστιν, καὶ οὐδεὶς δύναται ἁρπάζεινἐκ τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ πατρός.
My father who has given to me of all is great, and no one is able to snatch out of the father’s hand.
δέδωκέν: PerfAI 3s, δίδωμι, 1) to give
ἐστιν: PAI 3s, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present
δύναται: PMI 3s, δύναμαι, 1) to be able, have power whether by virtue of one's own ability and resources
ἁρπάζειν: PAInf, ἁρπάζω, 1) to seize, carry off by force 2) to seize on, claim for one's self eagerly 3) to snatch out or away
1. There are some translating challenges in this verse. First, there is no direct object for the verb “given.” Most translations supply one, usually “My father has given them to me.”
2. Second, the adjective μεῖζόν is in the nominative case. Typically, the nominative case signified the subject of the verb, but with the verb ‘to be’ (as we have here) it can be a predicate, called the ‘predicate nominative.’ Hence, “great” can be the object of the verb “is.” But, then there is the genitive “of all,” which fits better with a comparative word like “greatest” than “great.” The question would be, what does that genitive modify? “Great?” That is where most translations go. I am trying to leave other possibilities on the table, but nothing fits without difficulty.
3. The successive “hands”, mentioned in v.28 and v.29 are ‘my hand’ and ‘the father’s hand.’ Perhaps the comparative “great” is comparing Jesus’ hand and God’s hand.
30ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν.
I and the father are one.
ἐσμεν: PAI 1p, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present
1. Like John’s prologue, where the Word ‘was’ and ‘was with’ God (‘was with,’ implying ‘was not the same as’), v.30 shows the identity between Jesus and God, while v.29 depends on the differencebetween Jesus and God. It reminds me of how some 19th/20th century philosophers call truth the ‘synthesis of identity and difference.’
So, after all of this, the question lingers ... "Why the note that it was winter?"
