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Someone advocating this possibility has written, In the English sentence “Charles is a prince,” I can mean several possibilities, two of which combine categories…. 1) Charles is the son of a monarch (indefinite) 2) Charles is the son of a monarch and is also of princely character but I am...

Anarthrous Predicate Nominatives preceding the verb where an indefinite interpretation seems the most likely possibility: Matthew 14:26, φάντασμά ἐστιν (“it is a ghost”) – It is doubtful the disciples would have been commenting on the qualitative aspect of this apparition (“It is ghostly”), and...

John 8:42, εἰ ὁ θεὸς πατὴρ ὑμῶν ἦν (“if God was the father of you”) – He is not “a” father of us John 8:54, ὃν ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι θεὸς ἡμῶν ἐστιν (“whom you say that he is the God of you”) – Jesus wasn’t accusing the Jews of making God only one of many. John 9:5, φῶς εἰμι τοῦ κόσμου (“I am the...

Anarthrous Predicate Nominatives following the verb where an indefinite interpretation seems the most likely possibility: Matthew 14:26, φάντασμά ἐστιν (“It is a ghost”) – It is doubtful the disciples would have been commenting on the qualitative aspect of this apparition (“It is ghostly”), and...

1 Timothy 3:15, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἐκκλησία θεοῦ (“which is the church of God”) – There is only one church. Hebrews 8:6, κρείττονός ἐστιν διαθήκης μεσίτης (“of a better covenant he is the mediator”) – There is only one mediator of this covenant. 1 Peter 5:12, ταύτην εἶναι ἀληθῆ χάριν τοῦ θεοῦ (predicate...

Matthew 18:1, τίς ἄρα μείζων ἐστὶν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ (“Who, then, is a greater one in the kingdom”) · John 8:53, μὴ σὺ μείζων εἶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἀβραάμ (“You are not a greater one than our father Abraham”) Anarthrous Predicate Nominatives that Are Clearly Definite, Qualitative, or Indefinite Now...

Participial phrases make up the next most numerous category of predicate nominatives, being 41 in number (Mt 3:3; 13:22,23; Mk 4:16,18a,b,20; 7:15; 15:7; Lk 16:15; Jn 1:15,33; 4:10,26,37(2x); 5:15,39,45; 6:33,63a,64a,b; 7:25; 8:18,50(2x); Ac 2:16; 9:21; 10:42; Ro 3:11a,b,c; 1 Co 8:5a; Ga 1:7; 1...

Examples from each category are: · 1 Peter 2:15, ἐστὶν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ (“It is the will of God”) · Ac 12:15, ὁ ἄγγελός ἐστιν αὐτοῦ (“It is the angel of him”) · John 5:9, Ἦν δὲ σάββατον (“It is [was] a/the Sabbath”) · James 4:14, ἀτμὶς γάρ ἐστε (“For you are a mist”) The next most popular...

Kinds and Numbers of Predicate Nominatives in the New Testament There are several different kinds of predicate nominatives in the New Testament. The most common predicate nominative construction is with a pronominal subject, that is with a pronoun as the subject. By my count there are 211 of...

And is it not possible to think of even a proper name as indefinite (“I am a Matthew like you are”)? And even a noun we would normally consider definite, God, for example, or a title like Lord, is used indefinitely and qualitatively in the New Testament: · 2 Thessalonians 2:4, πάντα λεγόμενον...

The Myth of Definite Nouns Some of the evidence for this suggestion has relied on the concept of definite nouns. Colwell has suggested that nouns already considered definite, when they appear before the verb in a predicate nominative construction, are to be taken as definite. But the concept of...

Figurative: Mt 5:13, Ὑμεῖς ἐστε τὸ ἅλας τῆς γῆς (“You are the salt of the earth”) Mt 6:22, Ὁ λύχνος τοῦ σώματός ἐστιν ὁ ὀφθαλμός (“The lamp of the body is the eye”) Mt 13:38c, τὰ δὲ ζιζάνιά εἰσιν οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ πονηροῦ (“The weeds are the sons of the evil one”) Mk 14:22, τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ σῶμά μου...

Predicate Nominatives in the New Testament and the “Problem” of John 1:1 and Other Passages A predicate nominative in the New Testament is, by definition, a noun in the nominative case that is linked by a stative or copulative verb to the subject of that verb and thus forms a referential...

Note 2: Literally in Greek, John 1:2 says: ‘He was in beginning with God.’ Notice that in Greek there is no definite article before the word ‘beginning’. It makes sense to include the definite article ‘the’ in our English translation for the sake of clarity and English idiom. Thus, ‘He was in...

Consulting with Other Well Respected Greek Scholars and Grammarians For a further explanation and clarification about these items, it is helpful to consult with many of the well respected Greek scholars and expositors. Personally I have never come across any objective, well respected Greek...

The Predicate Coming Before the Subject Also, this phrase in John 1:1 is an example of a predicate nominative coming first in the sentence, before the subject. (Sentences like this one that use a linking verb require the noun in the predicate part of the sentence to be in the nominative...

First of all, the same Greek word is used in both occurrences of the word "God" in John 1:1. This same word is used in many contexts, whether it refers to the Only True God or whether it is referring to a false god - such as a man-made god (1 Cor. 8:5) or Satan as the ‘god of this age’ (2 Cor...

Jesus is not God’s Son in the sense of a human father and a son. God did not get married and have a son. God did not mate with Mary and, together with her, produce a son. Jesus is God’s Son in the sense that He is God made manifest in human form (John 1:1, 14). Jesus is God’s Son in that He was...

Who is God and God's Son? The doctrine of the Trinity identifies Jesus as God the Son, identical in essence but distinct in person with regard to God the Father and God the Holy Spirit (the first and third Persons of the Trinity). Matthew 26:63 But Jesus said nothing. Again the high priest...

C. Therefore, the Bible does teach the Trinity. X. What Difference Does the Doctrine of the Trinity Make? A. Sovereignty: Because the three persons have each other, we can be assured that God created us only to share the love they have and not as a means to His own end: Acts 17:25; John...