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# Monogenes in pro-Nicene exegesis (SBL paper)
- URL: https://thepatrologist.com/monogenes-in-pro-nicene-exegesis-sbl-paper/
- Published: 2017-11-26T10:23:22.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-15T22:58:09.000Z
- Author: Seumas Macdonald
- Tags: Uncategorized, #Migrated-1784156034836, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-15 22:54

Download [monogenes-in-pro-nicene-exegesis.mp3](https://thepatrologist.files.wordpress.com/2017/11/monogenes-in-pro-nicene-exegesis.mp3?ref=thepatrologist.com)

As mentioned in my last post, I was in Boston last week for AAR/SBL 2017\. More than a few people have expressed interest in my paper, and so I arranged for it to be recorded (My thanks to Charles Meeks!)

You can watch a video of it [here](https://youtu.be/ceQG1GYK3UE?ref=thepatrologist.com).

You can also download an audio of it [here](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c3/a0/c3a0413d-4382-4ac4-8466-79746977fc2a/content/media/2026/07/monogenes-in-pro-nicene-exegesis.mp3?ref=thepatrologist.com). (which may be slightly clearer, as it was recorded separately)

I hope to turn it into an article or two, but those things take time. In summary, my paper argues:

1. That μονογενής in Greek literature up to the 1st century CE refers to an 'only-child' when talking about a person, or very occasionally to an only-son or only-daughter (in contrast to the other gender. i.e. an only daughter when there are many sons). This makes best sense of the use fo the word.
2. That 'only-begotten' throws too much emphasis on 'begotten' in a way that is misleading for the word's signification.
3. That while reference to the 5 Johannine texts containing *monogenes* is prevalent throughout the pro-Nicene authors, closer examination reveals a number of interesting, key facts, which are:
4. That those statistics are misleading because very often the verse is referenced but not to draw upon the word *monogenes*.
5. That some of those instances are in fact not the authors under which they are listed.
6. That pro-Nicenes actually rarely, if ever, base an argument for a doctrine of eternal generation on an exegesis or explanation of one of those Johannine texts.
7. Rather, pro-Nicenes regularly use *monogenes* in a denotative or absolute sense to name the second person of the Trinity, in a way similar to the English expression "God the Son". This does not necessitate reading a strong version of eternal generation into every one of those nominal uses.
8. pro-Nicenes both understand *monogenes* to mean 'only-child' as above, but understand the implication of the Son's status as only child to be a part of the evidence that his filiation is both genuine and unique, and this is part of a broader theological argumentation in favour of eternal generaiton
9. The argument that eternal generation emerges from a misunderstanding of *monogenes* in the fourth century is itself a misunderstanding both of the word *monogenes*, and of the weight put upon it (or not) by the fourth century Fathers.

Happy to hear comments/questions/feedback.