Your (1), there is a definite article. It is the emphatic for of the which in English we pronounce thee. I have come across it in the discussion of another translation where the absence of thee, Ha, before spirit gave it a different meaning than some translator used. I do not remember the details.Peter Kirby wrote:What are you talking about?A_Nony_Mouse wrote:I do not remember the grammar name. There is no definite nor indefinite article. However there is the kind of definite article we can only speak not write. "The Miles Gloriosus? The Thee himself?" If there were something special about that god it would be Ha Theos or in the completely unrelated "hebrew" which has the same situation with articles it would be Ho El or whatever term that author favored. Of course it could be Ho Elohim, thee gods or thee goddesses whatever the non-religious are permitted to make of what it really says.Peter Kirby wrote:In one of his podcasts, Robert M. Price states that the Greek is ambivalent:
(1) There is no definite article.
(2) In some situations, this necessitates supplying an indefinite article in translation.
(3) In the predicate position and nominative case, a definite article can be omitted in Greek while still being meant.
(4) This is in the predicate position and nominative case.
(5) Therefore, neither translation "the Word was God" nor "the Word was a god" captures the full sense of the Greek grammar here, but both are possible when viewed from strictly a grammatical perspective.
At least that's what Price said.
I pointed out Hebrew has the same situation using Ho to the same purpose.
I should have added any our of Hebrew readers could get out their bible see if there is a Ho God instead of just god.
The proposed translation 'a god' indicates there is none.