Posted by Real JW [RealJW] on March 26, 1999 at 03:19:17 {MWGZmeFMCeAV2}:
In Reply to: Syllables, Jan and non answers posted by Janey on March 25, 1999 at 07:35:24:
Maybe before shooting into print, you should actually read what I - and others - have written. If you do, you will see that I never once mentioned an "ie" diphthong in Greek. In fact, I never mentioned ANY diphthong! I said that an initial "i" was pronounced like a "y." This means that it acts as a CONSONANT - not a vowel.
Did you look at the sections of pronunciation in the books you consulted?
Did you check "The Elements of New Testament Greek," by J.W. Wenham?
On page 19 of the version which I have he states:
"iota can also be used as a consonant, e.g., in proper nouns like "Iesous," "Jesus" or "Ioudaios," "Jew," in which case it is pronounced like y in "yes."
It is all the more obvious that this is correct, since, in these cases, it is a Greek rendering of the sound of the Hebrew letter "iod," which is a CONSONANT. It is, certainly, sometimes used as a vowel symbol, but this never occurs when it is the first letter in a word. If you check " A Grammar for Biblical Hebrew," by C.L. Seow, you will find that the pronunciation of "iod" is given as being approximately the same as "y as in 'yet.'" The Greek "iota" in "Iesous" is an attempt to indicate the same sound.
Now, perhaps you will open the shutters on your mind just a tiny little blink and allow a little reason in? If I say more I may get my post deleted - I really can't see why your diatribes have not been!
Real
Jehovah's Witness