John 3

Io 3.1Erat autem homō ex pharisaeīs, Nicodēmus nōmine, prīnceps Iūdaeōrum.

Now there was a man from the Pharisees, Nicodemus by name, a leader of the Jews.

Note. Nīcodēmus: a Pharisee and member of the Jewish council (prīnceps Iūdaeōrum). He reappears in chapters 7 and 19.

Io 3.2Hic vēnit ad Iēsum nocte, et dīxit eī: Rabbi, scīmus quia ā Deō vēnistī magister, nēmō enim potest haec signa facere, quae tū facis, nisi fuerit Deus cum eō.

This man came to Jesus by night, and said to him: Rabbi, we know that from God you have come as a teacher; for no one can do these signs which you do unless God is with him.

Note. nocte: ablative of time, 'by night'. scīmus quia … vēnistī: quia + indicative again replaces the accusative and infinitive. magister is in apposition: 'you have come as a teacher'.

Io 3.3Respondit Iēsus, et dīxit eī: Āmēn, āmēn dīcō tibi, nisi quis renātus fuerit dēnuō, nōn potest vidēre regnum Deī.

Jesus answered and said to him: Amen, amen I say to you, unless someone has been reborn from the start, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Note. nisi quis: after nisi, quis is indefinite. dēnuō can mean 'again' or 'from above'; the Greek word is ambiguous too, which is why Nicodemus misunderstands.

Io 3.4Dīcit ad eum Nicodēmus: Quōmodo potest homō nāscī, cum sit senex? numquid potest in ventrem mātris suae iterātō introīre et renāscī?

Nicodemus says to him: How can a man be born when he is old? Can he surely not go a second time into the womb of his mother and be born again?

Note. Quōmodo: 'how?'. numquid expects the answer 'no': 'surely he cannot …?'. iterātō: 'a second time'.

Io 3.5Respondit Iēsus: Āmēn, āmēn dīcō tibi, nisi quis renātus fuerit ex aquā, et Spīritū Sānctō, nōn potest introīre in regnum Deī.

Jesus answered: Amen, amen I say to you, unless someone has been reborn out of water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot go into the kingdom of God.

Io 3.6Quod nātum est ex carne, carō est: et quod nātum est ex spīritū, spīritus est.

What has been born from the flesh is flesh; and what has been born from the spirit is spirit.

Io 3.7Nōn mīrēris quia dīxī tibi: oportet vōs nāscī dēnuō.

Do not wonder that I said to you: You must be born anew.

Note. Nōn mīrēris: nōn + present subjunctive as a mild prohibition, common in later Latin (classical would prefer nē mīrātus sīs or nōlī mīrārī).

Io 3.8Spīritus ubi vult spīrat, et vōcem eius audīs, sed nescīs unde veniat, aut quō vādat: sīc est omnis quī nātus est ex spīritū.

The wind breathes where it wishes, and you hear its voice, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so is everyone who has been born from the spirit.

Note. Spīritus can mean 'wind' as well as 'spirit', and the saying plays on both meanings; the Greek pneuma does the same.

Io 3.9Respondit Nicodēmus, et dīxit eī: Quōmodo possunt haec fierī?

Nicodemus answered and said to him: How can these things be done?

Io 3.10Respondit Iēsus, et dīxit eī: Tū es magister in Isrāël, et haec ignōrās?

Jesus answered and said to him: You are a teacher in Israel, and you do not know these things?

Io 3.11Āmēn, āmēn dīcō tibi, quia quod scīmus loquimur, et quod vīdimus testāmur, et testimōnium nostrum nōn accipitis.

Amen, amen I say to you, that what we know we speak, and what we have seen we bear witness to, and our testimony you do not accept.

Note. quia quod scīmus loquimur: after dīcō tibi, quia introduces the content of what is said ('that'). quod … quod: relative pronouns without antecedents, 'what'.

Io 3.12Sī terrēna dīxī vōbīs, et nōn crēditis: quōmodo, sī dīxerō vōbīs caelestia, crēdētis?

If earthly things I have told you, and you do not believe, how, if I tell you heavenly things, will you believe?

Note. Sī dīxerō …, crēdētis?: future more vivid condition; dīxerō is future perfect.

Io 3.13Et nēmō ascendit in caelum, nisi quī dēscendit dē caelō, Fīlius hominis, quī est in caelō.

And no one has gone up into heaven except he who has come down from heaven, the Son of man, who is in heaven.

Io 3.14Et sīcut Mōysēs exaltāvit serpentem in dēsertō, ita exaltārī oportet Fīlium hominis:

And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so the Son of man must be lifted up,

Note. The reference is to Numbers 21:8–9, where Moses set up a bronze serpent on a pole. exaltārī, 'to be lifted up', hints at the cross.

Io 3.15ut omnis quī crēdit in ipsum, nōn pereat, sed habeat vītam aeternam.

so that each one who believes in him should not perish, but should have life eternal.

Io 3.16Sīc enim Deus dīlēxit mundum, ut Fīlium suum ūnigenitum daret: ut omnis quī crēdit in eum, nōn pereat, sed habeat vītam aeternam.

Thus indeed God loved the world, that he gave his own only-begotten Son, so that each one who believes in him should not perish, but should have life eternal.

Note. Sīc … ut + subjunctive: a result clause, 'so … that he gave'. Fīlium suum ūnigenitum: 'his only-begotten Son'.

Io 3.17Nōn enim mīsit Deus Fīlium suum in mundum, ut iūdicet mundum, sed ut salvētur mundus per ipsum.

For God did not send his Son into the world so that he might judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through him.

Io 3.18Quī crēdit in eum, nōn iūdicātur; quī autem nōn crēdit, iam iūdicātus est: quia nōn crēdit in nōmine ūnigenitī Fīliī Deī.

He who believes in him is not judged; but he who does not believe has already been judged, because he does not believe in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.

Note. iam iūdicātus est: 'has already been judged'. in nōmine: Biblical Latin uses in + ablative after crēdere where classical Latin would use the dative.

Io 3.19Hoc est autem iūdicium: quia lūx vēnit in mundum, et dīlēxērunt hominēs magis tenebrās quam lūcem: erant enim eōrum mala opera.

And this is the judgement: that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness more than the light; for their works were evil.

Note. Hoc est … iūdicium: quia: the quia clause explains hoc, 'this is the judgement, (namely) that …'. magis … quam: 'more than'.

Io 3.20Omnis enim quī male agit, ōdit lūcem, et nōn venit ad lūcem, ut nōn arguantur opera eius:

For everyone who acts badly hates the light, and does not come to the light, so that his works may not be exposed;

Note. ut nōn arguantur: 'so that (his works) may not be exposed'; Biblical Latin often uses ut nōn for a negative purpose where classical Latin uses nē.

Io 3.21quī autem facit vēritātem, venit ad lūcem, ut manifestentur opera eius, quia in Deō sunt facta.

but he who does the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be made manifest, because they have been done in God.

Io 3.22Post haec vēnit Iēsus et discipulī eius in terram Iūdaeam: et illīc dēmorābātur cum eīs, et baptizābat.

After these things Jesus and his disciples came into the land of Judaea; and there he was staying with them and was baptizing.

Note. illīc dēmorābātur: imperfect of the deponent dēmoror, 'he was staying'.

Io 3.23Erat autem et Iōannēs baptizāns, in Aennōn, iūxtā Salīm: quia aquae multae erant illīc, et veniēbant et baptizābantur.

And John too was baptizing in Aenon, near Salim, because there were many waters there; and people were coming and were being baptized.

Note. Aennōn means 'springs', hence quia aquae multae erant illīc. The location of Aenon and Salim is uncertain.

Io 3.24Nōndum enim missus fuerat Iōannēs in carcerem.

For not yet had John been sent into prison.

Io 3.25Facta est autem quaestiō ex discipulīs Iōannis cum Iūdaeīs dē pūrificātiōne.

And there arose a dispute from the disciples of John with the Jews about purification.

Note. Facta est … quaestiō: 'a dispute arose'. fierī is the usual Biblical Latin verb for 'happen, take place'.

Io 3.26Et vēnērunt ad Iōannem, et dīxērunt eī: Rabbi, quī erat tēcum trāns Iordānem, cui tū testimōnium perhibuistī, ecce hic baptizat, et omnēs veniunt ad eum.

And they came to John and said to him: Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness, look, this man baptizes, and all are coming to him.

Note. ecce hic baptizat: 'look, this man is baptizing'. tēcum: tē + -cum, 'with you'.

Io 3.27Respondit Iōannēs, et dīxit: Nōn potest homō accipere quidquam, nisi fuerit eī datum dē caelō.

John answered and said: A man cannot receive anything unless it has been given to him from heaven.

Io 3.28Ipsī vōs mihi testimōnium perhibētis, quod dīxerim: Nōn sum ego Chrīstus: sed quia missus sum ante illum.

You yourselves are bearing witness for me that I said: I am not the Christ, but that I have been sent before him.

Note. Ipsī vōs mihi testimōnium perhibētis: 'you yourselves bear me witness'. quod dīxerim: subjunctive because it reports what John said.

Io 3.29Quī habet spōnsam, spōnsus est: amīcus autem spōnsī, quī stat, et audit eum, gaudiō gaudet propter vōcem spōnsī. Hoc ergō gaudium meum implētum est.

He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices with joy because of the voice of the bridegroom. This joy of mine, then, has been filled up.

Note. The image is of a wedding: the friend of the bridegroom (the best man) is glad for the groom, not jealous. gaudiō gaudet: 'rejoices with joy', a Hebrew way of intensifying a verb with its own noun.

Io 3.30Illum oportet crēscere, mē autem minuī.

That one must grow, but I must be made less.

Note. Illum oportet crēscere, mē autem minuī: oportet + accusative and infinitive. minuī is a present passive infinitive, 'to be made less'.

Io 3.31Quī dēsursum venit, super omnēs est. Quī est dē terrā, dē terrā est, et dē terrā loquitur. Quī dē caelō venit, super omnēs est.

He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the earth is from the earth, and from the earth he speaks. He who comes from heaven is above all.

Note. dēsursum: late Latin adverb, 'from above'. super omnēs: 'above all'.

Io 3.32Et quod vīdit, et audīvit, hoc testātur: et testimōnium eius nēmō accipit.

And what he has seen and heard, to this he bears witness; and his testimony no one accepts.

Io 3.33Quī accēpit eius testimōnium signāvit, quia Deus vērāx est.

He who has accepted his testimony has set his seal that God is truthful.

Note. signāvit quia: 'has set his seal (to the fact) that', i.e. has certified. vērāx: 'truthful'.

Io 3.34Quem enim mīsit Deus, verba Deī loquitur: nōn enim ad mēnsūram dat Deus spīritum.

For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for not by measure does God give the Spirit.

Note. ad mēnsūram: 'by measure', i.e. sparingly.

Io 3.35Pater dīligit Fīlium et omnia dedit in manū eius.

The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.

Io 3.36Quī crēdit in Fīlium, habet vītam aeternam; quī autem incrēdulus est Fīliō, nōn vidēbit vītam, sed īra Deī manet super eum.

He who believes in the Son has life eternal; but he who is unbelieving toward the Son will not see life, but the anger of God remains upon him.

Note. incrēdulus … Fīliō: 'disbelieving toward the Son', with a dative. īra Deī manet super eum: the present tense stresses that the state continues.