Question about 1 Cor 4:15

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anrmenchaca47

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In the NAB, St. Paul says “I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel…”

The Douay-Rheims say " For in Christ Jesus, by the gospel, I have begotten you."

How does “I have begotten you” translate into “I became your father?” Please advise.

AM
 
“I became your father” and " I have begotten you" are the same situation but expressed differently. I would go with the NAB translation as it is from the original language rather than the translation from Latin Douay Rheims.
 
It just means, “You are my offspring.” In this case, obviously, in a spiritual way. He’s not using it in the same sense that Jesus is begotten of God, the Father. The NAB translation is meant to use more modern language. No one would say today, “I have begotten you” though this may be the literal translation.
 
The full quotation from the NAB may be more enlightening: " Granted you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you have only one father. It was I who begot you in Christ Jesus through my preaching of the Gospel" 1 Corr 4:16-17 “I beg you, then, be imitators of me. This is why I have sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful son in the Lord. He will remind you of my ways in Christ, just as I teach them in all the churches” (Paul)
It was Apostle Paul Writing to Timothy, as the Teacher to The Early Church, in his Letters (Epistles)
 
Fairly simple, it boils down to a sort of play on words that doesn’t carry over to English very well. So line them up in chronological order…

Greek: …ἀλλ’ οὐ πολλοὺς πατέρας, ἐν γὰρ Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἐγὼ ὑμᾶς ἐγέννησα.

Latin: …sed non multos patres. Nam in Christo Jesu per Evangelium ego vos genui.

Douay-Rheims: …yet not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus, by the gospel, I **have begotten **you.

NABRE: …yet you do not have many fathers, for I **became **your **father **in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
The word **πατέρας/**patres literally means fathers, but the word **ἐγέννησα/**genui literally means I have begotten, not I became your father, but that’s what Paul meant, so the NABRE isn’t wrong. There is a play on the concept of fatherhood here, fathers beget. Personally I feel a better way of putting it would be “but not many fathers, because I fathered you in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.”
This is one of many examples of how the DR is better than many modern translations, because it’s more literal, but people who don’t know the languages keep wanting to say it’s a translation-of-a-translation as if that’s a bad thing.

[sign]SCORE:
DR 1, NABRE 0[/sign]:extrahappy::clapping::yyeess::egyptian:
 
He seems to be taking credit for what only the Holy Spirit can do. His preaching could not possibly be the sole conduit to them being in Christ Jesus without cutting out the Holy Spirit entirely.

Ten thousand gaurdians in Christ? Does he mean converts or angels?
 
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