When this thread started, didn't the etymological speculation of LSJ indicate that the derivation was
probably from MONO- (or MOUNOU-) and GENOS, meaning "one of a kind"? It sounds to me that the
pro-etymological forces are arguing not simply for the value of etymology in general, but for the
pre-eminence of one *specific* etymology of MONOGENHS.
I'm "pro-usage" rather than "pro-etymology," but I'm not convinced by the "only-begotten" gloss for
MONOGENHS even on etymological grounds.
Grace and peace,
A K M Adam
f49adam@ptsmail.ptsem.edu
Princeton Theological Seminary
"Fiction brings truth to history."--Walter Moseley