What does 'begotten' mean?

Question

I've looked it up in the Dictionary but it's not there.
And even though I've been a Christian for quite some time I've never fully understood what it means when they say Jesus is Gods only begotten Son.
I've looked it up in several different Dictionaries but none have the word begotten in them.

Answer 1

its the opposite of forgotten :)

Answer 2

When in the Nicene Creed it says "He was begotten, not made....." what they are saying is that Jesus Christ was not a created being. He wasn't made by the Father, but rather He always existed and is one in substance with Him, and was "brought forth" as the man Jesus Christ, a man, but at the same time fully God. "Brought forth" is probably the closest phrase I can think of without actually going to look up what the commentaries and the catechism have to say. If Jesus Christ had at any time actually been created or "made", He couldn't be God.

Begotten is an old old term and I'm not surprised that it's not in a contemporary dictionary. One possible good source to check is the Vatican website, in particular, the online version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Or the New Advent website.

This is from the New Advent website http://www.newadvent.org

Excerpt of a Letter of Eusebius of Cæsarea (an early Church Father) to the people of his Diocese. (concerning the wording and adoption of the Nicene Creed)

6. In the same way we also admitted "begotten, not made;" since the Council alleged that "made" was an appellative common to the other creatures which came to be through the Son, to whom the Son had no likeness. Wherefore, say they, He was not a work resembling the things which through Him came to be, but was of an essence which is too high for the level of any work; and which the Divine oracles teach to have been generated from the Father, the mode of generation being inscrutable and incalculable to every originated nature.

Answer 3

It is a Greek word "monogenes" (mono=single genes=gene) Like being born of a single sperm without an egg... In English they made it to say "begotten" In the Spanish New Testament is more like in the Greek "unigenito" (uni=single genito=gene) This word is used only in the Greek New Testament. In the Old Testament the whole idea is unknown! In Christian theology it explains how Jesus managed to be born of the Father in Heaven without a Goddess as mother to come up with the Holy Trinity, but the begotten was ALWAYS there it never really happened IN TIME because in Christian theology (NOT JEWISH or HEBREW) God the Son Jesus Christ always existed alongside God the Father and God the Holy Ghost... In the New Testament somebody wrote that Jesus was begotten of the Father to explain Jesus existance because in Judaism they only believe in a single Deity. The bottom line is that when we all get to Heaven God will reveal it to us... and we will know everything! Amen? You better don't question it now... pretty please...

Answer 4

Begotten means "not created". God is an omnipresent Spirit. If He were an ocean, we would be droplets of water in that ocean. Jesus had about the Pacific in His consciousness of God. But here is the wonder of God's nature. The consciousness of the Spirit in Jesus, though at "one" with the Father Almighty, was also distinctly Jesus. He was "begotten" thus, not made. We can also be begotten, but only if we can truly follow our eldest brother, Jesus Christ.

Answer 5

That is because it comes from the word beget. It means to produce as an effect, to cause to exist,to generate. To come from. To Sire,. So when we say begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. IT means that Jesus comes directly from the Father, God Himself is the Father of Jesus, the Father produced Him. I hope that this helps.

Answer 6

To create. In Hebrew it can also mean to "adopt" such as God calling Israel his begotten, he was making it his own... to bring into the family. You won't find it in a dictionary because it's not part of our vocabulary.

Answer 7

Begetting is different from creating in that the life of the begotten thing comes out of the 'begetter'. This way fathers beget their children, the XY chromosome comes from them. In the Bible begetting is always attributed to male agents. This should not be confused with giving birth.

Answer 8

Gordon has it right. You should note that Scripture generally opposes "begotten" with "created". Jesus was begotten - He is the Son of God, not a creation of God.

Answer 9

Begotten is an old English word meaning 'Created' or 'Existing'. God's only begotten Son simply means "God's only existing Son".

Answer 10

You need to get yourself another dictionary.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
be·get /bɪˈgɛt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[bi-get] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–verb (used with object), be·got or (Archaic) be·gat; be·got·ten or be·got; be·get·ting.

1. (esp. of a male parent) to procreate or generate (offspring).

2. to cause; produce as an effect: a belief that power begets power.


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[Origin: bef. 1000; ME begeten (see be-, get); r. ME biyeten, OE begetan; c. Goth bigitan, OHG bigezzan]

—Related forms
be·get·ter, noun


—Synonyms 1. spawn, sire, breed, father. 2. occasion, engender, effect, generate.

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This be·get (bĭ-gět') Pronunciation Key
tr.v. be·got (-gŏt'), be·got·ten (-gŏt'n) or be·got, be·get·ting, be·gets

1. To father; sire.

2. To cause to exist or occur; produce: Violence begets more violence.

[Middle English biyeten, bigeten, from Old English begetan; see ghend- in Indo-European roots.]

be·get'ter n.

Pastor Art

Answer 11

Begotten : (of offspring) generated by procreation.