What is the Granville Sharp Rule?
The Granville Sharp Rule is a linguistic principle often used in biblical exegesis to establish the meaning of Greek texts. It is named after Granville Sharp, an 18th-century English scholar and social activist who first identified and formulated this rule. The Granville Sharp Rule helps to determine whether two nouns in a Greek sentence are referring to the same person or thing, based on the grammatical construction and the use of definite articles. This rule has significant implications for the interpretation of biblical passages, particularly those related to the deity of Christ and the nature of the Trinity.At its core, the Granville Sharp Rule states that when two nouns in the Greek New Testament are connected by the conjunction “and” (usually the Greek word “kai”) and the first noun lacks a definite article but the second one has a definite article, both nouns refer to the same person or thing. This construction implies a qualitative relationship rather than just a simple conjunction. For instance, in Titus 2:13, the phrase “Our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ” follows the Granville Sharp Rule, indicating that both “God” and “Saviour” refer to the same person, namely Jesus Christ.
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Some say that the rule is overly complicated and that it was never applied before Mr Sharp "invented" it. What do you think of it and should it be used for constructing proof-texts for the Holy Trinity and the Deity of Christ?
