John usage of kai to separate people in lists

 This article is about John 19:25 being about 3 people, not 4 as some claim. The reasoning for this is the people are separated by "kai"--"and." Some suggest a fourth is mentioned purely by an implied comma separating a woman named Mary and Mary's sister. The urge to do this is understandable for logical reasons--having two women with the same name in the same family. However, the grammar demands they are the same woman. The explanation for them being two people is that sister can at times refer to a close relative. In the case of Mary and her sister, the ancient explanation is they merged households and lived together, either because St Joseph died, or Alphaeus died, or both, this also explains why Mary of Alphaeus' children are called "brothers" of the Jesus since they were related and lived in the same home.

Lists in John’s writings use kai to separate different people

John 11:5	Now Jesus loved Martha, and [καὶ] her sister, and [καὶ]  Lazarus.	ἠγάπα δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὴν Μάρθαν καὶ τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτῆς καὶ τὸν Λάζαρον.
John 19:25	And there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and [καὶ] his mother's sister, Mary of Cleopas, and [καὶ] Mary the Magdalene-Young’s Literal Translation	Εἱστήκεισαν δὲ παρὰ τῷ σταυρῷ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ ἀδελφὴ τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ, Μαρία ἡ τοῦ Κλωπᾶ, καὶ Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνή.—Virtually all manuscripts
John 21:2	There were together Simon Peter, and [καὶ] Thomas called Didymus, and [καὶ] Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and [καὶ] the sons of Zebedee, and [καὶ] two other of his disciples.--KJV	Ἦσαν ὁμοῦ Σίμων Πέτρος, καὶ Θωμᾶς ὁ λεγόμενος Δίδυμος, καὶ Ναθαναὴλ ὁ ἀπὸ Κανᾶ τῆς Γαλιλαίας, καὶ οἱ τοῦ Ζεβεδαίου, καὶ ἄλλοι ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ δύο.—Byzantine Majority (with negligible variants in others)
1 John 5:8	the spirit, and [καὶ] the water, and [καὶ] the blood: and the three are for one.—Smith’s Literal Translation	τὸ πνεῦμα, καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ, καὶ τὸ αἷμα· καὶ οἱ τρεῖς εἰς τὸ ἕν εἰσιν.

 

Textual Variant only found in Textus Receptus tradition lacks 3 in a list! Perhaps more evidence it is an addition!

1 John 5:7 (variant largely only in Textus Receptus)

because three are who are testifying in the heaven, the Father, the Word, and [καὶ] the Holy Spirit, and these -- the three -- are one;--Young’s Literal Translation

μαρτυροῦντες ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ὁ πατὴρ ὁ λόγος καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, καὶ οὗτοι οἱ τρεῖς ἕν εἰσιν—Textus Receptus

 Later I will look at the book of Revelation.

From what I have seen in other texts of the NT, the kai can be omitted, but typically a pattern is followed, pairs are used. Sometimes other Jewish Greek literature for long lists omit any kai at all. Regardless, how John makes lists seems clear--he uses kai to separate names!