Knowledge of earthly things? The use of έπίγειος in John 3:12

Abstract

Jesus' remark in John 3:12 that if Nicodemus does not believe what Jesus has told him about the earthly things, how will he believe if Jesus tells him about the heavenly things, poses the reader with a difficult question: what do "earthly things" refer to, especially since the contents of Jesus' discussion with Nicodemus were the Holy Spirit and his work. What type of knowledge is suggested here? Several possible solutions are discussed followed by a detailed analysis of the context to try to establish the possible referents for τά έπίγειος. A possible solution suggested is that τά έπίγειος refers to the human acceptance of the experience of the birth from above through the Spirit, without being able to understand it properly.