Bishop's Epistle: John And The Logos

Prologue To John's Gospel 1:1-18 (Part I)

vv1-18 These verses make up the Prologue of John’s Gospel. Here, all of the main themes of the Gospel are introduced: life, truth and the pre-existence of Christ—the incarnate Yahweh. The core of these verses take the form of an early Christian hymn. This core consist of verses 1-5, 10-11 and 14. Similar Christian hymns may be found at: Col 1:15-20 and Phil 2:6-11. All three of these hymns are Christological in nature. To those who would object to these verses being Johannine, because of the form, we would point to 1 John 1:1-4 where the same style is evident and the theme much the same. In his prologue John demonstrates the evangelistic aspect of his gospel by appealing to the Western thought of logos (word) and Eastern thought of phōs (light) and focusing both philosophical thoughts as being fulfilled in the Incarnation. A stroke of evangelistic genius!

¶1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (ch 1:14; 10:30; 17:5; Gen 1:1-5; Prov 8:22-23, 30; Phil 2:6; 1 John 1:1-3; 5:7). 2 The same was in the beginning with God (Gen 1:1). 3 All things were made by him [Grk “autou:” him, her, he, she, it]; and without him [Grk “autou:” him, her, he, she, it] was not any thing made that was made (Ps 33:6-9; ch 1:10;12;35-36; 1 Cor 8:6; Eph 3:9; Heb 1:2; Rev 4:11). 4 In him [Grk “autou:” him, her, he, she, it] was life; and the life was the light of men. (ch 5:26; 8:12; 12:35-36; 1 John 1:2; 5:11). 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended [Grk “ou katelaben:’ apprehended, or extinguished, it not] it not (ch 3:19; 8:12; 9:5-12; 12:35; 1 Thess 5:4; 1 John 2:8).

v1 Word. Grk logos (Strong’s #G3056). Pros ton theon is here translated “with God.” However, in 1 John 1:2 pros ton pater translated “with the Father” is universally understood to mean “pertains to the Father.” Just as Eternal Life pertains to the Father, so here: the Word pertains to God. See Deut 32:39 — Yahweh states that there were no other gods “with” Him. Thus, Deut 32:39 prohibits “with God” in our text from being understood as “alongside” or “face-to-face.” The Word was God. Grk: Theos ēn hō logos—“God was the word.” John is writing to refute the logos Christology entering the apostolic Church from the platonic philosophers such as Philo of Alexandria and one Cerinthus. Plato taught that God, strictly speaking, was the First Principle who was too pure to personally create the material universe which is basically evil. This First Principle solved this dilemma by bringing into existence the second god whom Plato called the Second Principle, or Logos. In Plato’s view the Logos created all things in behalf, and at the behest of, the First Principle. Later, the Christian apologist Justin Martyr, seeing Jesus as Plato’s Second Principle, call Christ the “Second God.” From the opening lines of the Fourth Gospel, John is attacking the logos view of the Greek philosopher (see Col 2:8-10). The logos, according to John, was in the beginning, but not as the Second God, as the Christian Platonic philosophers declared. The logos was God Himself – not another God apart from Him. v2-3 Him. This pronoun references the logos (Word) of verse 1. Grk autou (Strong’s # G846), stands for the English pronouns: him, her, he, she, it (third person pronouns). English translators before 1611 KJV did, in fact, translate autou, in this particular passage, as “it.” (See Tyndale.) All things were made by him. Grk autou (Strong’s #G846) third person pronoun better translated as “it.” (See above). This statement must be understood in the light of Psalms 33:6 “By the word of the Lord where the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” (See Gen 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, “And God said.”) The Almighty spoke (the logos, the Word) and His creation leapt into existence. v5 Comprehended it not. Grk ou katelaben. (Strong’s #G2638): apprehended (or extinguished) it not. The same verb is used in ch 12:35; and 1 Thess 5:4.) The light and the darkness are ongoing themes in this Gospel. The “Night” of ch 9:4, and the “darkness” of Luke 22:53 refer to Calvary. So here: the darkness of the cross (Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44) did not extinguish the Light of the World (ch 9:5). The cross is seen as bringing salvation to the whole man: body and soul. Salvation was brought to the body through his physical passion (1 Peter 2:24); salvation is brought to the soul (which is the domain of the mind) through His blood (Matt 26:28); moreover, salvation is brought to the mind through His victory over the darkness (John 1:5 and especially Luke 22:53; see also Matt 27:45-46).

Apostolically Speaking