ΚΑΤΑ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΝ ([The Gospel] According to John)
In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1, ESV)[1]
Ἐν (In) ἀρχῇ
(beginning) ἦν (be) ὁ (the) λόγος (Word), καὶ (and) ὁ (the) λόγος (Word) ἦν
(be) πρὸς (with) τὸν (the) θεόν (God), καὶ (and) θεὸς (God) ἦν (be) ὁ (the)
λόγος (Word).
This fourth book of
the New Testament falls within the genre of the four gospels. Matthew, Mark,
and Luke make up what are referred to as the Synoptic Gospels. The word,
"synoptic", is divided into two parts, syn, from the Greek
meaning with or together with and functions as a prefix;
while the second part optic, from the Greek optikos, means to
be visible or to be seen. John’s gospel
commences with the ministry of Christ to the time of His ascension, as does
Mark’s gospel. One thing that differentiates the synoptic gospels from that of
John is that the first three are about establishing “the kingdom of God” or
“heaven”, 121x in the synoptics and only 5x in the gospel of John. The concept
of “life” seems to be more central to John’s gospel occurring 36x in contrast
to only 16x in total for the synoptics.
1a. “In the
beginning was the word”. The preposition en translated “in” is indicative of
something being fixed positionally, either in time, place, or state.
Here the reference has to do with placement. The definite article does not
actually appear in the originally Greek, as noted above. The Greek noun archē
is utilized in reference to things or personages regarding time, place, order,
and rank. Although the reference appears to intimate a time, the phrase, and if
not the phrase, then the passage, seems to indicate a person. That
determination will be made clearer the further we go into the passage.
The verb eimi is a first-person
singular which has been translated as “was”, though it actually means be,
or to be as in to exist. Some translators have claimed that this
verb is actually third person. In the Greek the verb is in the present tense
(Lit. “be”), and in the emphatic it is most frequently translated as “I Am” or
“I exist”. “I” is a personal pronoun utilized as a first-person singular.
Whether first person or third, the verb itself remains unchanged, it merely
determines how the statement itself should be understood. So, although archē
can refer to time in this passage, it is actually utilized in reference to a
person, “In the beginning”, “I Am”.
There may have been some discussion over
the years regarding whether the definite article ὁ preceding the Greek
noun λόγος actually appears in the original Greek or not. As such some
translators have included it while some have not. Its inclusion is intended to
emphasize that the λόγος is not simply a word uttered or a discourse
given, but a person living; and of-course syntax is improved when translating
to the English. Nevertheless, the definite article would have been unnecessary
in the Greek as the verb eimi (in the previous paragraph) would have
addressed whether the noun was understood as a person or not.
The Greek noun λόγος (logos) stems
from the Greek verb legō. meaning to lay
forth in words as a discourse systematically, by reason. Different from the
Greek eipon meaning simply to speak or say, either spoken or
written. If the logos stems from the Greek eipon, then the logos
could be either a written or spoken word. As the logos stems from the Greek
verb legō, the indication is that the logos is a person, as a word
spoken can only be accomplished by a person living. And that spoken word is
laid out systematically by reason. “Come now, let us reason together, says the
Lord:” (Is. 1:18a).
1b. “And the Word
was with God”. The Greek word kai translated and functions as a copulative
conjunction serving to connect words with the intention of creating a
cumulative effect. It allows the passage to move from the more general
declaration of 1.a to the more specific declaration of 1.b. Again, the definite
article only appears in the Greek in relation to the noun logos, (word). In the
Greek the definite article can appear as a nominative, as in ὁ, or as an
accusative, as in τὸν. In this passage the nominative case ending (ς) is
always used in relation to the noun λόγος while the accusative case
ending (ν) appears once in relation to the noun θεόν (Theon). Though its
second appearance in this passage is as a nominative case ending, θεὸς.
So why does this matter? The case ending
helps us to determine what the subject or the direct object is in relation to
the verb. The verb ἦν (be, or to be) appears three times in this passage
and has been translated as “was”. In English the tense of the verb is past, but
in the Greek the verb is always present tense. Regardless of whether ἦν
is past or present tense, it still exists as a verb. Because the case ending of
λόγος is nominative, this would indicate that the “word” is the subject
while the case ending of θεόν is accusative, indicating that “God” is
the direct object. The preposition πρὸς, translated “with” is a term of
proximity. Literally understood as the Word being “toward” or “face to face”
with God. The Preposition qualifies the verb “was” (lit. "to be")
indicating that God the Son (ὁ λόγος) is “face to face “with God (πρὸς θεόν)
the Father at the beginning (Ἐν ἀρχῇ).
1c. “And the Word
was God”. In the Greek this part of the verse is in reverse order to its
English transliteration, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος, (kai Theos eimi ho logos)
or “and God to be (to exist) the word.” As in 1b. The Greek term kai
translated “and” is considered a logically connective co-ordinating conjunction
with a copulative effect. The purpose of such a conjunction is to expand on
information provided in the previous clause connecting the declaration of 1b.
with 1c. for the purpose of creating a cumulative effect, moving the text
forward from statements which are typically more general in nature, to
statements that are more specific in nature, providing greater detail. In each
declarative phrase λόγος (logos) has the nominative case ending (ς)
following the verb ἦν (eimi) indicating that the subject of the verse is
the Logos or the Word which, as previously noted, is in reference to a person, as
determined by the stem or root for logos, legō, the living word,
in contrast to the spoken or written word, such as eipon would indicate..
So, the Word is a person who was in
existence at the beginning (1a), that (this) same Word was (is) in existence
and “face to face” with God (1b), and the Word it (him) self exists as God
1(c). What is herein presented, is two-thirds of the Trinity, God the Father
and God the Son. Stephen Wellum has incapsulates it in the following way,
We can now summarize what John means by referring to
Christ as the logos and ultimately giving him the title theos: Christ is
eternal (“In the beginning was the Word”; v. 1a); Christ is a distinct person
from God the Father (“the Word was with God,” v. 1b; cf. “the only Son from the
Father,” v. 14); Christ shares the full deity of God (“the Word was God”; v.
1c). And with the eternality, personality, and deity of the Word-Son-Christ in
view, we can now understand just who it is that John says became incarnate:
theos himself.[2]
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