Scalar Meanings of the Prologue of Johns Gospel in the New Testament - Book Report/Review Example

SUMMARY MENT The prologue of John’s gospel in the New Testament is becoming an academic discipline which paved the way for many scholars and those concerned, to make further research, studies, and interpretations regarding the said passages. Out of the four gospels in the bible, John’s gospel stood out among all and has become a famous subject. Studies on this certain work are complex because it encompasses broad perspectives and contexts so the paper only focused on the meanings and implications of the verses to people specifically the whole Christian community. This exegetical paper regarding John’s prologue combines both the literal and figurative attempts to explain and give meaning to the verses. A verse-by-verse attack on the passages was done so that the paper would become more coherent and systematic. OUTLINE I. Introduction of the study II. Earlier studies regarding the Gospel of John III. Verse-by-Verse approach of explaining the prologue A. John 1:1 B. John 1:2 C. John 1:3 D. John 1:4 E. John 1:5 II. Application of the passages in real life III. Conclusion A DEEPER INSIGHT ON JOHN 1:1-5 INTRODUCTION The bible has been the greatest and most influential medium in the context of Christianity. It is through the bible in which God has revealed himself to every person. It is through this masterpiece in which we are given a blow-by-blow account of what happened in the beginning and what is going to happen at the end of the day. The bible is considered a treasure of literature, something which should be painstakingly taken care of and studied. Without any study relating to the bible, it would make no sense. It is necessary to give emphasis on the bible so that we, the most wonderful creation of God, would get the most benefits out of our existence. Primarily, the bible is divided into two distinctive parts- the Old and the New Testament. At the outset of the New Testament, there are the four-fold gospels created by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The unique feature of these gospels that makes it different from other biblical books is that the life of Jesus and the real Jesus is being taken into account. In these books, we can see the Jesus’ life, his words and his deeds. The opening verses of all these gospels provide the readers a clue to what they are going to take into consideration and the dominant concentration about Jesus’ life and ministry. Mark established Jesus as the Son of God by mentioning the event of the baptism which made his account solid among others. Matthew, on one hand, identified Jesus’ messianic characters by tracing His roots and genealogy. He made mention of Jesus’ lineage which was embedded from the bloods of Abraham and David. How Jesus was conceived and brought by Mary into the world was provided by the gospel of Luke. Luke also gave accounts on the conception and birth of John the Baptist. Among these gospels, the opening lines of John are the most outstanding and interesting. “John makes the most dramatic use of the prologue form in shaping the contours of a particular Christological emphasis” (Egmond, n.d.). Many biblical scholars found John’s texts very deep and insightful as compared to other gospels. The repetitive mentioning of God and the Logos made a very deep impression on the theological academic discipline. Moreover, the identification of the Logos as Jesus has exerted an eternal influence on the Christology. “All the prologues therefore are Christological affirmations, but John is the only Gospel to speak of Jesus’ pre-existence as the Logos and the only Gospel to include a poetic prologue” says Culpepper (1998) in his writings and commentaries on the issue at hand. In order to carefully analyze and examine the real thoughts behind John’s reflective texts, this exegetical paper would do a verse by verse explanation and justification of the said biblical texts. EARLIER STUDIES ON THE BIBLICAL TEXTS Because of the profound style of John’s introductory phrases, many scholars have different contentions regarding his detailed accounts. The genre of these texts are being asserted to come from the hymnic traditions (Beasley-Murray, 1987) of the ancient church, while other contend that these are lyrical and incorporates rhythmic, poetic and prose styles of delivery. Another main issue is the continuous usage of the word “Logos”. This Greek word is often referred to as “word” in the English language. Scholars assert that the usage of this Greek word is influenced by Hellenistic (Greek) ideas and styles. On the other hand, some also argue that even though many were aroused by his use of Greek word, the background of his texts des not in any way reflect that of Greek philosophy and background. As Morris (1971) commented on this issue, he stated that: “John could scarcely have used the Greek term without arousing in the minds of those who used the Greek language thought of something supremely great in the universe. But though he could not have been unmindful of the association aroused by the term, his thought does not arrive from the Greek background. His Gospel shows little trace of acquaintance with Greek philosophy and even less dependence on it. And the really important thing is that John, in his use of the Logos, is cutting clean across one of the fundamentals of Greek ideas.” The main point here is that whatever the accusations and assertions thrown upon these texts of John, we still could not hide the fact that the work of John is one of the most insightful and intuitive accounts in the biblical. JOHN 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The notion that this line is similar to the account of Genesis 1:1 is believed by many. This initial line exemplifies that God relates himself to humankind, not to himself. Ridderbos (1987) also gave his interpretation on text as follows: “One can say that the words "in the beginning" in John 1 have a broader meaning than they do in Genesis 1 and they refer to something "behind" Genesis, so to speak. They refer to the Word and to the Word’s existence "before the world was made," as a being distinct from God. This also implies, meanwhile, that the "in the beginning" of Jn 1:1ff. transcends by far that of Genesis 1:1ff., and cannot be explained on the basis of Genesis 1. For between Genesis 1 and John 1 lies the Christ event” With this, we can fully comprehend that John speaks about God and his connection to humankind and how everything began in a sense of time and space. We can also see that God in his highness created everything and that we should not deny. The presence of the term “Logos” further made significance since it shows that everything makes relations with God. It is God who created us and it is God who we resemble as human beings since He created us in His own likeness. It also explains that everything depends upon God and that he rules this word with all his might and that whatever He does is within His knowledge and will. God created us because he has a purpose and his act of creating us is by His own choice. Whether we take “Word” literally or figuratively, it all makes sense. With the “word” as Jesus Christ, it would be interpreted as a prophetic announcement of His (Jesus Christ’s) appearance and coming. The purpose of Christ’s coming into the word is that we, humankind, would be toward repentance to the Father Almighty. Because of this announcement through the gospel of John, people would come to know that Jesus’ appearance would be for the glory of God and his creations- humankind. JOHN 1:2 “The same was in the beginning with God”. In this second verse, it could be interpreted that God is the same from the moment He created us until forever and that His love for His people would never cease. Another possible contention for this is that the word “same” also refers to the gospel which tells of Jesus appearance and coming as the messiah and that Jesus’ coming was for everyone to repent toward God, the father. Through analyzing the structure of the verse, we could see that in the first two verses, the intra-Trinitarian description is obvious (Egmond, n.d.) and that John discloses the relationship between God and the “Logos”- who actually is Jesus Christ. With this intra-Trinitarian concept, we can therefore conclude that the link between God and the “Logos” is their divine status and that they are equal in their hierarchical standing in that whatever is said about the “Logos” is in the same way being said about God and that whatever the “Logos” said is also the same about what God says. This qualified the preaching of Jesus Christ in which he delivered the message of His Father and that he served as the mediator who spread the word of God. God indeed loves us so much and he exemplified and manifested it utmost through sending the “Logos” so that we may come face to face with him. If we allow Jesus to enter to our hearts, we also allow God to penetrate us. When we listen and follow Jesus’ words and preaching, we also do the same to God. When we repent to Jesus, we also repent to God. God and Jesus Christ are two different beings yet they possess the same love and kindness to their people. JOHN 1:3 “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” The word “thing” in this line is referred to those apparent things which pertain to eternal life that can be achieved through a meaningful relationship with God through Jesus Christ, the mediator of all things. God created everything we can see around us, even those not seen by the naked eye- this fact we can never conceal. True indeed that God made everything and that we should value all things He created because whatever we do to His creations, we also do to the “Logos” thus we also do to Him. But in the real world, many people are not clinging into this realization. Many people still commit things which harm many people and that we should stop. What we do to others, we also do to God. This line should be a realization we should cling on to. When we abide by this belief, we can prevent and avoid committing harmful things not only to others but even to ourselves. We should be thankful for God because He created everything and the best way we can do to show our appreciation for His love and kindness is through living out His words and the teachings of Jesus Christ- his Son and the Messiah. JOHN 1:4 “In him was life; and the life was the light of men”. Through the gospel pertaining to Jesus Christ’s appearance, we can achieve real life which is everlasting and unceasing and in that life we could have true fellowship and deep relationship with God, the father. We should be thankful for Christ’s coming to the world since he introduced to us the real meaning of life. He also showed us the path that we should take so that we may come to a place where we can form a deeper and more meaningful relationship with our creator. This passage exemplifies the role of Jesus Christ in redeeming the creations of God and saving them from the wrath of their sins and vindicating them from the sinful world. This verse also shows the involvement of the “Logos” in the deliverance of the people from all their misdeeds. This further expanded the role of the “Logos” in the activity of creation. We could see in this passage several words such as light and life adds up in making the famous prologue more insightful and profound. How could we follow the light of men being referred to in this passage? As the earlier interpretations stated, we could seek for God by following the teachings of the “Logos”, His teachings- in simpler terms. JOHN 1:5 “And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not”. This fifth verse of John’s prologue was significant in such a way that it gives a radical view that the light- which refers to the eternal life and true fellowship with God was not welcomed by the darkness- which pertains to the non-believers. When the “Logos” came upon the earth, some people do not believe in it, thus they failed to understand and comprehend the eternal life and unceasing fellowship that is waiting for them in the kingdom of God. The word “comprehend” might also mean that the non-believers and opposition of Christ’s ministry failed to eradicate him from the mind of the believers. It also shows that despite the people’s fall into sin and wretchedness, the mission of the “logos” never ceased, instead it continues its advocacy for redeeming the people into the world where sin is very rampant. APPLICATION OF THE PASSAGE IN REAL LIFE This prologue of John enlightened many about several biblical truths. First is that the act of God in creating everything has a ground plan of redemption. It means that God’s activity doesn’t cease with the end of creation, He is still there after all things He have done and still there to redeem us from our own faults and sins. This prologue may serve to enlighten those who have fallen in the pit of darkness and shed to them a brighter light of improving themselves and learning from their mistakes. In this world where the applications of Christian truths have been narrowed, it is necessary for every Christian to reflect and realize the real cause of his existence in this world. Everyone needs to live up to being a Christian person. More than declaring oneself as a Christian, it is also necessary for us to accept all Christian concepts and so as to achieve an everlasting and true fellowship with our Creator. The introductory verses of John should serve as an epitome for every living Christian to be profound, reflective and think deeply about the real purposes and insinuations of Christ’s incarnation into the world. John manifested the “logos”- Jesus Christ whose purpose revolves around God as a creator of every single thing in the universe that is why we should live up to His causes and teachings so that we can show that we value our existence in this world. We should respond to the teachings of Jesus because it the same teaching to that of God. This has been reiterated several times in different gospels and books in the bible. CONCLUSION “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” These introductory passages of John make real sense in the enlightenment of a person on why he is existing and what the purpose of his existence is. We should all be good Christians and that we could exemplify through living in the words of Jesus Christ- the “Logos” and God the ultimate creator of all. Jesus, according to John, is the way in which God can live and observe the people at close hand, suffer with their sufferings and difficulties and in the end, offering a better life, a life which is different and more meaningful than the former. John’s interesting and sought-after prologue is indeed a very unique and profound one. His presentation of the summary of the biblical account stood out among others because of its deep sense and reflection while introducing biblical facts at the same time. A study of John’s text may be complicated because of the assertions and contentions of many other writers. However, at the end of the day, a great sense of satisfaction and fulfillment would come a hundredfold. By reading these passages, one would never cease to ask himself: Am I really deserving of my existence in this world? Is my existence enough or should I do something more rather than just proclaiming my Christianity? That is the power of John’s passages perhaps this was the reason why this prologue caught the attention of both biblical and non-biblical scholars around the globe. REFERENCES: Beasley-Murray, George. (1987). John. Waco: Word. Culpepper, R. Alan.(1998). The Gospel and Letters of John. Nashville: Abingdon. Egmond, Richard Van. (n.d.) An Exegetical Study of The Prologue of John (John 1:1-18) Retrieved 5 June 2007 from Morris, Leon. (1971). The Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. Ridderbos, Herman. (1987). The Gospel According to John. Tr. John Vriend. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. Read More