Saint John with Attention to the Concept of Logos and its Contextual Implications - Essay Example

EXEGETICAL ANALYSIS OF ST JOHN 1 WITH ATTENTION TO THE CONCEPT OF LOGOS AND ITS CONTEXTUAL IMPLICATIONS. Tutor name: Date due: Word count: 1,604 Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 1.0. Introduction 2 2.0. Exegesis of Main Passage 3 3.0. Present Implications 5 4.0. Conclusion 6 5.0. Bibliography 7 1.0. Introduction With the opening verses of the four Gospels, the evangelist gives basic insight about respective governance concerning the accounts of Jesus life as well as ministry. Mark’s account can be considered the most compact whereby he recounts Jesus’ baptism in order to establish his character as the son of God. Mathew opens up by genealogical identifying Jesus as a descendant of Abraham as well as David and providing his credentials as the Messianic king while Luke’s account sets up a detail of announcements as well as tangible births of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. Of the four Gospels, John makes the most intense use of the prologue method in shaping the outlines of particular Christology (O’Day 1995: 758). The Gospel of John’s prologue can be described as the most profound passages in the Bible as its description of Christ Jesus as the logos has put forth an everlasting influence of theology of Christianity (Bruner, 2012:3). 2.0. Exegesis of Main Passage The prelude of John 1:1-18 is distinctive in Bible literature. It is obvious that John’s main point is not God the person but the emphasis on the distinctiveness of the Word. The Logos are the focal point of the work as well as the teachings in the passage that show that the Logos is complexly involved with the universe’s creation. All through the prologue, it is quite clear there is a pre-existence of the Logo (Giblin 1985: 87-103). A lot has been said about the beginnings of the word logos. Philo used the term and yet Philo’s logo is an impersonal manifestation of God’s Wisdom. While John’s use of the word logos borrows from that of Philo (most notably considering that John wrote the Gospel when he was in Ephesus because it is at this point that the Greeks were able to comprehend its usage), but John goes a step further than what Philo dreamed of. Instead of a pantheistic, neutral divine release, John’s logos are a more personal, eternal being that is not part of creation but instead the creator himself (Seitz, 2007: 55). To have a better understanding, the first verse must be examined. The verse is broken down into three parts each playing a significant role. The first noticeable thing is the flawed form of eimi usage all through the prologue concerning the logos. The phrase has an attachment “en arche” being timeless – i.e. dating back as, so one wishes it to be, in pushing back the beginning for the Word was already existent. This is evident in the New English Bible. It says, “The Word was already there during the beginning of all things.” Therefore, before the creation of the world, the Word was existent. Consequently, the first phase shows the Word having eternality and his pre-existence (Hayes & Holladay, 2008: 16-27). Phrase 2 presents an inter-personal relationship with the logos as well as God. The phrase in Greek pros translated with denotes communication existence as well as fellowship amid the logos as well as theos. Description of the word was about one another being face to face. Furthermore, John could have added the last phrase of which was God was the Word (Bauer & Traina, 2011: 39). This last phrase could present a problem in that the first phrase clearly shows the logos as everlasting, while the second show distinct personality. This now creates polytheism without emendation’s final phrase. At this point, any success hope of Sabellianism ends in the second clause (Giblin 1985: 87-103). The last phrase, en ho kai theos logos show a syntactical plan whereby there is the emphasis placed of the term theo, and the sentence is also copulative. Essentially, the construction avoids modalism, which simply means that the Word is not mentioned in complete co-extensity with theos and also teaches that the Word is similar to God as nature (a point Paul reiterates in Philippians). The everlasting Word by means of creatorship is linked in verse three. All things that were made were created through him, and not anything was created without him that was not created. The intention here is that John is splitting the logo from the created realm. The first phrase John starts by asserting God’s timeless existence and then by attributing all creation to the logos. The best form of interpretation concerning these mentioned verses is to view the logos like an everlasting being of who created everything. The prologue further continues identifying the logos with Jesus Christ the person in John 1:14. It is noticeable that John is extremely careful in distinguishing amid the Word his complete nature and everything else. John usage of en comes in when in view of the word is eternal. However, when it comes to time events of John 1:14(that is the incarnation) John changes from timeless en to aorist egene to- Word becoming flesh at a given time in history (Thiselton, 2009: 76). Lastly, in John 1: 18 he closes the case by saying Jesus is the one and only God or more precisely, the distinctive God of who makes known the father of whom exegetes God to man. 3.0. Present Implications The prologue addresses the present reader in various ways. From the beginning, it sets out a redemptive plan of God being closely linked with his creative activities. The logos of whom everything was created is now the very one who comes in the form of humanity for redemptions of creation through his death as well as the resurrection, and by doing this his glory is fulfilled. Colossians 1:19-20 explains further Paul’s statement. God was well pleased in having his entire fullness dwell in him and through him for reconciliation of everything to himself. Just like John’s careful usage of the logo term in addressing the Gnostic reader, leaving no open possibility for dualism of cosmology. At present, the implications of the works of Jesus Christ have the power to bring forth new life as well as light to all forms of dimensions of humanity that have been struck by sin. In the classic assessment, British writer Harry Blamires laments on the loss of the mind of Christians, arguing that Christian of the present day have accepted the applicability of Christian truth to become very narrow. Instead, he states that, we need to see that thinking Christianly is accepting everything with a mindset in direct or indirect relation to eternal human destiny as a redeemed, as well as chosen child of God. The prologue can be viewed as a model as well as a summon for the present day Christian to think about the implications of the incarnation and hence apply the concept in comprehensiveness pertaining issues of the present day (Giblin 1985: 87-103). The logos as presented by John as to who is Jesus Christ shifts from God the creator during the beginning to Gods who makes known the father because of his knowledge of the father personally. In order to share intimacy with the Father and hence becoming God’s children (1:12) is in believing (Gr. Pisteuein). All through the fourth Gospel, the belief is comprehended like a commitment, which includes a willingness to answer to God’s demands as presented by Jesus Christ. The response of willingness to Jesus Christ can be illustrated in the prologue (1:12,13); and repeated all through the gospel in (John 2:11,22; 3:16-18; 4:39-53; 5:24; 7;31-38 ; 8:30; 11:40; 20:8), and recapped as well in at the book’s ending in one of the two summed up statements (20:30-31). In the broad scope of things, the prologue presents a straightforward and personal query to readers over time: will the reader believe and share the fullness of given grace by the individual who was sent by the Father to dwell amongst us? 4.0. Conclusion John one of the New Testament writers has undoubtedly proven the fact of pre-existence of Jesus Christ our Lord of who was not only in existence prior to his birth, but he was in existence eternally with God and in his very nature. These words, as well as concepts are assuring, but no less truth. It has been noted that the early fathers of the church understood this concept and incorporated it in their teachings. The progress of the prologue’s main outlines can be viewed from two sides. One, John’s concernment to put side by side the eternal, supra-temporal realm of God alongside the historical realm in order to encompass daily affairs of humanity of whom are simple creatures of flesh and blood. In doing so, the prologue sets the foundation for development of the fourth Gospel. The prologue has proven that in Jesus Christ, the everlasting God as well as a source of life has been present right from the beginning among humanity (Stein, 2011: 67). The writer’s testimony is that in Jesus Christ, God is involved in all trials and tribulations of humanity, and he lives among his people as one of them, showing God and offering new life as the foundation of life from the beginning. Two, development is seen in the description of the logos as coming into much closer proximity to his people. With the beginning real of cosmology, as well as ontology, John relates the logos to God (1:1, 2); creation (1:3-5); response of the world (1:6-9) his people (10, 11); his children (12-13); chosen disciples as well as witnesses (1:14); then a certain historical being, Jesus Christ (1:17). Finally, in v.18 the relationship of intimacy of the logos with the Father is re-emphasized in a language close to that in 13:23-25 that describes the intimacy between the beloved disciple as well as Jesus Christ himself. 5.0. Bibliography Books BRUNER, F. D. (2012). The Gospel of John: a commentary. Grand Rapids, Mich, W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. HAYES, J. H., & HOLLADAY, C. R. (2008). Biblical exegesis: a beginners handbook. Louisville, Ky, Westminster John Knox Press. SEITZ, C. R. (2007). Prophecy and hermeneutics: toward a new introduction to the prophets. Grand Rapids, MI, Baker Academic. STEIN, R. H., & STEIN, R. H. (2011). A basic guide to interpreting the Bible: playing by the rules. Grand Rapids, Mich, Baker Academic. THISELTON, A. C. (2009). Hermeneutics: an introduction. Grand Rapids, Mich, W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co. (1982). Holy Bible the new King James version. Nashville, T. Nelson. Journals GIBLIN, C. H. (1985). Two complementary literary structures in John 1: 1-18.Journal of Biblical Literature, 87-103. O’DAY, G. R. (1995). The gospel of John. The new interpreter’s Bible, 9, 758. Web/ electronic source BAUER, D. R., & TRAINA, R. A. (2011). Inductive Bible Study a Comprehensive Guide to the Practice of Hermeneutics. Grand Rapids, Baker Pub. Group. http://www.contentreserve.com/TitleInfo.asp?ID={F3CFC3ED-75DD-4045-900D-05E898A277DD}&Format=410. Read More