John 1:1
I have another train of thought for you think about. Is what you're reading into John 1 mostly church tradition? For almost 400 years, we have a read John 1 through the eyes of the Catholic Church. (reinforcing the Trinity). In the New Testament, “the Word” (Logos) happens to be of the masculine gender. Therefore, it's pronoun -"he" in our English translations - is a matter of interpretation, not translation. Did John write concerning “the word” that “he” was in the beginning with God or did he write concerning “the word” that “it” was in the beginning with God? As already stated, in the NT Greek the logos or word is masculine noun. It is okay in English to use “he” to refer back to his masculine noun if there is good contextual reason to do so. But is there good reason to make “the word” a “he” here?
I'm reading John 1 going to the N.T. with no preconceived notions.
Then a person runs into some scripture that is not so easy to understand.
What is this WORD John speaks of? And other questions.
I trust theologians to tell me what verses mean to THEM.
Then I take everything into consideration and come to my belief.
We have read John 1 through the eyes of the original church, which happens to be the CC...
not just the last 400 years. I think you're mixing the CC and Protestantism...
The WORD/LOGOS could be an it.
It became a HE when it became incarnate...Jesus.
How's this:
IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD, AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD AND THE WORD WAS GOD.
The WORD, whatever IT was, was WITH GOD. IT was in the beginning with God.
When was the beginning? Who could know? Do YOU know what was before the universe was created?
We need the word beginning to understand...
but the WORD was always with God...from the beginning.
ALL THINGS WERE MADE BY IT.
This WORD made all things.
IN IT WAS LIFE AND THE LIFE WAS THE LIGHT OF MEN.
Who is the light?
Who is the life?
Is it not JESUS?
THERE WAS THE TRUE LIGHT
WHICH, COMING TO THE WORLD, ENLIGHTENS EVERY MAN.
Now we get to where the light comes to the world.
But we already had light from Genesis 1...so it must be a different type of light...no longer an IT.
Contemporary English Language:
The Word was in the world, but no one knew him, though God had made the world with his Word.
YLT
in the world he was, and the world through him was made, and the world did not know him:
Douay Rheims
He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
Tyndale 1526
He was in ye worlde and the worlde was made by him: and yet the worlde knewe him not.
You see, Pierac, the WORD that was with God from the beginning became flesh.
I won't even get into other verses like Hebrews 1:2 for instance, which states that God made everything through the Son.
It is a fact that all English translations from the Greek before the King James version of 1611 actually read this way: (notice Him and He are now “It”).
Tyndale 1534:
Joh 1:1 In the beginnynge was the worde and the worde was with God: and the worde was God. 2 The same was in the beginnynge with God. 3 All thinges were made by it and with out it was made nothinge that was made. 4 In it was lyfe and the lyfe was ye lyght of men
Cranmer 1539
John 1:1 IN the begynnynge was the worde and the worde was wyth God: and God was the worde. 2 The same was in the begynnyng with God. 3 All thynges were made by it and without it, was made nothynge that was made. 4 In it was lyfe and the lyfe was the lyght of men
Bishops 1568:
Joh 1:1 In the begynnyng was the worde, & the worde was with God: and that worde was God. 2 The same was in the begynnyng with God. 3 All thynges were made by it: and without it, was made nothyng that was made. 4 In it was lyfe, and the lyfe was the lyght of men,
Geneva 1587:
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was that Word, and that Word was with God, and that Word was God. 2 This same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by it, and without it was made nothing that was made. 4 In it was life, and that life was the light of men.
And now our modern Concordant Literal Version:
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the word, and the word was toward God, and God was the word. " 2 This was in the beginning toward God. 3 All came into being through it, and apart from it not even one thing came into being which has come into being." 4 In it was life, and the life was the light of men."
I hope you understand my point, which I made above.
The WORD could be described as an IT when IT was with God....
But the WORD became flesh and dwelt among us.
John 1:14
The word logos appears many, many more times in this very Gospel of John. And nowhere else do the translators capitalize it or use the masculine personal pronoun "he" to agree with it !
The rest of the New Testament is the same. Logos is variously translated as "statement" (Luke 20:20), “question" (Matt 21:24), "preaching" (1 Tim 5:17), "command" (Gal 5:14), "message" (Luke 4:32), "matter" (Acts 15:6), "reason" (Acts 10:29), so there is actually no reason to make John one say that "the Word" is the person Jesus himself, unless of course the translators
are wanting to make a point to. In all cases logos is an “it.”
In the light of this background it is far better to read John's prologue to mean that in the beginning God had a plan, a dream, a grand vision for the world, a reason by which He brought all things into being. This word or plan was expressive of who he is.
Agreed.
"The Word" for John is an “it” not a "he." On one occasion, Jesus is given the name "the word of God" and this is in Revelations 19:13. This name has been given to him after his resurrection and ascension, but we will not find it before his birth. It is not until we come to verse 14 of John's
prologue that this logos becomes personal and becomes the son of God, Jesus. "And the Word became flesh." A great plan that God had in his heart from before the creation at last is fulfilled. Be very clear that it does not say that God became flesh.
But the LOGOS, the Word of God, His Mind, His reasoning power, became flesh.
Would not the logos be GOD?
If something is IN GOD and becomes FLESH...
Wouldn't that flesh have the nature of God?
TO BE CONT'D
