InstaStudy

The Word Was with God, and the Word Was God: Understanding John 1:1 Through First-Century BCE and CE Jewish Greek

An in-depth Bible study exploring the linguistic and theological context of John 1:1. This study examines how first-century Jewish Greek speakers understood 'Logos' (Word) not as a distinct second person, but as the single God's creative expression, mind, and plan realized in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

1. The Concept of Logos in First-Century Jewish Greek Thought

1.1 The Septuagint (LXX) and the Divine 'Dabar'

Verses: Psalm 33:6; Isaiah 55:11
  • In the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures (LXX), 'Logos' translates the Hebrew 'Dabar', representing God's active, creative word in action.
  • The Logos in Jewish thought is not a distinct personal entity but the powerful utterance and extension of the one God Himself.

1.2 Hellenistic Jewish Writers and the Divine Mind

Verses: Wisdom 9:1; Hebrews 4:12
  • First-century Jewish writers used 'Logos' to describe God's wisdom, reason, and His creative blueprint for the universe.
  • The Logos represents the internal mind of God put into external action, maintaining strict, undivided monotheism.

2. 'In the Beginning' (En Archē) and the Pre-existent Plan

2.1 The Echo of Genesis 1:1

Verses: Genesis 1:1; John 1:1
  • The Greek phrase 'En archē' directly links the Logos to the absolute beginning of creation, establishing its eternal origin in God.
  • Before physical creation, the Logos existed as the design, concept, and purpose within the single mind of God.

2.2 The Logos as God's Self-Expression

Verses: Proverbs 8:22-30; Ephesians 1:4
  • Just as wisdom was 'with' God in the beginning as His own attribute, so was the Logos inherent to His being.
  • The Logos was 'with' God in the sense of being His own inner thought and plan, not as a companion deity.

3. 'The Word was with God' (Pros ton Theon)

3.1 Understanding the Greek Preposition 'Pros'

Verses: John 1:1; 1 John 1:2
  • In first-century Greek, 'pros' with the accusative denotes direction, relation, or intimacy, indicating the Word was directed toward God.
  • The phrase indicates that the Word was in active relation to God, existing as His own inner thought directed toward realization.

3.2 The Oneness of God's Presence

Verses: Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 44:24
  • Strict Jewish monotheism of the first century excludes any plural personal distinctions within the Godhead.
  • The Word being 'with' God means God's plan and power were intimate to His singular identity, as a man's word is with him.

4. 'And the Word was God' (Theos ēn ho Logos)

4.1 The Grammatical Structure of the Clause

Verses: John 1:1; John 20:28
  • The absence of the definite article before 'Theos' (predicate nominative) emphasizes the qualitative nature of the Logos.
  • The Greek syntax asserts that the Word was fully divine in essence, identical in nature to the one God Himself.

4.2 The Incarnation of the One True God

Verses: John 1:14; Colossians 2:9
  • The Word did not become a second person; rather, the one God's self-expression and plan became flesh in Jesus Christ.
  • Jesus is the visible manifestation of the single, undivided God who is the Logos made tangible to humanity.