Another semester, another Greek class. I am already enjoying the homework in particular for this one. This semester, my classmates and I each have to translate the first chapter of John's Gospel, verse by verse. We even get to examine verbs and diagram some of the sentences! That aside, after my teacher diagrammed the first verse in class, he paused for a minute to elaborate on how the sentence structure revealed the emphasis of John's thinking as expressed in his writing. Since then, as I have been translating the rest of my Greek assignment, I have constantly been writing down my thoughts and commentaries on these verses. Below is my translation of these first nine verses, and my exegetical teaching on the second and third verses:
Verse 2: "He was with God in the beginning." This verse repeats and emphasizes what was in the previous verse; although the Word was God, it was also distinct from God. Although the Word possessed the qualities and nature of God, it was still somehow apart from God. This is a concept relating to the Trinity--each Person of the Trinity is God, but each Person is also distinct from each other. By repeating that the Word was with God in the beginnging, John continued to attract the attention of his Jewish readers. Additionally, by saying that the Word was in the beginning, John was repeating that the Word was present at creation in Genesis 1 with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Gen. 1:1-2) and that the Word was therefore existant before the creation of the world. Again, if the Word was before the created universe, then it must have been uncreated--it must have been eternally co-existant with God.
Verse 3a: "Through Him all things were made, and without Him not even one thing was made." Again, John continues to compare and contrast how the Word was God and yet distinct from God. Even though the Word is distinct from God (as shown in the previous verse), John is claiming that He possesses the same attributes as God--namely, His creative power. As a matter of fact, John is stating that 'the Word' is what brought the entire creation into existence. Now, John is not saying that the Word (God the Son) created the universe, instead of God the Father, but that the Father used the Son to create the world (since the Word was with Him in the beginning); that is why John uses the word "through" in this verse. John also contiues to speak to his Jewish audience here; any Jew reading this would have been extremely familiar with how God created the universe with only His words--here, John is adding an entire new dimension to Gen. 1 by claiming that the words God used to fashion everything were actually the Word, through which the Father excercised His tremendous creative power.
To help you grasp this concept, imagine God the Father is like a painter carefully deciding how to begin His artwork. A painter possesses the artistic skill, and can express it directly (such as painting with his fingers), or indirectly (such as through a tool). The Father chose to use the Son as the means through which He created the world, instead of directly creating by Himself. This is similar to how a painter can chose to use a paintbrush to design a work of art, instead of expressing himself directly with his fingers. While this analogy is limited, it gets accross the point I am trying to make from John's Gospel: the Father and the Son had equal roles in the creation of the universe. (Yes, the Spirit also had a role that was just as important, but the Son's role in creation is the focus of this verse.) Here, John was giving clarification to the role that the Son played in Genesis; in the foundation of the New Testament, he was shedding light on the beginning of the Old Testament. Isn't it just incredible how the word of God comes together?
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through Him all things were made, and without Him not even one thing was made. What came into being 4 by him was life, and the life was the light of men; 5 and the light shone in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. (John 1:1-5, personal translation from the Greek)
Verse 2: "He was with God in the beginning." This verse repeats and emphasizes what was in the previous verse; although the Word was God, it was also distinct from God. Although the Word possessed the qualities and nature of God, it was still somehow apart from God. This is a concept relating to the Trinity--each Person of the Trinity is God, but each Person is also distinct from each other. By repeating that the Word was with God in the beginnging, John continued to attract the attention of his Jewish readers. Additionally, by saying that the Word was in the beginning, John was repeating that the Word was present at creation in Genesis 1 with the Father and the Holy Spirit (Gen. 1:1-2) and that the Word was therefore existant before the creation of the world. Again, if the Word was before the created universe, then it must have been uncreated--it must have been eternally co-existant with God.
Verse 3a: "Through Him all things were made, and without Him not even one thing was made." Again, John continues to compare and contrast how the Word was God and yet distinct from God. Even though the Word is distinct from God (as shown in the previous verse), John is claiming that He possesses the same attributes as God--namely, His creative power. As a matter of fact, John is stating that 'the Word' is what brought the entire creation into existence. Now, John is not saying that the Word (God the Son) created the universe, instead of God the Father, but that the Father used the Son to create the world (since the Word was with Him in the beginning); that is why John uses the word "through" in this verse. John also contiues to speak to his Jewish audience here; any Jew reading this would have been extremely familiar with how God created the universe with only His words--here, John is adding an entire new dimension to Gen. 1 by claiming that the words God used to fashion everything were actually the Word, through which the Father excercised His tremendous creative power.
To help you grasp this concept, imagine God the Father is like a painter carefully deciding how to begin His artwork. A painter possesses the artistic skill, and can express it directly (such as painting with his fingers), or indirectly (such as through a tool). The Father chose to use the Son as the means through which He created the world, instead of directly creating by Himself. This is similar to how a painter can chose to use a paintbrush to design a work of art, instead of expressing himself directly with his fingers. While this analogy is limited, it gets accross the point I am trying to make from John's Gospel: the Father and the Son had equal roles in the creation of the universe. (Yes, the Spirit also had a role that was just as important, but the Son's role in creation is the focus of this verse.) Here, John was giving clarification to the role that the Son played in Genesis; in the foundation of the New Testament, he was shedding light on the beginning of the Old Testament. Isn't it just incredible how the word of God comes together?
