John's Prologue

John's Prologue

1. Nature of Jesus

   • bring about the New Law
     • grace and truth; new covenant
       • Used John the Baptist 'as a witness to testify the light, so that through him all men may believe' and therefore he helped establish the truth
         • Stanton observes him more accurately as John the Witness
       • the word becoming flesh is a gift of God's grace to humanity for all those that believe 'from the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another'
       • 'for the law was given through Moses; grace and truth come through Jesus'
     • he not the law 'is the good wine saved till now' the law was only care taking until it was time for the new firm
   • Life giver; bring about salvation
     • make people believe
     • 'the light given by the word shines here and now'
       • present eschatology. Jesus is the light and without light you can't live therefore believe in Jesus and he will save you
       • he is a source of light or enlightenment for humanity
       • 'while you have the light, believe in the light'
   • bring about the children of God
     • old covenant - term used for Abraham's descendants i.e Jews but Jesus establishes that not only Jews can be children of god but Gentiles too as long as you believe
       • bringing about a new faith different from Abraham's
     • chaism structure emphasis on this line 'he gave power to become children of God'
     • about having faith concerned with where you come from in spiritual terms not physical

2. Person of Jesus

   • 'Word made flesh' - Jesus is the image of the God of the Old Testament
     • 'Logos' uses this in the prologue and demonstrates that the logos is a creative force which became flesh.
       • declaring that Jesus is God himself
       • Logos is the source of light, or enlightenment for humanity. He is the true light which can overcome all darkness i.e Jewish opponents as they don't understand
       • man can truly know God
     • important replacement theology as it conveys that everything which had previously revealed and experienced in Israel's relationship with God has been transcended and fulfilled in the sense that the word has become tangible
   • Reveals his Glory - "we behold his glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father" - he shares the Father's nature and reveals him to the world
     • relationship with God
     • in letting light shine he reveals himself and shows them his glory
   • The Messiah; 'he came into the world, and though the world was made through him the world did not recognise him'
     • not what they expected
   • Saviour; Grace and truth through Jesus are the way to salvation
     • a new relationship with God comes through faith in Jesus
   • New Moses
     • Moses the greatest prophet didn't see God but Jesus did and allows all of humanity to and reveal his nature to us
     • Law was blocking them from God and was merely care taking until it was time for the new firm of Grace and Truth which replaced the law
     • the law given through moses was unable to save people
     • Moses is only allowed a glimpse of the reflection of his glory where Jesus is God's word therefore has more authority and glory which allows us to see the glory of God himself

3. influences of Judaism

   • John brings from Judaism the idea of God's creative breath - his speech, wisdom and purpose from which creation comes
   • According to Dodd The Jews identifies the Word of God with the Torah (God's wisdom embodied in the Law)
     • The Word gave meaning and life 'Then God said "let there be light" and there was light' (Genesis 1:3)
       • When God speaks things happen and change
       • he separated light from the darkness
       • he went on to create the heavens and earth and to bring forth life from the earth
       • echoes of the creation story in the prologue
         • known as a midrash
     • Torah symbolises life and light
   • The prologue begins with the same words as Genesis 1:1 'in the beginning' and therefore places the Word with God from the start of all things, before creation itself. - pre existence
   • the notion of 'dwelling' is a reference to the old testament where God is said to have descended as a bright cloud to dwell in the 'Tent of Meeting', to be among his people (Leviticus 9:6)
     • Could be referring to Israel's hope that God would finally come and be tabernacled among his people: 'Oh that you would tear open the heavens and come down' (Isaiah 64:1)
       • creator involves himself with his creation
   • reference to the OT - 'for the law was given through Moses:grace an truth come through Jesus Christ'
     • new covenant
     • law was a gift from God but they were unable to save themselves by it
     • idea that if you followed the Torah you would receive 'life' and 'light'
   • Burney suggests that it was clumsily translated into Greek (e.g 1:5) which is a sign that it was originally written in Aramaic but Barett disagrees arguing that the prologue is in a unique style to John because of its thematic approach and sentences were originally written in Greek
   • prologue is derived from a pre-christian hymn composed by rabbinic poets in praise of the Jewish Torah. They said that the Torah was with God from the beginning and was the instrument by which God made the world. John deliberately takes this and transfers the honor from the Law to Christ

4. Influences of Hellenism

   • contains elements of Greek philosophy which would make the gospel meaningful and accessible to the Hellenistic thinkers and the greek minds of the Greek and Roman worlds
   • Barrett suggests that the prologue is a style unique to John because of its approach and use of language an sentences written originally in Greek, which have no Aramaic version e.g 1:10
     • Burney however argues that it was translated clumsily into Greek e.g 1:5 which is a sign it was written originally in Aramaic
   • according to Marsh John included the Hellenistic notions of the ideal world and the ideal human
   • In hellenistic terms Logos is 'the satisfying rational principle for understanding the universe' Marsh 1968
   • Plato: 'light', 'to be in the light' = to live
   • Stoicism: belief that world depends on reason (logos). The Logos was God and the seeds of the divine Logos are found in the minds of people but the individual would have to choose to do something about it.
     • In the prologue the author suggests that the special relationship between God and humanity is achieved when humanity lives according to the Logos
       • 'all of us, received - yes, grace in return for grace'

5. summarises the themes in John's gospel and establishes the relation between creation and salvation, law and grace, prophets and apostles, faith and belief, time and eternity

   • it offers an insight into the way in which the gospel narrative will unfold and a means to avoid the traps of misunderstanding into which characters within the gospel are evident of
     • the reader will know how the story begins, develops and ends even before the incarnate Jesus has taken place -in the beginning - pre existence
     • Morna Hooker; 'it was customary for the Greek dramatist to introduce the theme of his play in a prologue, which provided members of his audience with the vital information that would enable them to comprehend the plot "
     • serves as an essential guide to the reader, as a lens through which the gospel is to be read

6. Robinson claims that it is a later edition to the gospel and was put in to bring things to a conclusion.

   • Stanton speaks of the prologue as the 'lens' through which to view the rest of the gospel

7. Themes

   • Light and Dark
     • "In him was life, and that life was the light of the world. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it"
       • Links to Genesis 1:3 - the very first words spoken by God in creation were "let there be light"
     • John emphasises the fact that the light given by the Word shines here and now
       • present eschatology?
     • John is writing some years after Jesus was born in about 90-110 AD so he speaks with hindsight when he notes that, even though the 'light' was coming to the world he made and the people he loved, not everybody recognised him
   • Belief
     • "ego eimi" - 'I Am' - the OT name for God
   • Children of God
   • Law
     • the law refers to the law of Moses, it is the body of divine revelation given to Moses
     • "Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?"
     • John is always referring back to the Old Testament law known as the Jewish law and teaches that this law of moses is a prophecy of Christ
     • John alos teaches that Jesus replaces or supersedes the law
     • John understands that devotion to the law no longer characterises the children of God, rather , the Christian community is now characterised by devotion to Christ
   • Grace and Truth
     • The law condemns but by grace and truth, which came by Jesus, the world is redeemed. Mercy triumphs justice
     • Jesus who is the perfect revelation of God's grace and truth, set people free. He forgave them, taught them and gave them the hope of God's love and salvation