In the Beginning Was the Word

Notes on the Prologue of the Gospel of John by Fr. Randy Flores, SVD

AI visual depiction of the profound mystery of the Incarnation as described in the Gospel of John

December 25 is a time to ponder the mystery of the Incarnation—a moment when the divine took on flesh to dwell among us. The Prologue of the Gospel of John (1:1-18) offers a poetic and theological lens through which to view this mystery, presenting Jesus as the Logos, the Word made flesh. This passage, often described as the "pearl of great price" of John’s Gospel, encapsulates the profound truths of Christ’s identity and mission.

Jesus as the LOGOS, the Incarnation of God’s Preexistent Word

Jesus as the LOGOS is mentioned only in John's Prologue (1:1-18).

The Prologue is considered an early Christian hymn incorporated into the Gospel at a later stage in its development—at Stage Three by a redactor.

Whatever the case, the Prologue is the "pearl of great price" of the entire Gospel of John. It orients, sets, or dictates how the Gospel should be read and encapsulates John’s view of Christ.

The Prologue has four parts (or strophes):

I. The Word with God (vv. 1-2)

II. The Word and Creation (vv. 3-5)

III. The Word in the World (vv. 10-12b)

IV. The Community’s Share in the Word (vv. 14, 15)

Strophe I: The Word with God

Three elements of unique high Christology are immediately presented:

1. The Word as Precreational Preexistence

   “In the beginning was the Word”

   This verse teaches a precreational Christology, meaning the Word preexisted creation—it was already there before the “beginning” took place. Creation as such will happen only in verse 3.

   
   

2. The Word in Communion with the Father

   “And the Word was with God”

   The Greek phrase kai ho logos ēn pros ton theon (literally, "And the Word was toward the God") is difficult to translate. Fr. Raymond E. Brown, Johannine scholar, explains that the preposition pros implies communion or closeness with the Father, translating the phrase as: “And the Word was in God’s presence” (pp. 4-5). This means “that the primordial, eternal being of the Logos (v. 1a) is an existence which proceeds from God and His love, is filled with the life of God (cf. 5:26), and shares in His glory” (also Schnackenburg I, p. 234).

   
   

3. The Word WAS God

   According to Raymond Brown, this is one of only three passages in the New Testament where Jesus is clearly called God—the other two being Hebrews 1:8-9 and John 20:28 (Introduction to New Testament Christology, p. 185ff).

   
   

   The main issue with this passage is the absence of the definite article “the” (ho in Greek) before the name “God”: kai theos ēn ho logos. Without the article, theos could be interpreted adjectivally, meaning "divine"—“And the Word was divine.” This translation, implying the Word is not of equal status with the Father, is weak. R. Brown argues that there is a Greek word for "divine" (theios), and the passage instead forms an inclusio with John 20:28 (Thomas’ cry: “My Lord and My God”). Thus, the sense of the passage should be: “What God was, the Word was.”

The Word Became Flesh (Strophe IV, v. 14)

This is John’s way of expressing the mystery of the incarnation. Incarnation means that at His human conception, the Son of God did not come into existence; rather, He was a preexisting agent in the divine sphere who took flesh in the womb of Mary (Brown, Introduction to the Gospel of John, p. 134).

The Background of the Idea of a Precreational Preexistent Logos

Scholars have suggested several backgrounds for the concept of the LOGOS. Two prominent ones are:

1. The LOGOS in Hellenistic Greek

   In Hellenistic philosophy, the LOGOS is the eternal principle of order in the universe. Philo of Alexandria, a Jew and Hellenistic philosopher (c. 20 B.C.–40 A.D.), frequently refers to the LOGOS as a figurative expression of right reason.

   
   

2. Wisdom (Hokmah in Hebrew, Sophia in the Septuagint)

   In Jewish Wisdom literature (Proverbs, Sirach, and Wisdom of Solomon), Wisdom is described as:

   • Coming from the mouth of the Most High (Sir 24:3) and existing with God from the beginning (Prov 8:22-23; Sir 24:9; Wis 6:22).

   • A pure emanation of God’s glory (Wis 7:25), and those who hold her fast inherit glory (Sir 4:13).

   • A reflection of God’s everlasting light (Wis 7:26) and the light for people’s paths (Sir 1:29; Wis 7:10, 29).

Similarly, in John, Jesus is the Word who:

• Was with the Father before the world existed (17:5).

• Manifested the Father’s glory (1:14; 8:50; 11:4; 17:5, 22, 24).

• Is the light of the world (John 1:4-5; 8:12; 9:5).

  
  

Furthermore, Wisdom is said to descend from heaven to dwell with humans (Prov 8:31; Sir 24:8; Bar 3:37; Wis 9:10). Similarly, Jesus descended from heaven to earth (John 1:14; 3:31; 6:38; 16:28). The katabasis-anabasis (descent-ascent) in John 3:13 parallels Bar 3:29 and Wis 9:16-17. Raymond Brown favors Wisdom as the background for the Johannine Logos (Introduction to the Gospel of John, pp. 259-265).

Some Attempts at a Better Translation of LOGOS

Various terms have been proposed for LOGOS:

• Thought (influenced by Goethe)—hence diwa in Tagalog.

• Reason, Utterance, Speech, Power, Verbum—hence Verbo in some Filipino Bibles and in the Angelus.

  
  

The term Word (Salita), in the sense of communication, remains the most fitting. This aligns with the creative Word of the LORD or prophetic Word (DAVAR in Hebrew) in the Old Testament.

Jesus is the revelatory Word of God. To see and hear Him is to see and hear the Father. Jesus reveals the Father, making Word the perfect expression for His significance. As a word reveals its speaker, so Jesus reveals the Father who sent Him.

“Jesus is the revelatory Word of God, so that whatever He says and does is the perfect expression of the one who sent Him” (Matera, New Testament Christology, p. 237).