The Prologue in John Flashcards
Word Became Flesh
- Logos / Word was “with God” but also “was God”
Influence of Hellenism:
- Aristotle: used term logos to describe power of change people’s minds through reason
- Dodd: shows that logos links to the way God is described in the Old Testament.
Jewish approach to ‘Word’
- God creates by speaking
- Genesis: “let there be light, and there was light”
Word becoming flesh: incarnation
Jews on Incarnation: phrase ‘made his dwelling’ refers to holy wisdom. They did not see this Holy Wisdom becoming a human being as only permanent place for holy wisdom is in the Torah
Hellenic: Greeks had no problem with incarnation. Zeus often takes physical form
Life and Eternal Life
John identifies word as the source of Life
Three Greek types of life: psyche, bios, zoe. (all but zoe deteriorate)
C.S Lewis: bios has resemblance to zoe in the same way a statue has to a man.
Zoe: spiritual life that doesn’t run out. Eternal Life
Dodd: two senses of eternal life
- Quantitative: “everlasting and doesn’t end in death”
- Qualitative: experienced in present moment. Life with no fear of death (John presents Jesus in this way)
Light and Darkness
- Word LOGOS strongly associated with light
- Light is first thing to be created when God’s Word is spoken and throughout the bible, light is a symbol og the word of God.
Darkness: symbolic of sin of blindness
Belief
“to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”
- Beliefs about: Christians have BA JC…
- He is Messiah, Son of God…
- Believing in: They trust in JC, love and obey him (faith)
John: mentions believing over 100 times
Ending: “written that you may believe that… by believing you may have life in his name”
Children of God
- King David / Israelites are ‘sons of God’ because they are chosen by God.
John: “no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again”
- Physical birth introduces humans to suffering and death
- Spiritual birth introduces people to eternal life.
Dodd: historically, Jews would see themselves as Children of God.
Hooker: take over battle with Christians saying they are God’s chosen people
Flesh and Spirit
“The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us”
- Flesh: everything that makes us human
- Racial identity (Jew of the line of David), political identity (Galilean under Roman occupation), Family identity (Mary and Joseph)
Spirit: Jesus criticised Pharisees “you judge acording to the flesh”
- Jesus judged people by spirit (love)
Law
Religious Groups:
John’s Approach: Christ is superior to Mosaic law
- Moses could only see God’s back. Jesus saw him face-to-face.
Grace and Truth
OT: Moses could only see God’s back.
John: “we have seen God’s Glory” he is claiming something not even moses could have.
Grace: This is grace because God reduces himself and becomes something humans can ‘cope with’
Truth: JC therefore brings truths about God.
