The prologue to the Gospel of John (1:1-18) serves as an introduction to and synthesis of the gospel’s central concerns and emphases. In his gospel, which scholars date to 80-90 CE, John is addressing a community largely composed of Jewish Christians who have been rejected by other Jews (Keener 364).
In the Beginning
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (v. 1). John opens his gospel with “in the beginning,” which echoes Genesis 1:1 and is also reflected in the creation themes of vv. 3-4.
The concept of the Word (Greek: logos) corresponds to the Jewish idea that God’s law was “prepared from the creation of the world” (Keener 367). John responds to the Jewish allegation that the Jesus movement has departed from God’s word by explaining that following Jesus is central to proper observance of the Torah, because Jesus himself is God’s Word (Keener 364).
The concept of the logos corresponded to the Jewish beliefs of the time, in which words carried unique power. The root meaning of “word” in Hebrew describes an event or action; therefore, a word spoken was something happening, something that could not be taken back.
God demonstrates the ultimate power of words by speaking the world into existence (Jenkins 12). The Gospel returns to this theme of logos in 3:31-34, when the Word of God “comes from heaven… and testifies to what he has seen and heard… He whom God has sent speaks the words of God” (Neyrey 42).
Jesus’ Preexistence
“He was in the beginning with God,” the prologue continues (v. 2), completing the chiasmic structure of the first two verses (Keener 364). “All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people” (vv. 3-4).
This implication of Jesus’ preexistence contrasts sharply with the synoptic gospels, in which Jesus is born of a virgin or his birth is not mentioned at all; indeed, the Fourth Gospel is known for its highly developed Christology.
The third and fourth verses portray Jesus as God’s mediator of creation. The fifth verse returns to the theme of light: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it”. This light/dark dualism is present throughout the rest of the Gospel, and was also a feature of Gnostic beliefs.
John the Baptist
Verses 6-8 summarize the role of John the Baptist. Scholars conjecture that the author mentions John either to contrast him with Jesus, or to serve a symbolic function as a witness (Keener 388).
The theme of a witness is crucial, because witnesses make the Word, or ultimate truth, known (Keener 391).
“The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world” (v. 9). Jesus is the light itself, to contrast with John, who was only a “lamp” (Keener 393).
“The World Did Not Know Him”
However, the world rejects the light: “He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him” (vv. 10-11).
“His own people” refers to the Jews, who considered themselves God’s chosen people. However, some people did accept him.
In contrast to the hereditary priesthood of Israel, membership in God’s household is determined by God. Birth from God is discussed further in 3:1-13.
The Humanity of Jesus
“And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth” (v. 14). This verse shows Jesus’ full humanity and involvement in human affairs; he “became flesh and lived among us”.
Verse 15 refers back to John the Baptist, and again clearly defines Jesus’ superiority. Verse 16 describes Jesus’ grace as inexhaustible: “From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace”. Some interpret this verse as suggesting a new grace exchanged for an old one, such as Christ’s grace superceding the earlier covenants.
However, because Christ fulfills Moses (rather than negating him), a model of accumulation may be more accurate than a model of substitution. Grace added to grace can be seen as explaining “fullness” (Keener 420).
Fulfilling the Covenant
Verse 17 summarizes how Jesus fulfills God’s earlier revelation of covenant faithfulness: “The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ”.
John’s gospel continues to explain how Moses and the law testify to Jesus. Verse 18 again highlights Jesus’ priority over Moses.
This clarifies Jesus’ role as God’s unique and exalted mediator, because he alone has access to God’s words and wisdom (Neyrey 46).
“Topic Sentence, Overture, and Summary”
Jerome Neyrey explains that the prologue to John’s gospel can be viewed as a topic sentence, an overture, and a summary (Neyrey 42).
Indeed, the prologue offers an introduction to and summary of the gospel’s central themes; it revisits the Creation story, introduces the concept of Jesus as logos, highlights the divinity and humanity of Jesus, and stresses his priority over John the Baptist and Moses.
Ultimately, it succeeds in illustrating a brief portrait of a man, a God, a force and logos so great that if everything he did was recorded, “the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25).
Works Cited
Jenkins, David L. Windows on the Gospel of John. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1988.
Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of John: A Commentary. Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003.
Neyrey, Jerome H. The Gospel of John. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007.
Weaver, Mary Jo. Introduction to Christianity. Eds. David Brakke and Jason Bivins. California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1998.
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