Analysis of the Gospel of John 1:1-6 and its comparison with Genesis 1 and 2: 1-3 and Proverbs 8 gives us insight into how a Christian text references Hebrew texts implicitly and explicitly. In chapter one, verse 1-6, of the Gospel of John, we not only witness the explicit references from Genesis and Proverbs, but also see how different ideas present in the two Hebrew texts have been reframed by the Gospel of John. We see a highlight of this reframing in the verse one of the Gospel of John, which states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” In this verse, for instance, the notion of “The Word” is, one could argue, similar in its meaning and connotation to the idea of “Wisdom” present in …show more content…
Thus, the idea of Word in verses 1 through 3 of Gospel does in reframes the notion of Wisdom from Proverbs 8 in Verses 1 through 2 and 22 through 30.
On delving further into the deconstruction of the verses 1 though 5 of the Gospel, we witness the reframing of some more concepts from Genesis, chapter 1 and 2, and Proverbs, chapter 8. For instance, in the Gospel the idea of creation if mentioned in the following way: “All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the lights of all people” (John 1:3-4) While the discussion of creation in chapters 1 and 2 of Genesis is quite comprehensive and includes details, the gospel references to the same concept of creation, but keeps it succinct and terse. The reference to creation depicted in the Gospel could also be traced to the verses 24 through 29 in the Proverbs, which also present an account of hoe God created heavens and the earth, and the things that exist in between them.
Moving on to the verse 5 of the Gospel of John, we see a mention of the dichotomy of light and darkness. This dichotomized concept of light and dark is resented in the following words, “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:5) This idea seems to have been a reframing of the concept of light and darkness in the Genesis chapter of the Hebrew text, which is phrased in the following
The story of Creation found in Genesis 1-3 has captured the attention of countless Christian theologians throughout the ages. Despite the fact that the text of these chapters are quite short, it has proved itself to be a fertile ground from which many of the central tenets of Christian doctrine have sprouted. This fruitful text has also spurred a variety of differing interpretations of the Creation and Fall. Augustine of Hippo and Lady Julian of Norwich are two theologians who interpreted Genesis 1-3 in vastly different ways. The aim of this paper is to make a thematically organized comparison of Julian of Norwich’s interpretation (which is mostly apparent within her short parable on the Lord and the Servant, Revelations of Divine Love) with Augustine’s influential interpretation of Genesis 1-3.
In section two of the book, the author focuses on God’s Word and how the reader needs to free Scripture from perceptual framework; in this he provides four approaches. First, Mulholland tells the reader that they are a word of God. Humankind is a word of God because God first chose humankind, He spoke each person forth. Second, humankind is to be incarnate words by living out the Word of God instead of living out the worldly desires. Third, the author now incorporates the previous two conceptions of mankind being a word, and living out the Word of God, into being this created, incarnate word now being shaped by the Word of God. Mulholland then explains the Word by which one is shaped. The Word of God being present in Jesus and active in the Holy Spirit. This Word, he suggests, is like a surgeon who one trusts to cut the core of the problem of one’s physical body; while “the Word cuts the core of one’s being and transforms it into the Word God speaks mankind forth to be in the world.” Mulholland then gives his
John as we know today was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. He was also the brother of James, who was also an apostle. John was the son of Zeebee and of Salome. His father was a fisherman while living in Bethsaida in Galilee on the border of the lake Gennesareth. John's mother was one of many women who gave to the maintenance of Jesus Christ. John's parents were very good people, they loved God and his son. It is said that john and his brother James were fishing when Jesus came and chose them. They were soon known as the fishers of men. The John of whom I am talking about is John the Evangelist.
The passage that I choose to write about was Genesis chapter 1 verses 1-5. I choose this passage because I was interested in studying how God supposedly created the earth and turned darkness into a world full of life and spirit. Genesis 1 begins by saying “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”(NKJV) I think that the purpose of this verse is to summarize the things that God would do in the future. This text tells us that God existed before the heavens and the earth. We also learn that before God started to create, the earth was empty, dark, and lifeless. The text also represents the beginning of everything earthly by saying God will create life on earth and in
The Drama of Scripture written by Bartholomew and Goheen takes the reader on a journey through the entire Bible in six short “acts.” The first Act discusses creation and the establishment of God’s Kingdom. In the beginning was complete darkness. Then, God created light and divided the heavens and the earth. He then split the waters and the seas, creating dry ground on which the rest of creation could walk. He proceeded to make plants and flowers and the sun, moon, and stars. He created days and seasons and animals of all shapes and sizes. And then, to add the finishing touch, God created men and women, male and female, He created them. The book states that “the Genesis story is given so that we might have a true understanding of the world in which we live, its divine author, and our own place in it” (Bartholomew, 29). Genesis 1-3, the story of Creation, is prevalent because it introduces the author of creation, humanity, and the creation upon which humanity’s drama unfolds.
As Christians, we understand that absolute truth comes only from the Scriptures and that God alone is truth. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).
The logos understanding in the New Testament has influence from the way Heraclitus used it. With all these translations and interpretations of the word, it conveys a theological meaning in John 1:1, 14, as well as Revelations 19:13. In these scriptural texts, logos is traditionally translated as “Word.”
God’s word is true and wrapped with history, science, covenants, promises, prophecy, and redemption, all bound with love and mercy.
By calling Jesus ‘the Word,’ John calls him the embodiment of all God’s revelation in the Scriptures and thus declares that only those who accept Jesus honor the law, fully (1:17). Jewish
Then John touches briefly on the topic of the Lord providing for those who ask. In the end, this chapter closes with the reminder to the people that if they live in the ways of God, they will be able to understand what is biblical truth and what is a lie. In the end, these three chapters express the idea that as a Christian, one should look to God when confused over what is and is not true. In today's society there are many different views regarding eternity, morality, and doctrine. When distinguishing between what is of the world and what is of God, one should always go back to the truths found in
Genesis 1:1 is the first gospel in the Bible and begins by stating "In the beginning God created the heavens and earth" which; tells us that he is the creator of all things of which; are visible and invisible to humanity. God continues to sustain what he has created, however; does not depend on his creation to continue his own existence, although; humanity
Then again, John Paul II highlighted that the Gospel of life commenced with the Genesis account of creation, ‘when man was created in the image
John opens saying “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning” (John 1:1) and later, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). In Genesis 1:1 God spoke, and everything was created, similarly in Psalms 33:6 the heavens are depicted as being made “by the word.” Elwell defines the Greek term for word as logos (696). “Word” has a meaning that that relates Jesus to the wisdom of the new testament and law of God
He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world” Here John makes it clear who precisely John the Baptist was.
The author of 1 John was concerned about the conditions within the group, which related to false teachings of some Christians. Specifically, the physical humanity of Jesus, his Incarnation “in the flesh”, and the necessity of showing love for fellow believers (Harris, 2014, p.437). The book of 1 John may have been a response to protoGnostics, secessionists who were predecessors of the Gnosticism that challenged other forms of Christianity from the second through the fifth centuries CE (Harris, 2014, p.437). Specifically, Gnosticism concentrated on a two-fold view of the cosmos, which represented the belief that only the spirit was pure and good and that the physical world, the creation of a subordinate god, was permanently dishonest.