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 Proverbs. This idea of wisdom could be found in the verses 22 through 30 in the Proverbs and it states, “The Lord created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago. Ages ago I was set up, at first, before the beginning of the earth…. then I was beside him, like a master worker; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always” (Proverbs 8:22-30). From the verses of the proverbs we can conclude that Wisdom was the first of God’s creations and it was this wisdom that remained with Him throughout all of His creations. Interestingly, this idea is also reinforced in the Gospel of John. The only difference here is that the term in used in the Gospel is the “Word,” as opposed to the term “Wisdom” used in the Proverbs, both, however, aiming at representing virtually similar concepts. Thus, since there was only Word/Wisdom in the beginning it makes sense to say that the “Word was God” and God is Wisdom.
Moreover, the fact that the reference to the term “Word” in the Gospel is a re...
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...he caption reads: “Chiefs of Lebanon felling cedars and assuring an Egyptian officer of Seti I of their submission; at Karnak” (plate #89). Plate # 89 appears in an era recognized as the “Twilight of the Egyptian Empire” (1293-1150 B.C.E.), and describes one of Seti I campaigns in Lebanon. Seti I is the successor of his father Ramesses I. According to the legends, it was Seti I who founded the nineteenth dynasty of Egypt. Seti I had his plans for gaining power once again in Egypt and reclaiming the Egyptian territory, as a result of this he established several campaigns in Syria and Lebanon. Among many other things, his era is specially remembered for his construction efforts, which is reflected in the work he put in for the temple of Amun at Karnak, where plate # 89 exists, the tomb at the valley of the Kings, and lastly, the Osiris temple at Abydos (Stiebing 218).
This chapter takes place in the upper room in Jerusalem. This was during the Passover feast, though some scholars say otherwise. Jesus was speaking only to the disciples. The first part of the chapter is devoted to the analogy of the vineyard and it's branches. The second part is talks about the future relationship with the "world".
John begins with a statement concerning his testimony: he has seen the Word of life with his own eyes and he has heard Jesus’ words personally. This is important to the readers of the letter who are probably already among those who never had that opportunity. God came down to earth in the form of His son, Jesus Christ; it is a powerful thing that John is testifying to here. I like the way John says that he writes this to ‘make his joy complete’. It is as if he can’t help sharing what he knows about Jesus, and he delights in the knowledge that he can bless their lives too. He urges us to walk in the light as He is in the light. What is it about light here? To me it says something about living open lives, lives of which we are not ashamed, lives which reflect Jesus’ character. Also, in light all good things grow; in darkness that process stops. It reminds me of Blue Planet where it explains how all the life near the surface of the sea is there because of the sunlight. Further down other living things manage to scrape an existence by feeding second hand on what bits of plant matter fall down from the sunlit regions. I don’t want to be someone that is just barely managing to stay alive from little morsels of light; I want to bear fruit, lots of fruit. John ends this first chapter with one of the most succinct summaries of the gospel message: we only have to confess our sins to enter into God’s forgiveness. I want to try to be someone that is very willing to admit when I have done wrong; sometimes this can be hard, but God needs this first step from us to begin to put things right.
Congdon, D. W. (2010). 12 the Word as Event: Barth and Bultmann on Scripture. Retrieved from www.academia.edu: https://www.academia.edu/658913/The_Word_as_Event_Barth_and_Bultmann_on_Scripture
The book is mean-spirited and vicious in its attacks upon the godly evangelical scholars who labored so hard to produce the modern versions, not to undermine the Word, but to make it more understandable to the average reader.
“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.” (1:14)
Bart, A 2007, ‘Amenhotep III (Ca 1388 - 1348 BC)’, http://euler.slu.edu/~bart/egyptianhtml/kings%20and%20Queens/amenhotepiii.htm, viewed 5th May, 2014,
The book of Genesis 1-11 gives us a teaching and lays a foundation for the truth that is expressed later in the bible as it makes an assumption that God is the creator of the universe and all it holds. The scriptures in this books gives an expression of God as being just, love, wrath, holy and grace. This scripture enables us to understand how we should view the world and God’s part in the creation and the recreation of the whole universe.
At the very beginning of the gospels the authors make their representation of Jesus known to the reader, but they rely upon different methods. Mark focuses on Jesus’ role as a servant is apparent as he quotes the prophet Isaiah: “Here is my messenger, whom I send on ahead of you!” (Mark 1:2) This is a rather simple statement, and the use of the word “messenger” connotes a sense of being under another’s command; Jesus is seen as an intermediary between God and man. John’s introduction to Jesus is much more majestic and poetic, devoting many verses to explaining his divine relationship with God: “In the beginning there was the divine word and wisdom. The divine word and wisdom was there with God, and it was what God was. It was there with God from the beginning. Everything came to be by means of it” (John 1:1-3).
What was the Holy Spirit referring to when he influenced the author to write " in the beginning" in John 1:1-2 ? Theologians and Biblical Scholars associate “in the beginning” to the creation account in Gen 1:1-3. However, John 1-3 concentrate its subject matter to the incarnate Christ and his mission to the world, which Jesus would come to live and sacrifice his life for those who would believe. Furthermore, the book of John demonstrates the power, knowledge, and wisdom that accompanies your calling. Raymond Brown stated: ‘If the Gospel begins with “In the beginning,” it is because the coming of Jesus will be presented as a new and definitive creation.” When we look at Gen 1:1-3 and John 1:1-2 it is easy to define similar themes in both. Gen 1:1-3 speaks to a time concerning the beginning of humanity and the world in which humanity lives. A testament to the strengths and failures of His greatest creation and the glory, power, and mercy of a true living God. A moment in eternity that will distinguish God as a creator, Lord, and Savior to his people. An era defining the frailty of humanity and it 's need for something greater than the created. John 1-3 wrote about the father, his Logos and the Logos as the acting force behind creation as well as a savior for the world. He wrote about of the origin of the Logos and his impact on the those who would listen and hear. John was trained from his youth to fulfill his calling to the father as a witness to the coming King. furthermore, John as child was taught about how God created the world and it inhabitants. It is easy to understand John’s knowledge of creation and why he would utilize this knowledge to explain Christ origins. The book of John brings to light the origin of the life of man (John 1:5). The Holy Spirit led the writer to see that both Genesis and John referred to the creative power of the father, his plan for Man, and
We defer to the wisdom and understanding of the readers to meditate upon those words and place them into the right context. That is exactly what the saints of the early church did. The New Testament did not exist yet as we know it today. From what they gathered in the Old Testament with the main words described above and the teachings of the apostles obtained directly from Jesus, they had to settle with the word kardia and learned to use it in different
Spanning fifteen hundred years with over 30,700 manuscripts, extensive archaeological evidence and 2000 prophecies that have been fulfilled, the Bible is God 's word to us. (Yohn, 2013). In the Bible, the Father is essentially giving us a picture of the history of the world and is also leading us to a place where we must make a decision that involves whether we choose to accept his son or reject him and remain guilty. Additionally, the Word of God tells us what happened that caused this breach between us and God, the result of this and how God has rectified it through the blood of his son. In fact, from the beginning of the Bible (written 1400 B.C.) to the last book (A.D. 96), God is showing us why we need Jesus and how to find him. Just as a plant’s root system propagates and occupies the pot that encloses it, Jesus permeates the entire Bible. Therefore, the motif of the Bible is the story of the redemption of mankind and it all points to Jesus as the messiah and savior who secures this for all.
... God’s word, and it provides humanity with his truth and revelation. His word is a guide to live by, and through his word, all is made clear. No doctrine or faith in Christianity should stray from the word of God. His word is pure and holy, and it reveals his plans and love for all.
When Paul wrote to the Corinthian church he was not using figurative language when he said that Jesus is “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:24). When the writer of Hebrews proclaims that Jesus is the “radiance” of God’s glory (Heb. 1:3), he is saying that Jesus is God and radiates the glory of God. The way in which Jesus is described is not in a figurative way, but in a literal way. This is a New Testament epistle which uses literal language, instead of poetry which can and does use figurative language. Therefore, qanah can be translated as “created” in Proverbs 8:22 without diminishing the deity of the Lord Jesus
This essay will show contrasts in views on the Gospel of John regarding authorship,dates, and the relationship between John's Gospel and the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. Some comparison of thought, concerning composition and life setting, will also be presented.
the Bible were “God - breathed” making each a Word from God and not the words of the