John 1
Encyclopedia
John 1 is the first chapter in the Gospel of John
in the New Testament
of the Christian
Bible
.
The first part (v. 1-18) is an introduction to the Gospel as a whole, stating that the Logos
is "God" (divine, god-like, a god according to other translations) and acts as the mouthpiece (Word) of God "made flesh", i.e. sent to the world in order to be able to intercede for man and forgive him his sins (The Good News of the Gospel). This portion of John's gospel is of central significance to the development of the Christian doctrine of Incarnation
. Comparisons can easily be drawn from this part to where the same phrase In the beginning first occurs along with the emphasis on the difference between the darkness (such as the earth was formless and void) vs light (the ability to see things not understood/hidden by the darkness). The summation of this comparison occurs in the statement, the law given through Moses... grace and truth came through Jesus Christ . Here John successfully bridges the gap for the reader – including Jewish readers well-versed in the Torah
– from the Law to the One who would fulfill the Law (such as the requirement of animal sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins), Jesus.
The second part (v. 19-50) shows the preparation that John the Baptist
was in the process of doing for the coming of the Messiah
, the Messiah's arrival and the Messiah's first disciples. First,John consistently denies being the Light himself and instead to be making the way for the Light to come (v. 19-28). John the Baptist
then reveals that when the One comes he would be unfit to even so much as untie his sandal
s – let alone baptize Him like the many he had up to that point. No sooner than the next day the Messiah appears before John the Baptist
and he then acknowledges Jesus as the Lamb of God
(v. 35) of whom he spoke. As the chapter progresses further Jesus picks his first disciples and changes Simon's name to Cephas (Peter). Cephas, original word Κηφᾶς, means "rock" This provided a powerful analogy as to the role Peter would have after the crucifixion and be the lead the development of the church. Name changes occur other places in the Bible and demonstrate God's authority as well as what that person would become/do/ or had done, such as Abram to Abraham
and Jacob
to Israel
. Jesus' first active sign of power was to Nathaniel who was thoroughly impressed by Jesus' foreknowledge of his personal character.
Gospel of John
The Gospel According to John , commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John, and often referred to in New Testament scholarship as the Fourth Gospel, is an account of the public ministry of Jesus...
in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
of the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
.
Analysis
The first chapter of the Gospel of John can be divided in two parts:The first part (v. 1-18) is an introduction to the Gospel as a whole, stating that the Logos
Logos
' is an important term in philosophy, psychology, rhetoric and religion. Originally a word meaning "a ground", "a plea", "an opinion", "an expectation", "word," "speech," "account," "reason," it became a technical term in philosophy, beginning with Heraclitus ' is an important term in...
is "God" (divine, god-like, a god according to other translations) and acts as the mouthpiece (Word) of God "made flesh", i.e. sent to the world in order to be able to intercede for man and forgive him his sins (The Good News of the Gospel). This portion of John's gospel is of central significance to the development of the Christian doctrine of Incarnation
Incarnation (Christianity)
The Incarnation in traditional Christianity is the belief that Jesus Christ the second person of the Trinity, also known as God the Son or the Logos , "became flesh" by being conceived in the womb of a woman, the Virgin Mary, also known as the Theotokos .The Incarnation is a fundamental theological...
. Comparisons can easily be drawn from this part to where the same phrase In the beginning first occurs along with the emphasis on the difference between the darkness (such as the earth was formless and void) vs light (the ability to see things not understood/hidden by the darkness). The summation of this comparison occurs in the statement, the law given through Moses... grace and truth came through Jesus Christ . Here John successfully bridges the gap for the reader – including Jewish readers well-versed in the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
– from the Law to the One who would fulfill the Law (such as the requirement of animal sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins), Jesus.
The second part (v. 19-50) shows the preparation that John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
was in the process of doing for the coming of the Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
, the Messiah's arrival and the Messiah's first disciples. First,John consistently denies being the Light himself and instead to be making the way for the Light to come (v. 19-28). John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
then reveals that when the One comes he would be unfit to even so much as untie his sandal
Sandal (footwear)
Sandals are an open type of outdoor footwear, consisting of a sole held to the wearer's foot by straps passing over the instep and, sometimes, around the ankle...
s – let alone baptize Him like the many he had up to that point. No sooner than the next day the Messiah appears before John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
and he then acknowledges Jesus as the Lamb of God
Lamb of God
The title Lamb of God appears in the Gospel of John, with the exclamation of John the Baptist: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" in John 1:29 when he sees Jesus....
(v. 35) of whom he spoke. As the chapter progresses further Jesus picks his first disciples and changes Simon's name to Cephas (Peter). Cephas, original word Κηφᾶς, means "rock" This provided a powerful analogy as to the role Peter would have after the crucifixion and be the lead the development of the church. Name changes occur other places in the Bible and demonstrate God's authority as well as what that person would become/do/ or had done, such as Abram to Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
and Jacob
Jacob
Jacob "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.In the...
to Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Jesus' first active sign of power was to Nathaniel who was thoroughly impressed by Jesus' foreknowledge of his personal character.