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Gospel of John
By Peace | August 21, 2008
In the beginning was the Word:
the Word was with God
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things came to be, not one thing had its being but through him.
All that came to be had life in him and that life was the light of men,
a light that shines in the dark,
a light that darkness could not overpower.
A man came, sent by God.
His name was John.
He came as a witness, as a witness to speak for the light,
so that everyone might believe through him. He was not the light, only a witness to speak for the light.
The Word was the true light that enlightens all men;
and he was coming into the world. He was in the world
that had its being through him,
and the world did not know him.
He came to his own domain and his own people did not accept him.
But to all who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God,
to all who believe in the name of him
who was born not out of human stock
or urge of the flesh or will of man
but of God himself.
The Word was made flesh,
he lived among us, and we saw his glory,
the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
John appears as his witness. He proclaims:
“This is the one of whom I said:
He who comes after me
ranks before me because he existed before me”.
Indeed, from his fulness we have, all of us, received –
yes, grace in return for grace,
since though the Law was given through Moses,
grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God;
it is the only Son, who is nearest to the Father’s heart,
who has made him known.
~ The Gospel According to John, Prologue
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Who was John?
Early christian writers, such as Irenaeus of Lyons and Cyrillus of Alexandria, attributed the fourth Gospel to the apostle John and his disciples, living in Ephesus at the end of the 1st Century AD.
The general opinion is that the author is the one who identified himself as ‘the disciple Jesus loved’. This self-effacing, contemplative disciple was rather different from the John “Son of thunder” described in the other Gospels. Modern scholars surmise that the author of the fourth Gospel could be another disciple, also named John. He was probably of Judean, not Galilean, origin and familiar with the priestly community, since he knew the high priest.
What is certain is that John, traditionally known as the ‘theologian’, was the Evangelist who best explained the incarnation of the son of God. According to John, Jesus strongly asserted his divinity by using the expression “I AM” — the transcription of the name of God revealed to Moses — on several occasions. Jesus had been made man to wrest humankind from the power of the ‘prince of this world’. Jesus proved his love for his Father by suffering crucifixion. All who believed in him would be reborn to eternal life over which death would have no more power.
Because of the keenness of his vision, John is symbolically represented by an eagle.
For whom did John write his Gospel?
John was writing for the Christians in Ephesus and neighbouring congregations. These communities were torn by two disputes:
- One between the disciples of John the Baptist and the disciples of Jesus. The former held that their master was greater than Jesus. Had not John baptized Jesus? For some, this was proof that John had authority over Jesus.
Matthew and Luke had already made reference to this dispute. John wrote in no uncertain terms that John the Baptist paid homage to Jesus.
- There was another conflict between Jewish converts to Christianity and Jewish leaders. From 80-90 AD, Jews who acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah promised in the Scriptures were barred from the synagogues.
There is evidence in the Gospel according to John of contacts with the Samaritans and the Essenes.
Topics: God, Jesus, Saints, Teachings, View All, bible |
August 21st, 2008 at 2:59 pm
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