Patrick Comerford
Next Sunday, 5 January 2020, is the Second Sunday of Christmas.
The Readings: Jeremiah 31: 7-14 or Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 24: 1-12; Psalm 147: 12-20, or Wisdom 10: 15-21; Ephesians 1: 3-14; John 1: (1-9) 10-18.
There is a link to the readings HERE.
The Church of Ireland Directory also suggests, ‘The Readings for the Epiphany may be preferred.’
The Readings: Isaiah 60: 1-6; Psalm 72: 1-7, 10-15; Ephesians 1: 3-12; Matthew 2: 1-12.
There is a link to these readings HERE.
However, you may prefer to use the readings for the Second Sunday of Christmas on Sunday and the readings for the Epiphany at a celebration on Monday.
The resources for the Epiphany readings, hymns are available HERE.
Introducing the Readings:
It is worth noting that, as this posting is going live, the Church of Ireland website once again does not refer to the two alternative readings in Wisdom literature, nor does it provide links to them.
Perhaps this shows the reluctance of the people involved to engage with Apocryphal literature, but it single-handedly amends both the lectionary approved at General Synod and the provisions in the Revised Common Lectionary. But it is also in danger of depriving churchgoers of an opportunity to engage with the riches of Wisdom literature, and prevents making connections between the key concepts in Wisdom literature, particularly Sirach 24 and key Johannine thoughts introduced in the Prologue to Saint John’s Gospel.
Jeremiah 31: 7-14:
This message of hope was probably written by the Prophet Jeremiah ca 600 BC. Most of his book is directed to the people of Judah, the southern kingdom, which would be conquered by Babylon in 587 BC, but this passage is directed to Israel, the northern kingdom, which at the time was subject to Assyrian rule, and whose people were deported in 722 BC.
This reading opens with a call for celebration. Jacob refers to Israel, which is the ‘chief of the nations,’ for God cares about it. Here is the promise that the remnant of the people – including the ‘blind and the lame,’ the pregnant, the masses – will be gathered together and will return from the Babylonian exile in Assyria, the ‘land of the north.’
In their return from exile, there will be mixed emotions of weeping and consolation as God leads them back. However, unlike the return from exile in Egypt at the first Exodus, the journey will be easy: water will be plentiful, and the road will be straight, with no stumbling or losing direction.
God leads and restores the people as a loving and caring father, or like a shepherd leading his flock.
The nations of the Mediterranean are called to witness this marvellous happening.
When the people return, they will celebrate singing and feasting with bread and wine, life will be like living in a well-watered garden, and during those day they will rejoice, dance and be merry. Mourning will turn into joy, sorrow to gladness, the priests will have long life and prosperity, and the people will be thankful for God’s generosity.
Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 24: 1-12:
The Book of Sirach is also known as Sira and Ecclesiasticus, probably meaning church book, an indication that it was used by the early Christian community. It is included in the Apocrypha in the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible. It was written ca 180 BC, is faithful to the author’s Jewish heritage and tradition, but also draws om ideas from other cultures that are compatible with his Jewish heritage.
The author, Jesus ben Sira, was from Jerusalem (see Sirach 50: 27) and ran a school in biblical studies for young Jewish men. He understood Wisdom as leading to prosperity. In his opening words, he declares: ‘All wisdom is from the Lord, and with him it remains for ever’ (Sirach 1: 1).
This reading opens: ‘Wisdom praises herself, and tells of her glory in the midst of her people’ (Sirach 24: 1). For Jewish writers and thinkers, the created world is God’s, so faith and reason go hand in hand; learning about creation is learning about God; reasoning is done in the context of God; and knowledge of God is seen as leading to wisdom.
In this reading, Wisdom is abstracted or personified – but in a metaphorical way – and introduces herself ‘in the midst of her people,’ God’s people. She does this in the presence of the heavenly court. Wisdom ‘came forth’ by the word of God (verse 2), and covers the earth like a mist, as the spirit of God.
Wisdom has existed before creation, before the ages (verse 9). Wisdom was present at Creation, and found her presence in the Temple in the holy city, where God was worshipped. Wisdom ‘took root’ among God’s people (verse 12).
Psalm 147: 12-20:
Psalm 147 is a hymn that is an invitation to praise God for his universal power and for his providential care. Earlier in this Psalm, (verses 1-11), God is praised for rebuilding Jerusalem, gathering the people, healing, creating, and providing for the needs of those he creates.
In that opening section, we are also reminded that that there is no limit to God’s wisdom: ‘his understanding is beyond measure’ (verse 5).
Now we are reminded that worship is due to God for he protects where we live (‘the bars of your gate’), he blesses the children, and he brings peace and prosperity (verses 12-14).
Then we are reminded of God’s blessings through nature, the weather and the created order, through winter and spring (verses 16-18).
Finally, we are reminded of the blessings through God’s wisdom (verses 19-20).
Wisdom of Solomon 10: 15-21:
The Wisdom of Solomon or Book of Wisdom was written in Greek, probably in Alexandria in the mid-first century BC. This book is part of the Wisdom literature in the Septuagint or Greek Jewish Bible, along with Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs (Song of Solomon), Job and Sirach.
The central theme of this book is ‘Wisdom’ itself. Wisdom (Σοφία, Sophia) is the perfection of knowledge of the righteous as a gift from God, showing herself in action, and Wisdom is with God from all eternity.
In this book, Wisdom, the spirit of God, is personified as Lady Wisdom. This book also tells us that being made in the image of God includes sharing with him in immortality.
Earlier in this chapter, the author says Wisdom has been God’s agent in saving people in the past, and active in saving the people of Israel, through Moses. They are blameless, for they have been chosen and set apart by God (verses 1-14).
Now we are told that Wisdom has delivered a holy and blameless people from their oppressors. Wisdom entered the soul of the ‘servant of the Lord,’ and delivered the people from oppressive overlords, guiding these people by day and by night, on dry land and through deep waters.
In response to this miraculous salvation, even the mute and small children could no longer be silent, but sang out God’s praises.
In our Baptism, we have been ‘marked with the seal of the … Holy Spirit’ (Ephesians 1: 13) … the Baptistry in Ephesus has a cross-shaped baptismal pool, entered and left by three steep steps at each end (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)Ephesians 1: 3-14:
Saint Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians was probably written from prison in Rome. Although addressed to the Church at Ephesus, it may be a circular letter sent to a number of churches. This letter celebrates the life of the Church, with Christ at its head, who is also the head of the whole creation.
Ephesus is the largest and best-preserved ancient city in the Mediterranean and owed its early growth and prosperity to its proximity to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Ephesus is mentioned over 500 times in Greek literature alone, and was home to many important historical figures. As the gateway to Asia and the East, it was at the heart of trade between Rome and India, and was once the capital of the richest province in the Roman world and the largest port city in the civilised world.
Ephesus is of particular interest to Christians because of its associations with the Apostle Paul, later with Saint John the Evangelist, and as the location for two Councils of the Church in the fifth century.
The Apostle Paul spent two or three years in Ephesus between 52 and 54, and his letters to and from Ephesus make this time the best documented period of his career.
Ephesus was an important centre of Christianity and one of the Seven Churches addressed in the Book of Revelation by Saint John the Evangelist from his exile on the neighbouring island of Patmos. After Domitian’s death, Saint John is said to have moved from Patmos to Ephesus, where he wrote his Gospel. Saint John, who is known in the Greek Church as Saint John the Theologian, is said to have died in Ephesus in the year 100. He was buried on the nearby hill of Ayasoluk, whose name is a corruption of the Greek Aghios Theologos – the Holy or Saintly Theologian.
Our reading from the Letter to the Ephesians begins immediately after Saint Paul’s greeting to his readers, echoing Jewish and early Christian prayers.
Through Christ, God has given us ‘every spiritual blessing,’ making us holy or set apart for him, living in love, adopted as his children, and praising God.
Through Christ, we have been redeemed, forgiven and received the Wisdom or knowledge of God, so that we are part of God’s plan for creation, to be completed in Christ.
In our Baptism, we have been ‘marked with the seal of the ... Holy Spirit’ (verse 13), and as the Church we are God’s own people.
John 1: [1-9] 10-18:
The Gospel reading includes or continues the prologue to Fourth Gospel.
The Word, God, Christ, has been born into this imperfect world – the world that ‘came into being through him.’ But most people did not recognise or welcome him as who he is. He came to people who rejected him, but some received him for who he is, and some became committed to him. These people received the power to be adopted as God’s children, are counted as being born into God’s family.
Flesh or humanity was seen as being weak, imperfect and transitory. But in an amazing action, God takes on human flesh in Christ in the Incarnation.
Christ fully reveals God’s ways, and through Christ, who is in complete intimacy with the Father, we have been given access to the Father.
John 1: [1-9] 10-18 (NRSVA):
[1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 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 light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.]
10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
14 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. 15 (John testified to him and cried out, ‘This was he of whom I said, “He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me”.’ 16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.
Liturgical Resources:
Liturgical Colour: White (or Gold).
The Collect of the Day:
Almighty God,
in the birth of your Son
you have poured on us the new light of your incarnate Word,
and shown us the fullness of your love:
Help us to walk in this light and dwell in his love
that we may know the fullness of his joy;
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Collect of the Word:
Eternal God,
in whose sight a thousand years
are like a watch in the night:
guide us now and always,
as you have led us in times past,
that our hearts may learn to choose your will:
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
The Post-Communion Prayer:
Light eternal,
you have nourished us in the mystery
of the body and blood of your Son:
By your grace keep us ever faithful to your word,
in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Seasonal Variations (Christmas):
The Penitential Kyries:
Lord God, mighty God,
you are the creator of the world.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, Son of God and Son of Mary,
you are the Prince of Peace.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Holy Spirit,
by your power the Word was made flesh
and came to dwell among us.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Introduction to the Peace:
Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given,
and his name shall be called the Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9: 6)
Preface:
You have given Jesus Christ your only Son
to be born of the Virgin Mary,
and through him you have given us power
to become the children of God:
Blessing:
Christ, who by his incarnation gathered into one
all things earthly and heavenly,
fill you with his joy and peace:
Suggested Hymns:
Jeremiah 31: 7-14:
644, Faithful Shepherd, feed me
128, Hills of the north, rejoice
481, God is working his purpose out
58, Morning has broken
Sirach 24: 1–12:
646, Glorious things of thee are spoken
Psalm 147: 13-21:
350, For the beauty of the earth
6, Immortal, invisible, God only wise
The Canticle, Wisdom 10: 15-21:
254, At the Lamb’s high feast we sing
643, Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
262, Come, ye faithful, raise the strain
13, God moves in a mysterious way
104, O for a thousand tongues to sing
Ephesians 1: 3-14:
84, Alleluia! raise the anthem
642, Amazing grace (how sweet he sound!)
189, As with gladness men of old
257, Christ is the world’s Redeemer
318, Father, Lord of all creation
352, Give thanks with a grateful heart
481, God is working his purpose out as year succeeds to year
99, Jesus, the name high over all
652, Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us
133, Long ago, prophets knew
49, Lord, bring the day to pass
524, May the grace of Christ our Saviour
232, Nature with open volume stands
33, O Lord of every shining constellation
363, O Lord of heaven and earth and sea
175, Of the Father’s heart begotten
313, The Spirit came as promised
9, There’s a wideness in God’s mercy
373, To God be the glory! Great things he has done!
451, We come as guests invited
John 1: 1-9 (10-18):
146, A great and mighty wonder
215, Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended
250, All hail the power of Jesu’s name
84, Alleluia! raise the anthem
147, Angels from the realms of glory
11, Can we by searching find out God
151, Child in the manger
87, Christ is the world’s light, he and none other
501, Christ is the world’s true light
259, Christ triumphant, ever reigning
52, Christ, whose glory fills the skies
318, Father, Lord of all creation
381, God has spoken – by his prophets
89, God is love – his the care
94, In the name of Jesus
553, Jesu, lover of my soul
425, Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts
166, Joy to the world, the Lord is come
427, Let all mortal flesh keep silence
195, Lord, the light of your love is shining
170, Love came down at Christmas
634, Love divine, all loves excelling
172, O come, all ye faithful (Adeste, fideles)
175, Of the Father’s heart begotten
136, On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry
387, Thanks to God whose Word was spoken
491, We have a gospel to proclaim
John 1: [1-9] 10-18, A Bible study:
Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, ‘In the beginning was the Word’ … this is one of the most dramatic opening lines in any great work of literature. And the Fourth Gospel, the Gospel according to Saint John, is also one of the great works of literature.
The author of this Gospel was identified by Saint Irenaeus as Saint John the Beloved, Saint John the Divine, or Saint John the Theologian, who lived in Ephesus until the imperial reign of Trajan (ca AD 98).
As a boy, Irenaeus had known Saint Polycarp, who was Bishop of Smyrna, near Ephesus, and who is said to have been a disciple of Saint John. Ever since then, the tradition of the Church has identified this Saint John as the author of the Fourth Gospel.
The narrative translations with which we are so familiar often miss the poetic and dramatic presentations of this Gospel. We are familiar with the dramatic presentation of the Prologue to this Gospel as the Gospel reading on Christmas Day. But the Prologue is first and foremost poetry. It is a hymn – a poetic summary – of the whole theology of this Gospel, as well as an introduction to it.
The Johannine scholar Raymond Brown has presented a translation from the Greek of the Prologue in poetic format:
1 In the beginning was the Word;
the Word was in God’s presence,
and the Word was God.
2 He was present with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things came into being,
and apart from him not a thing came to be.
4 That which came to be found life in him,
and this life was the light of the human race.
5 The light shines on in the darkness,
for the darkness did not overcome it.
(6 Now there was a man sent by God, named John 7 who came as a witness to testify to the light, so that through him all might believe – 8 but only to testify to the light, for he himself was not the light.)
9 He was the real light
that gives light to everyone;
he was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world,
and the world was made by him;
yet the world did not recognise him.
11 To his own he came;
yet his own people did not accept him.
12 But all those who did accept him,
he empowered to become God’s children –
those who believe in his name,
13 those who were begotten,
not by blood,
nor the flesh,
nor human desire,
but by God.
14 And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us.
And we have seen his glory,
the glory as of an only Son coming from the Father,
rich in kindness and fidelity.
The Gospel Reading:
The first chapter of the Gospel according to Saint John can be divided in two parts: the Prologue (verses 1-18) and a second part (verses 19-50) that shows that Saint John the Baptist was preparing for the coming of the Messiah.
The Prologue is an introduction to the Gospel as a whole. It tells us that the Logos is God and acts as the mouthpiece (Word) of God ‘made flesh,’ sent to the world in order to be able to intercede for humanity and to forgive human sins.
The Prologue is of central significance to the doctrine of the Incarnation. The Prologue can be compared with Genesis 1, where the same phrase, ‘In the beginning …,’ first occurs along with the emphasis on the difference between the darkness and the light.
In the opening verses of each of the four Gospels, we are given initial clues to the interests that will govern the evangelists’ respective accounts of Christ’s life and ministry:
● Saint Matthew’s opening genealogy identifies Christ as the descendant of both Abraham and David, as well as giving his credentials as the Messianic king.
● Saint Mark’s opening is the most compact, recounting Christ’s baptism in order to establish his identity as the Son of God.
● Saint Luke’s introduction sets out a detailed account of the announcements and actual births of both Saint John the Baptist and Christ against the backdrop of the wider Roman world.
● Saint John makes the most dramatic use of the prologue form in shaping the contours of a particular Christological emphasis. This is probably one of the most profound passages in the Bible. As simple as its language and phrases are, its description of Christ as the Logos has had a lasting influence on Christian theology.
The prologue prepares the reader for the rest of the Fourth Gospel. Important themes are signalled and Christ’s identity is established at the very outset through the use of Christological titles, divine portents or the manner of his birth.
Saint John’s is the only Gospel to speak of Christ’s pre-existence as the Logos and the only Gospel to include a poetic prologue.
The prologue provides a profound and highly developed theological summary that has a structural integrity of its own, while also introducing many of the key themes of the Gospel account that follows.
Sources and themes:
Scholars argue over the original source of the Prologue. Some say its sources are in the hymn traditions of the Early Church, while others downplay the apparent lyric form and argue that even the more overtly poetic sections of the prologue (such as verses 1-5) are ‘rhythmic prose,’ ‘elevated prose,’ or ‘stylistic prose,’ and they do not agree in their division of the Prologue into lyric and prose sections. Yet there still seems to be a fairly broad consensus about the genre of the material.
Raymond Brown points out that there are parallels of both form and content to the hymn-style material of verses 1-5, 10-12b, 14 and 16, in Colossians 3, Philippians 2, Hebrews 1 and I Timothy 3: 16. The Evangelist’s prose insertions provide, in turn an assessment of Saint John the Baptist’s role (verses 6-9), an explanation of soteriology (12c-13), a comment on Saint John the Baptist’s relation to the Logos (15), and an expansion of the phrase ‘love in place of love’ (Brown), ‘grace upon grace’ (verse 16, NRSV), or ‘one blessing after another’ (NIV) in verses 17-18, all of which play an important role in linking the poetic sections together.
Brown thinks the hymn-like sections may have been written independently of the Gospel itself. He points to the apparent independence of these sections from the rest of the Gospel and similarities with the theology both of the Gospel and of the Johannine Letters.
What about Saint John’s use of the term λόγος or Logos (1-2) – most frequently rendered ‘Word’ in modern English translations?
This term is deeply rooted in Old Testament thought (see Genesis 1, Proverbs 8). The role of the Johannine Logos also parallels, in some ways, that of personified Wisdom in a number of traditions within Judaism (see Sirach 24, one of the Lectionary readings on this Sunday). However, Wisdom and the Logos need not be identified with each other, since Wisdom is a creation of God (Sirach 1: 9), while the Logos is pre-existent and Divine.
At the same time, Saint John’s use of such language in a first century Mediterranean setting also recalls associations with Hellenistic thinking of the time, when the term ‘Logos’ played a key role in Stoic thought and in the writings of Hellenistic Jewish thinkers such as Philo.
The Cambridge New Testament scholar CH Dodd (1884-1973) argues that Saint John’s adoption of the term deliberately reflects the ambiguity of the word in Judaism, using a Greek philosophical term to capture both the immanent and the transcendent dimensions of meaning, yet within a Christian framework.
Others argue that while Hellenistic connotations are inevitable for 1st century readers, these associations are secondary as the use of terms in the Fourth Gospel is so often contrary to a Hellenistic worldview, while being distinct from previous Jewish uses.
It is worth noting the relationship of the Prologue with the rest of the Gospel. A number of Johannine terms are being introduced here, including ‘life,’ ‘light’ (verse 5), ‘believe’ (verse 7), ‘world’ (verse 9), ‘children of God’ (verse 12), and ‘flesh’ and ‘truth’ (verse 14). These concepts are introduced in relationship to the Logos, who is decidedly at the centre of all that is being said.
The Prologue also introduces the figure of John the Baptist (verse 6). He is known by the community being addressed, and they hold him in high regard, which explains why his relationship with and status in regard to the Logos are set out (verses 6-8, 15, and later in verses 19-28). Yet these remarks about John interrupt the flow of the poetic and liturgical sections, which raises further questions about the composition of the Prologue.
Brown says the Fourth Gospel was composed in several stages, and he sees the hymn material in the Prologue (verses 1-5, 10-12, 14, 16) as a late addition of a final redactor, so that the hymn-like material and the later introductory material are interwoven.
Section 1: Verses 1-5
Verses 1-2:
While the focus of the Prologue is on God in relation to humanity, rather than God in relation to himself, the first two verses are the closest to an intra-Trinitarian description in this Gospel.
The ‘Word’ here is difficult to separate from the language of Genesis 1, with its echoes of ‘in the beginning’ and a creative ‘Word’ which calls all things into being. The phrase ‘in the beginning’ could also combine both a temporal sense – in the beginning of history – and a cosmological sense, ‘at the root of the universe.’
The opening verses leave little doubt that the Logos is identified as being equal in divine status to God, and is fully God, so that what will be said about the Logos will be said, in the fullest sense, of God.
Verses 3-5:
The remainder of this first section (verses 3-5) is introduced by πάντα (panta), a Greek word that figures prominently in several other New Testament hymn-like passages (see Romans 11: 36; I Corinthians 8: 6; Colossians 1: 16). These passages – all of them Pauline – describe the comprehensive character of Christ’s work of redemption. The phrasing of verse 3 is best seen as an expansion of the activity of the Logos in creation, with the restatement in verse 3b emphasising the all-inclusive character of the involvement of the Logos
.
The word ζωὴ (zoe, life) is one of those terms in John that is laden with meaning. Although the sense of ‘eternal life’ may seem difficult to apply here, a consideration of the creational basis for this concept makes it quite acceptable, for the Logos is from the beginning and the source of all life (see Genesis 2: 7, 9; 3: 22; and Revelation 22: 2). There is a close connection between life and light in the giving and sustaining of life (John 8: 12; see Psalms 13: 3; 27: 1; 56: 13; 89: 15).
How should verse 5 be translated? The NIV translates the verb καταλαμβάνω (katalambáno) as ‘understood’: ‘and the darkness has not understood it.’ However, the NEB, Brown and others speak of ‘mastering’ or ‘overcoming’ the darkness. Despite the fall, the work of the Logos did not end but instead continued.
Section 2: Verses 6-13
Verses 6-9:
Are these verses out of place here? Do they disrupt the poetic flow?
Many commentators, including Brown, see these verses as an explanatory insertion that should be placed after the Prologue and before verse 19. Brown says one of the main purposes of the Fourth Gospel is to counter a sectarian group that regarded Saint John the Baptist as the Messiah, or at least as being equal to him – an intention emphasised in these verses, and further developed later in this chapter.
Verse 9 also draws attention once again to the theme of ‘light.’ Although the description of the light as ‘true’ (ἀληθινόν, alethinon) may seem puzzling at first, as there is no reference in the Fourth Gospel to a ‘false’ or ‘lesser’ light, there is a well-established tradition in Judaism in which the Torah is symbolised by light, with which the writer may be contrasting the final and true, real and eternal revelation of God’s light.
Verses 10-13 (verses 10-12b):
Verses 10 to 12b have been understood in different ways. If the passage is read as referring to the Old Testament presence of the Logos among his people (whether in the Torah or through prophets and leaders), it forms a chronological bridge between the Creation strophe of verses 1-5 and the Incarnation reported in verse 14. Yet such a reading would interrupt the chronological sequence of the Prologue, since John the Baptist has already been mentioned in verses 6-8.
Dodd argues that the Old Testament sometimes identifies the people of Israel as the ‘children’ or ‘son’ or ‘sons’ of God (see Deuteronomy 14: 1; Psalm 82: 6; Hosea 1: 10; Hosea 11: 1).
But this could also be an initial reference to the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, so that verses 10-12b parallel the career of Jesus, providing a short summary of both the Book of Signs (chapters 2-12) in verse 11, and the Book of Glory (chapters 13-20) in verse 12.
It could be argued that the writer has a dual purpose, referring at on e and the same time to both the relationship of the Logos with creation and Israel, and to its Incarnation in the ministry of Christ.
The word κόσμος (kosmos), first introduced in verse 9, is now explained further, in a resumption of the staircase poetic structure from verses 1-5. The word is repeated three times, in order to explain that the creation in verse 3 (particularly the human domain of that creation) painfully and inexplicably rejected the Logos on his appearance. This lack of recognition, not ‘seeing,’ by some in Jesus’ audience, is an important theme later in the Gospel (see John 9: 35-41; 11: 9, 40; 12: 37-45; and also 1:14).
Verses 10-13 (verses 11-13):
The remainder of the middle section expands on this theme and narrows the focus of the ‘rejection’ motif. The term ‘his own; (ἴδια, idia, idioi) is used in two senses: the first reference in the neuter plural (‘his own things,’ NRSV; ‘that which was his own,’ NIV) refers in a general way to the place which he has made, the creation; and the second use is in the masculine plural – ‘his own (people)’ – either humanity (verses 3, 4) or, more specifically, Israel – who were brought into being through him (II Samuel 5: 2, Psalm 33: 12; Isaiah 1: 3; Jeremiah 31: 33).
But Christ’s coming will not be met with complete rejection. The section concludes on the note of hope, emphasising the possibility for those who believe to be born anew and recreated through the same God who brought all of creation into being. The triple negative construction in verse 13 (‘not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man,’ NRSV; ‘not of human descent, nor of human decision, nor a husband’s will’) heightens the contrast between conventional, natural processes of the created world, and the newness which Christ’s ministry brings into the world (see John 3: 3-8).
The term ‘believe in,’ πιστεύουσιν εἰς (pisteuein eis) in verse 12 is typically Johannine and appears almost 40 times in this Gospel, most often in connection with Christ (31 times), and usually in reference to saving faith. Those who believe in the Son will form a new community of people who will be ‘his own,’ in contrast to those who – although they were already his own – did not recognise or believe in him.
Brown and others see verse 13 as an editorial expansion of the original hymn. They point to a differing style and its focus on the believer, in contrast to the Logos-centred emphasis of verses 1-5, 10-12 and 14.
Section 3: Verses 14-18:
The reading for Sunday continues into the first verse of the third section of the Prologue, verse 14.
Verse 14:
The final section of the Prologue draws together the different elements introduced up to now. Attention now shifts to the centrality of the Incarnation and its implications. For the first time since verse 1, the term Logos is restated, emphasising the movement from its cosmological dimensions in verse 1 to the temporal experience and conviction of the present Johannine community.
This movement is also apparent in the writer’s use of the verb ‘to become’ (γίνομαι, ginomai) in place of ‘to be.’ In this way, he signals that the Word has taken on a new form in a dramatic way.
This language could be flat rejection of any sort of Docetism.
Paradoxically, the Word that was fully God is now completely ‘flesh’ (σὰρξ, sarx), but both are equally true. There is a similar parallel between ‘was with God’ (in verse 1b) and ‘made his dwelling among us’ (verse 14b). The verb used here – ‘to make one’s dwelling’ (σκηνόω, skenoo) – draws on the Exodus traditions of a God who once lived among his people in the Tabernacle (see Exodus 33) and made his glory visible to his people there (Exodus 40: 34; see I Kings 8: 11). This theme was continued in prophetic literature, including Joel, Zechariah and Ezekiel, and is a theme in the entire story of God’s covenant with Israel.
The important concept of ‘glory’ (δόξα, doxa) is introduced here. This is another of the special terms in the Fourth Gospel, where it occurs 35 of the 185 times it is found in the New Testament. It is deeply rooted in the Old Testament, where the Hebrew concept of kabod embodies the dual sense of God’s ruling divinity made visible through observable actions of great power.
For John, this glory is visible in Christ’s statements and signs, many of which fulfil or supersede important elements in the Old Testament. But it is most evident in Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension.
There is a close link here between σκηνόω (skenoo) and δόξα (doxa): ‘the Word … dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory.’ This may allude to the fulfilment of the ‘new covenant’ promises regarding the coming nearness of God to his people in a way that will replace both tabernacle and Temple.
The word μονογενοῦς (monogenous) has long been translated ‘only begotten,’ an expression linked closely to Trinitarian procession theology. Recently, it has also come to be seen in terms of Christ’s unique relationship with the Father, emphasising obedience and faithfulness to his purpose.
The couplet ‘grace and truth’ (χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας, charitos kai aletheias; also in verse 17) echoes the Hebrew pairing of ‘steadfast love’ and ‘truth,’ which are central in the covenantal self-disclosure of God in the Old Testament. For a third time, the writer is using terminology that has important significance in Exodus (see Exodus 34: 6) and that is used throughout the Old Testament covenant. He is telling us he is going to present Christ to the reader as the fulfilment of God’s previous revelation to Israel and of the hope of a second Exodus revelation.
The site of Saint John’s tomb at the Basilica of Saint John the Theologian in Selçuk, near Ephesus … his tomb is marked by a marble plaque and four Byzantine pillars (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)Conclusion:
The Prologue lays the foundation for the development of the ‘realised eschatology’ of the Fourth Gospel. When Saint John speaks later of life in the sense of ‘eternal’ life, the Prologue has already established that from the beginning in Christ the eternal God and source of life is present and is among men and women for that purpose. In Christ, God enters into all the ambiguities, difficulties, and trials of human life. He comes to live among his people as one of them, revealing God at first hand, and offering new life as the source of life from the beginning.
The writer relates the Logos in turn to God (verses 1, 2); creation (verses 3-5); the world and its response (verses 6-9); his own people (verses 10, 11); his children (verses 12-13); a specific circle of disciples and witnesses (verse 14); and later in the Prologue to a particular historical person, Jesus Christ (verse 17). Finally, in verse 18, the intimacy of the relationship of the Logos to the Father is re-emphasised in language similar to that used in John 13: 23-25 to describe the intimacy between ‘the Beloved Disciple’ and Christ himself.
The Prologue is a model and a summons to us to think carefully and deeply about the implications of the Incarnation and to apply this concept in all its comprehensiveness to our life and our world. For all its broad, cosmic scope, the Prologue presents a direct and personal question to readers of all times: will the one who reads believe, and share in the fullness of grace given by the One who has come from the Father to dwell among us?
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org
Material from the Book of Common Prayer is copyright © 2004, Representative Body of the Church of Ireland.
The hymn suggestions are provided in Sing to the Word (2000), edited by Bishop Edward Darling. The hymn numbers refer to the Church of Ireland’s Church Hymnal (5th edition, Oxford: OUP, 2000).
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