An introduction to the discussion of John 1:1.

Overview

John 1:1 is an important verse in the controversy over the deity of Christ. Some regard this verse as the clearest declaration of His deity.

This article serves as an introduction to the mini-series on the translation of John 1:1. The dispute over the translation of John 1:1 centers on the lack of the definite article (the) before the word theos (god) in John 1:1c. Some see this omission as grounds for an indefinite translation: “the Word was a god.” This article discusses the following:

โ— Alternative translations of John 1:1c;
โ— Why is Jesus called โ€œthe Word?โ€
โ— What is โ€œthe beginning?โ€
โ— The word โ€œwithโ€ in the phrase โ€œwith God;โ€
โ— The phrase – โ€œthe Word was with Godโ€ – seems to make a distinction between Jesus and God.
โ— The verse does not say that Jesus was created in the beginning.

Introduction

Nicene CreedThe second phrase in John 1:1 is โ€œthe Word was with God.โ€ This phrase makes a distinction between Jesus and God, which means that Jesus is not God. But the third phrase reads, โ€œthe Word was God.โ€ This contradicts the second phrase. How can the Word be God if He is distinct from God?

This question resulted in much dispute over the past 2000 years. In the fourth century, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, and the emperor, effectively, became the leader of the church. At the time, a dispute raged in the church over the deity of Christ. This dispute threatened the unity of the empire. Consequently, Emperor Constantine called a church council specifically to address the dispute. That council, under Constantine’s influence, resulted in the Nicene Creed of 325. For a discussion of the significant influence which Emperor Constantine had in the formulation of the Nicene Creed of 325, listen to Kegan Chandler on the term โ€œhomoousios.โ€

John 1:1 has had a significant impact on the development of church doctrines on the nature of Christ. The proper translation of this verse is at the center of debate between Trinitarians and non-Trinitarians.ย  Some view it as the clearest declaration of the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ to be found anywhere in Scripture. John 1:1 is the best known of the about seven verses in the New Testament in which Jesus is called theos (god). The other verses refer to Jesus as theos in the time when the New Testament was written, but John 1:1 refers to Him as theos in โ€œthe beginning;โ€ when โ€œall thingsโ€ were created (John 1:3).

The dispute over the translation centers on the lack of a definite article (the) before the word theos in John 1:1c. John included the article before theos in 1:1b (literally, AND THE WORD WAS WITH THE GOD), but omited it before theos in 1:1c. Since ancient Greek did not have an indefinite article, some see this omission as grounds for an indefinite translation: “the Word was a god.”ย  The purpose of the current series of articles is to discuss what John 1:1 means and how it is best translated.

Purpose of this article

Jehovah Witnesses The majority of Christianity has a one-sided focus on the verses that emphasize the divinity of Christ.ย  Jehovah’s Witnesses perhaps err to the other side and focus only on verses that show that Jesus is distinct from and subordinate to God. To find the truth, we need to find an explanation that satisfies all Biblical statements about Jesus.

To write this article, the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ defense of their translation of John 1:1c was read. Various other website resources were studied to identify the main principles. Many experts are quoted on these websites, but the current article does not always quote such experts.

Three Phrases

John 1:1The current article often refers to the three phrases of John 1:1. Below the majority translation is given, together with the Greek transliteration.

To understand John 1:1 requires some understanding of some Greek words and grammar.ย  However, this article is intended for people that do not understand Greek. Therefore, and since in the original Greek language there was no differentiation between lower and upper case letters, this article presents the Greek literally using CAPITALIZED ENGLISH WORDS:

(a) In the beginning was the Word,
(En arkhรชi รชn ho logos =
IN BEGINNING WAS THE WORD)

(b) and the Word was with God,
(kaรฌ ho lรณgos รชn prรฒs tรฒn theรณn =
AND THE WORD WAS TOWARD THE GOD)

(c) and the Word was God.
(kaรฌ theรฒs รชn ho logos =
AND GOD WAS THE WORD)

Preliminary Observations

Article: In the Greek, there is no article before BEGINNING, but the translation inserts the article (โ€œtheโ€). In 1:1b, the Greek has the article before THEOS, but the translation omits it. There is no article before THEOS in 1:1c, but it is translated the same as 1:1b.

In the Greek, the word order in 1:1c is reversed.

The Greek word for GOD in 1:1c is THEOS, but in 1:1b the word appears as THEON. THEON has the exact same meaning as THEOS.ย  Each Greek noun normally has 8 or 9 forms (cases) in which it can appear. These forms do not change the meaning of the words but define the roles which the words play in sentences, for example, to differentiate between the subject and the object.

The implications of these observations are explained below.

Alternative Translations of John 1:1c

Three alternative translations may be considered:

โ€œThe Word was Godโ€ is the majority translation. โ€œGod,โ€ with the capital G, is the name we give to the Ultimate Reality. We do not use โ€œGod,โ€ with a capital G, for any other being. โ€œThe Word was Godโ€ therefore identifies “the Word” as the Ultimate Reality.

โ€œThe Word was a godโ€ is primarily found only in the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation. This translation seems to imply that Jesus is one of a greater number of powerful but created โ€œgods,โ€ which does not seem consistent with the Bible. See – Objections to the translation: The Word was a god.

Moffatt, Goodspeed and some other translations render the phrase as โ€œthe Word was divine.โ€ This may be understood to imply that the Word has divine attributes, but that He is not the Ultimate Reality.

The Word

LOGOSโ€œThe Wordโ€ (Greek LOGOS) in John 1:1 is widely understood as referring to Jesus, as indicated in John 1:14-17. In the Book of Revelation, which was written by the same John, we read, โ€œHis name is called The Word of Godโ€ (Rev 19:13).

Matthew Henry proposed that Jesus is “the Word” because He was sent to earth to reveal His Father’s mind. In John 1:18, we similarly read that โ€œno one has seen God at any time,โ€ but Jesus โ€œhas explained Him (God).โ€ Jesus, therefore, said, โ€œHe who has seen Me has seen the Fatherโ€ (John 14:9). Jesus, as โ€œthe Word,โ€ is Godโ€™s Communication to the universe.

The phrase, โ€œthe word of the LORDโ€ is found many times in the Old Testament as an expression of divine power and wisdom. By referring to Jesus as โ€œthe Word,โ€ โ€œwe preach โ€ฆ Christ (as) the power of God and the wisdom of Godโ€ (1 Cor 1:23-24).

In the beginning

The โ€œbeginningโ€ (1:1a) must be linked to John 1:3, which states that God created all things through Jesus.

The first words in the Bible are: “In the beginning God โ€ฆ” John 1:1 contains the same Greek words for โ€œin the beginningโ€ as are found in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) of Genesis 1:1.ย โ€œThe beginningโ€ in John 1:1a, therefore, refers to the Genesis creation account.

Genesis opens with “in the beginning God โ€ฆ,” but John elaborates on the creation account by saying “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.”ย  Later in Genesis 1, God said, โ€œLet Us make man in Our image, according to Our likenessโ€ (Gen 1:26). John 1:1 implies that Jesus was included in the โ€œUsโ€ that made man in Their image.

With God

The phrase THE WORD WAS WITH GOD (1:1b) means more than merely that the Son existed with the Father:

The term translated as โ€œwithโ€ gives โ€œthe picture of two personal beings facing one another and engaging in intelligent discourseโ€ [W. Robert Cook,ย The Theology of Johnย [Chicago: Moody, 1979], 49].

In John 1:18, according to the NASB, He was โ€œin the bosom of the Father.โ€ The NIV translation renders this as that He was โ€œin closest relationship with the Father.โ€

In His prayer, Jesus spoke about โ€œthe glory which I had with You before the world wasโ€ (John 17:5).

Distinct From God

To say that โ€œthe Word was with Godโ€ (John 1:1b) makes a distinction between Jesus and God. In other words, the title โ€œGodโ€ here refers to the Father alone. Another clear example of “God” referring to the Father alone is John 1:18, which reads, โ€œNo one has seen God at any time.โ€ โ€œGodโ€ here excludes the Son, for the Son has been seen. This is a general principle of the New Testament: Of the more than 1300 times that the title theos is used in the New Testament, it almost always refers to the Father exclusively:

The Nicene Creed similarly starts with the words:
โ€œWe believe in one God, the Father almighty โ€ฆโ€

Paul wrote, โ€œfor us there is but one God, the Father” (1 Cor 8:6).

For a discussion of this important principle, see articles:

Jesus was not created and always existed.

The opening phrase of John 1:1 reads “in the beginning was the Word.” The thought is repeated in John 1:2a: โ€œHe was in the beginning with God.โ€ It does not say that the Word was created or came into existence at the โ€œbeginning; He simply โ€œwas.โ€ The tense of the Greek word translated โ€œwasโ€ expresses continuous action in the past. This implies that the Word (Jesus) had no beginning but always existed. This seems to be confirmed by the following:

โ€œHe is before all thingsโ€ (Col 1:17).

โ€œAll things came into being through Himย (Jesus)”, and โ€œapart from Him nothing came into being that has come into beingโ€ (John 1:3).

The Word therefore must have already existed prior to creation.

The Only Begotten

John 1:18 refers to Him as โ€œthe only-begotten,โ€ which seems to imply that Jesus had a beginning. But some argue that the Greek word translated โ€œthe only begottenโ€ (monogenฤ“s) means โ€œtheย one and only.โ€ This is how monogenฤ“s is consistently translated in the NIV and does not imply a beginning.

If monogenฤ“s must be understood as โ€œthe only begotten,โ€ which implies that Jesus had a beginning, then it is preferred here to understand this as follows:

He was not created, for God created all things through Him (John 1:3). Rather, He was “begotten,” which implies that He came forth from the being of the Father.

Using the literal translation of Colossians 1:18, He IS THE BEGINNING. In other words; He not only existed in the beginning; He Himself was the beginning of “all things.” By giving birth to His Son, God created the universe. This sounds mysterious, but when we talk about the creation, then we come face to face with eternity, which is a complete mystery.

โ€œThe beginningโ€ was also the beginning of time. Therefore, if He was โ€œbegottenโ€ in “the beginning,” then there was no time that โ€œthe Wordโ€ did not exist.

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