CHAPTER 1. _ The prologue_. The first eighteen verses contain a preface, or as it is usually called, the prologue to the Gospel. In this prologue the writer identifies the person, Jesus Christ, whom he is about to introduce on the field of history, with the Logos. He first describes the Logos in H... [ Continue Reading ]
In the first verse three things are stated regarding the Logos, the subject ὁ λόγος being repeated for impressiveness. Westcott remarks that these three clauses answer to the three great moments of the Incarnation declared in John 1:14. He who was (ἦν) in the beginning, became (ἐγένετο) in time; He... [ Continue Reading ]
_The Logos described_. The first five verses describe the pre-existence, the nature, the creative power of the Logos, who in the succeeding verses is spoken of as entering the world, becoming man, and revealing the Father; and this description is given in order that we may at once grasp a continuous... [ Continue Reading ]
οὑτος ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεόν. Not a mere repetition of what has been said in John 1:1. There John has said that the Word was in the beginning and also that He was with God: here he indicates that these two characteristics existed contemporaneously. “He was in the beginning with God.” He wishes als... [ Continue Reading ]
Πάντα διʼ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο. The connection is obvious: the Word was with God in the beginning, but not as an idle, inefficacious existence, who only then for the first time put forth energy when He came into the world. On the contrary, He was the source of all activity and life. “All things were made b... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐν αυτῷ ζωὴ ἦν. “In Him was life”; that power which creates life and maintains all else in existence was in the Logos. To limit “life” here to any particular form of life is rendered impossible by John 1:3. In John ζωή is generally eternal or spiritual life, but here it is more comprehensive. In the... [ Continue Reading ]
καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαίνει, “and the light shineth in the darkness”. Three interpretations are possible. The words may refer to the incarnate, or to the pre-incarnate experience of the Logos, or to both. Holtzmann and Weiss both consider the clause refers to the incarnate condition (_cf._ 1 John... [ Continue Reading ]
In this verse John passes to the historical; and like the other evangelists begins with the Baptist. So Theodore Mops: μετεληλυθὼς ἐπὶ τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν τοῦ υἱοῦ, τίνα ἄν εὗρεν ἀρχὴν ἑτέραν ἤ τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ἰωάννην; ἐγένετο ἄνθρωπες, “not _there was_ (chap. John 3:1), but denoting the _appearing_, the his... [ Continue Reading ]
_The historic manifestation of the Logos and its results_.... [ Continue Reading ]
οὗτος ἦλθεν εἰς μαρτυρίαν … δι αὐτοῦ. “The same (or, this man) came for witness,” etc. “John's mission is first set forth under its generic aspect: he came for witness; and then its specific object (ἵνα μαρτ. περὶ τ. φ.) and its final object (ἵνα παντ. πιστ.) are defined co-ordinately,” Westcott. Jo... [ Continue Reading ]
οὐκ ἦν ἐκεῖνος … φωτός, the thought of the previous verse is here put in a negative form for the sake of emphasis; and with the same object οὐκ ἦν is made prominent that it may contrast with the ἵνα μαρτυρήση. He (or, that man) _was_ not the light, but he appeared that he might bear witness regardin... [ Continue Reading ]
ἦν τὸ φῶς … εἰς τὸν κόσμον. ἦν stands first in contrast to the οὐκ ἦν of John 1:8. The light was not …: the light was … In this verse the light is also further contrasted with John. The Baptist was himself a light (John 1:35) but not to τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν. This designation occurs nine times in John,... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ … οὐκ ἔγνω. John 1:10-11 briefly summarise what happened when the Logos, the Light, came into the world. John has said: “The Light was coming into the world”; take now a further step, ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἦν, and let us see what happened. Primarily rejection. The simplicity of the statement, the... [ Continue Reading ]
εἰς τὰ ἴδια ἧλθεν, “He came to His own”. In the world of men was an inner circle which John calls τὰ ἴδια, His own home. (For the meaning of τὰ ἴδια _cf._ John 19:27; John 16:32; Acts 21:6 3Ma 6:27-37, Esther 5:10, Polybius, _Hist._, ii. 57, 5.) Perhaps in this place “His own property” might give th... [ Continue Reading ]
But not all rejected Him. ὅσοι δὲ ἕλαβον … ὄνομα αὐτοῦ. ὅσοι, as many as, as if they were a countable number (Holtzmann), or, rather, suggesting the individuality of exceptional action on the part of those who received Him. ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς, to them (resuming ὅσοι by a common construction) He gave ἐξου... [ Continue Reading ]
οἳ οὐκ ἐξ αἱμάτων … ἐγεννήθησαν. This first mention of τέκνα θεοῦ suggests the need of further defining how these children of God are produced. The ἐκ denotes the source of the relationship. First he negatives certain ordinary causes of birth, not so much because they could be supposed in connection... [ Continue Reading ]
καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο, “and the Word became flesh”. This is not a mere repetition. John has told us that the Logos came into the world, but now he emphasises the actual mode of His coming and the character of the revelation thus made, καί “simply carrying forward the discourse” (Meyer) and now in... [ Continue Reading ]
_The manifestation of the Logos defined as Incarnation_.... [ Continue Reading ]
Ἰωάννης μαρτυρεῖ … πρῶτός μοῦ ἦν. At first sight this verse seems an irrelevant interpolation thrust in between the πλήρης of John 1:14 and the. πλήρωμα of John 1:16. Euthymius gives the connection: εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐγώ, φησι, δοκῶ τισιν ἴσως ἀξιόπισ · τος, ἀλλὰ πρὸ ἐμοῦ ὁ Ἰωάννης μαρτυρεῖ περὶ τῆς θεότητο... [ Continue Reading ]
ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος … χάριτος, “because out of His fulness have we all received”. The ὅτι does not continue the Baptist's testimony, but refers to πλήρης in John 1:14. In Colossians 2:9 Paul says that in Christ dwelleth all the πλήρωμα of the Godhead, meaning to repudiate the Gnostic idea that thi... [ Continue Reading ]
ὅτι ὁ νόμος … ἐγένετο. What is the connection? His statement that the Incarnate Logos was the inexhaustible supply of grace might seem to disparage Moses and the previous manifestations of God. He therefore explains. And he seems to have in view the same distinction between the old and the new that... [ Continue Reading ]
θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακεν … ἐξηγήσατο. This statement, “God no one has ever seen,” is probably suggested by the words διὰ Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ. The reality and the grace of God we have seen through Jesus Christ, but why not directly? Because God, the Divine essence, the Godhead, no one has ever seen. No man has... [ Continue Reading ]
With this verse begins the Gospel proper or historical narrative of the manifestation of the glory of the Incarnate Logos.... [ Continue Reading ]
The witness of John to the deputation from Jerusalem, entitled αὕτη ἐστὶν … Λευείτας. The witness or testimony of John is placed first, not only because it was that which influenced the evangelist himself, nor only because chronologically it came first, but because the Baptist was commissioned to be... [ Continue Reading ]
_The witness of John and its result_.... [ Continue Reading ]
καὶ ἀπεσταλμένοι ἦσαν ἐκ τῶν Φαρισαίων. This gives us the meaning “And they had been sent from,” which is not so congruous with the context as “And they who were sent were of the Pharisees”; because apparently this clause was inserted to explain the following question (John 1:25): τί οὖν βαπτίζεις …... [ Continue Reading ]
ταῦτα ἐν Βηθανίᾳ … βαπτίζων. The place is mentioned on account of the importance of the testimony thus borne to Jesus, and because the evangelist himself in all probability was present and it was natural to him to name it. But where was it? There is no doubt that the reading Βηθανίᾳ is to be preferr... [ Continue Reading ]
τῇ ἐπαύριον, the first instance of John's accurate definition of time. _Cf._ 35, 43, John 2:1. The deputation had withdrawn, but the usual crowd attracted by John would be present. “The inquiries made from Jerusalem would naturally create fresh expectation among John's disciples. At this crisis,” et... [ Continue Reading ]
_The witness of John based on the sign at the baptism of Jesus_.... [ Continue Reading ]
οὗτος … πρῶτός μου ἦν. Pointing to Jesus he identifies Him with the person of whom he had previously said ὀπίσω μοῦ, etc. _Cf._ John 1:15. “After me comes a man who is before me because He was before me.” The A.V [30] “which is before me” is preferable though not so literal as the R.V [31] “which is... [ Continue Reading ]
κἀγὼ οὐκ ἤδειν αὐτόν, _i.e._, I did not know Him to be the Messiah. Matthew 3:14 shows that John knew Jesus as a man. This meaning is also determined by the clause added: ἀλλʼ ἵνα … ἐν ὕδατι βαπτίζων. The object of the Baptist's mission was the manifestation of the Christ. It was the Baptist's preac... [ Continue Reading ]
τεθέαμαι τὸ πνεῦμα … ἐπʼ αὐτόν. “I have seen the Spirit coming down like a dove out of heaven, and it remained upon Him.” “I have seen, perfect, in reference to the sign divinely intimated to him, in the abiding fulfilment of which he now stood.” Alford. τεθέαμαι is used (as in John 1:14) in its sen... [ Continue Reading ]
κἀγὼ οὐκ ᾔδειν … ἐκεῖνός μοι εἶπεν. Because of the importance of the identification of the Messiah the Baptist reiterates that his proclamation of Jesus was not a private idea for which he alone was responsible. On the contrary, He who had sent him to baptise had given him this sign by which to reco... [ Continue Reading ]
κἀγὼ ἑώρακα … ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ. “And I have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.” The Synoptists tell us that a voice was heard at the baptism declaring “this is my beloved Son”; and in the Temptation Satan uses the title. Nathanael at the very beginning of the ministry, and the demon... [ Continue Reading ]
τῇ ἐπαύριον … αὐτοῦ δύο. On the morrow John was again standing (ἱστήκει, pluperfect with force of imperfect) and two of his disciples. [Holtzmann uses this close riveting of day to day as an argument against the historicity of this part of the Gospel. He says that no room is left for the temptation... [ Continue Reading ]
_Witness of John to two of his disciples and first self-manifestation of Jesus as the Christ_. Bengel entitles the section, John 1:35-42, “primae origines Ecclesiae Christianae”; but from the evangelist's point of view it is rather the blending of the witness of John with the self-manifestation of J... [ Continue Reading ]
The Baptist, ἐμβλέψας τῷ Ἰησοῦ, having gazed at, or contemplated (see Matthew 6:26, ἐμβλέψατε εἰς τὰ πετεινά, and especially Mark 14:67, καὶ ἰδοῦσα τὸν Πέτρον … ἐμβλέψασα) Jesus as He walked, evidently not towards John as on the previous day, but away from him. λέγει Ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ without the... [ Continue Reading ]
καὶ ἤκουσαν … τῷ Ἰησοῦ. “And the two disciples heard him speaking” possibly implying that the day before they had not heard him “and they followed Jesus”; the Baptist does not bid them follow, but they feel that attraction which so often since has been felt.... [ Continue Reading ]
στραφεὶς δὲ … τί ζητεῖτε; Jesus, hearing their steps behind Him, turns. To all who follow He gives their opportunity. Having turned and perceived that they were following Him, He asks τί ζητεῖτε; the obvious first inquiry, but perhaps with a breath in it of that Fan which the Baptist had warned them... [ Continue Reading ]
ἦν Ἀνδρέας … Σίμωνος. One of the two who thus first followed Christ was Andrew, known not so much in his own name as being the brother of Simon Πέτρου is here proleptic. We are left to infer that the other disciple was the evangelist.... [ Continue Reading ]
εὑρίσκει οὗτος πρῶτος. If with T. R. and Tischendorf we read πρῶτος, the meaning is that Andrew, _before John_, found his brother; if with W.H [32] we read πρῶτον the meaning is that before Andrew did anything else, and perhaps especially before the other men afterwards named were called, he _first... [ Continue Reading ]
καὶ ἤγαγεν αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν. He was not content to allow his report to work in his brother's mind, but induced him there and then, though probably on the following day, as now it must have been late, to go to Jesus. ἐμβλέψας … Πέτρος. Jesus may have known Simon previously, or may have been told... [ Continue Reading ]
τῇ ἐπαύριον … Γαλιλαίαν. “The day following He would go forth,” that is, from the other side of Jordan, into Galilee, probably to His own home. καὶ εὑρίσκει φίλιππον, “and He finds,” “lights upon,” Philip (_cf._ John 6:5; John 12:21; John 14:3). To him He utters the summons, ἀκολούθει μοι, which can... [ Continue Reading ]
_Further manifestations of Jesus as Messiah_.... [ Continue Reading ]
ἦν δὲ ὁ φίλιππος … Πέτρου. This is inserted to explain how Jesus happened to meet Philip: he was going home also; and to explain how Philip's mind had been prepared by conversation with Andrew and Peter. The exact position of Bethsaida is doubtful. There was a town or village of this name (Fisher-Ho... [ Continue Reading ]
εὑρίσκει … Ναζαρέτ. Philip in turn finds Nathanael, probably on the road from the Bethany ford homewards. Nathanael is probably the same person as is spoken of in the Synoptical Gospels as Bartholomew, _i.e._, Bar Tolmai, son of Ptolemy. This is usually inferred from the following: (1) Both here and... [ Continue Reading ]
Philip's announcement is received with incredulity. ἐκ Ναζαρὲτ δύναταί τι ἀγαθὸν εἶναι; “Can anything good be from Nazareth.” _Cf._ John 8:52, “out of Galilee ariseth no prophet”. Westcott, representing several modern interpreters, explains: “Can any blessing, much less such a blessing as the promis... [ Continue Reading ]
εἶδεν … δόλος οὐκ ἔστιν. The honesty shown in his coming to Jesus is indicated as his characteristic. He had given proof that he was guileless. In Genesis 27:35 Isaac says to Esau, “Thy brother has come and μετὰ δόλου ἔλαβε τὴν εὐλογίαν σου ”. And it was by throwing off this guile and finding in God... [ Continue Reading ]
The significance of this utterance is further shown by what follows. Naturally Nathanael is surprised by this explicit testimony from one with whom he has had no acquaintance and who has notwithstanding truly described him, and he asks, πόθεν με γινώσκεις; “how do you know me?” perhaps imagining tha... [ Continue Reading ]
Ῥαββεί, he exclaims, σὺ εἶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, σὺ βασιλεὺς εἶ του Ἰσραήλ. Nathanael had been praying for the manifestation of the Messiah: now he exclaims _Thou_ art He. That Nathanael used both expressions, Son of God, and King of Israel, we may well believe, for he found both in the second Psalm. And... [ Continue Reading ]
ἀπεκρίθη … ὄψῃ. In accordance with the habit of this evangelist, who calls attention to the moving cause of faith in this or that individual, the source of Nathanael's faith is indicated with some surprise that it should have proved sufficient: and with the announcement that his nascent faith will f... [ Continue Reading ]