2. The Fourth Gr ^pel sets out from a conception of the Logos wh' 11 to all appearance is closely similar to that of Philo. In the Prologue the main features of the Philonic doctrine are repro- duced one by one ; — the eternal existence of the Word, its Divine character {tjv deos), its relation to God as towards Him, and yet distinct (7rp6s t6v debv), its creative activity, its function in the illumination and deliverance of men. The Evan- gelist as.sumes that the idea of the Logos is already a familiar one in Christian theology. It is intro- duced abruptly, as requiring no explanation, and its diflerent aspects are lightly indicated, by way of reminding the reader of truths sufficiently known to him. We can thus infer that the con- ception of Philo had already naturalized itself in Christian thovight, but there is reason to believe that the author of the Gospel was acquainted more or less directly with the Philonic writings and consciously derived from them.*
To what extent does the Logos idea of Philo change its character as it assimilates itself to the theology of the Gospel ? Before an answer can be offered to this question, it is necessary to consider a preliminary difficulty with which Johannine criticism has been largely occupied since the ap-
* Cf. the list of parallel passages collected by Grill (pp. 111- 138).
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pearance of Harnacks famous pamphlet.* Is the Prologue to be regarded as an integi-al jjortion of the Gospel, or is it, as Harnack contends, a mere preface ^\Titten to conciliate the Interest of a philosophical public? The idea of Christ as the DiWne Logos is nowhere resumed in the body of the Gospel. Although the term Logos is con- stantly used, it always bears its ordinary sense of spoken discourse, while the categories of Light, Life, Love are substituted for the Logos of the Prologue. The work, as we have it, is no meta- physical treatise, such a-s we might expect from the opening verses, if they truly set forth its pro- gramme, but a historical document, the narrative of the earthly life of Christ. In spite, however, of Harnacks powerful argument, the almost unanimous voice of Johannine criticism has de- clared against him. The statement of his ^-iew has led to a closer examination of the Prologue in its connexion with the Gospel, resulting in multiplied proof that the ideas presented at the out^et are woven in with the whole tLssue of the work. The Prologue supplies the background, the atmosphere, which are necessary to a right contemplation of the history. Nevertheless, while Harnacks main argument cannot be accepted, it serves to remind us of one fact which cannot be emphasized too much. St. John is not concerned merely with the Word, but \A"itli the Word made tlesh. After the hrst few verses, in which he treats of the pre-existent Logos, he p;\sses to the his- torical Person of Jesus, who is more than the abstract Word. In Him it had become visible, and acted on men through a human Personality.
St. John therefore accejits the Philonic con- ception in order to assimilate it to his accoimt of a historical Person, through whom the Word de- clared itself under the conditions of human life. It is evident that the conception could not be so adapted without submitting to profound moditica- tions. (1) The Logos, which was to clothe itself in flesh and act on men with the force of a personality, must in its deepest ground be a personal Being. We have seen that PhOo. partly in imaginative fashion, partly because of the composite origin of his thought, attributes a semi-independence to the Logos. This prepared the way for a complete personification ; but Philo himself thinks only of a Divine principle, the creative reason of God. St. John, however, makes it an essential moment in his conception that the Logos has a ground of independent being within God (tt/ws tov deov. stand- ing over against Him as a distinct Being I. His view even of the pre-existent Logos is coloured by his knowledge of the ultimate Incarnation. (2) The creative actiWty of the Logos, which in Pliilo is central and all-determining, falls into the back- ground. Only in P ('All things were made by him') do we have any clear trace of this aspect of Logos doctrine, and the sequence of thought would still be complete if the brief allusion were omitted. It is thrown out, apparently, by way of acknow- ledgment of the recognized theory. Some refer- ence to the cosmic significance of the Logos was necessary if any link with previous speculation Mas to be preserved. The Gospel, in point of fact, knows nothing of the absolute transcendence of God, which Philo's whole theory is desigTied to mitigate. It assumes that ' the world ' is the direct object of God's love and providence (3^*). It maintains that God acts immediately on the human soul and so makes possible the redeeming work of the Logos (6« 17«). (3i In the Gospel, much more emphatically than in PhUo, the term X670S denotes AVord as well as Reason. The Greek philosophical meaning is, indeed, discarded, or
* Cher das Verhaltniss des Prologs des vierten Etgl. zum gamen Werk (1S9-2).
retained only as a faintly coloiuing element. The Word is regarded tlirougliout as the expression of Gods will and jwwer, the self-revelation of His inward nature. It does not represent the Di^"ine reason but the Divine energy. Its sovereign at- tribute is Life, the life which it derives from God and transmits to men. Under the form of Alex- andrian speculation St. John preserves the essen- tial Hebrew conception of the li^"ing, quickening Word.