8. οὐκ ἦν ἐκεῖνος τὸ φῶς, 9. ἦν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν, ὃ
οὗτος ᾖλθεν 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 de- fined co-ordinately,”” Westcott. John was not to do a great work of his own but to point to another. All his ex- perience, zeal, and influence were to be spent in testifying to the true Light. This he was to do “that all might be- lieve through him”. The whole of this Gospel is a citing of witnesses, but John’s comes first and is of most import- ance. At first sight it might seem that his mission had failed. All did not believe. No; but all who did believe, speaking generally, believed through him. The first disciples won by Jesus were of John’s training; and through them belief has become general.—Ver. 8. otk Fv 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 µαρτυρήσῃ. He (or, that man) was not the light, but he appeared that he might bear witness regarding the light. Why say this of John? Was there any danger that he should be mistaken for the light ? Some did think he was the Christ. See vv. το, 20.—Ver. 9. jv τὸ das... els τὸν κόσμον. ἡν stands first in contrast to the οὐκ ἦν of νετ. 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 (ver. 35) but not τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν. This designation occurs nine times in John, never in the Synoptists. It means that which corresponds to the ideal; true not as opposed to false, but to symbolical or imperfect. The light is further characterised as 6 φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον. This is the text on which the Quakers found for their doctrine that every man has a day of visitation and that to every man God gives sufficient grace. Barclay in his Apology says: “This place doth so clearly favour us that by some it is called ‘the Quakers’ text,’ for it doth evidently demonstrate our assertion’. It was also much used by the Greek Fathers, who believed that the Logos guided the heathen in their
8—11.
Φωτίζει πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐρχόμενον εἰς τὸν κόσμον.