meaning, but there is no single English word which will give it better. The preposition pds, which, with the accusative case, denotes motion towards, or direction, is also often used in the New Testament in the sense of with ; and that not merely as being near or beside, but as a living union and communion 5 implying the active notion of intercourse. Thus: “ Are not his sisters here with ws” (apos pas), i.e., in social relations with us (Mark vi. 3; Matt. xiii. 56). “ How long shall I be with you” (pos Spas, Mark ix. 16). “Isat daily with you” (Matt. XXVi. 55). “To be present with the Lord” (pos tov Kupiov, 2 Cor. v. 8). “Abide and winter with you” (1 Cor. xvi. 6). “ The eternal life which was with the Father” (mpos tov watépa, 1 John i. 2). Thus John’s statement is that the divine Word not only abode with the Father from all eternity, but was in the living, active relation of communion with Him.
And the Word was God («ai Qeds 7v 6 dOyos). In the Greek order, and God was the Word, which is followed by Ang.-Sax., Wyc., and Tynd. But @eds, God, is the predicate and not the subject of the proposition. The subject must be the Word; for John is not trying to show who is God, but who is the Word. Notice that @Oeds is without the article, which could not have been omitted if he had meant to designate the word as God; because, in that event, eds would have been ambiguous; perhaps a God. Moreover, if he had said God was the Word, he would have contradicted his previous statement by which he had distinguished (hypostatically) * God from the word, and Adyos (Logos) would, further, have signified only an attribute of God. The predicate is emphatically placed in the proposition before the subject, because of the progress of the thought; this being the third and highest statement respecting the Word—the climax of the two preceding propositions. The word God, used attributively, maintains the personal distinction between God and the Word, but makes the unity of essence and
* The word hypostasis is equivalent to substance. In theological language it is used in the sense of person as distinguished from essence. Hence the adverb hypostatically signifies personally in the theological sense, which recognizes three pyersoiis in the Godhead with one essence.