by receiving power, by adoption, or by moral generation, but was (jv) such in the beginning with God. The fact set forth does not belong to the sphere of His incarnation, but of His eternal being. The statement is anthropomorphic,* and there- fore cannot fully express the metaphysical relation.
Of the Father is properly renderod by Rev., “from the Father,” thus giving the force of mapa (see on from God, ver. 6). The preposition does not express the idea of genera- tion, which would be given by é« or by the simple genitive, but of mdsston—sent from the Father, as John from God (see vi. 46; vii. 29; xvi. 27; xvii. 8). The correlative of this is ver. 18, “ who is én the bosom (eis tov KodTrov) of the Father ;” lit., ‘into the bosom,” the preposition es signifying who has gone into and is there ; thus viewing the Son as having returned to the Father (but see on ver. 18).
Full of grace and truth (aAjpns ydpitos Kal adyJelas). This is connected with the main subject of the sentence: ‘“‘The Word—full of grace and truth.” A common combination in the Old Testament (see Gen. xxiv. 27, 49; xxxii. 10; Exod. xxxiv. 6; Ps. xl. 10, 11; Ixi.7). In these two words the character of the divine revelation is summed up. ‘Grace corresponds with the idea of the revelation of God as Love (1 John iv. 8, 16) by Him who is Life; and Truth with that of the revelation of God as Light (1 John i. 5) by Him who is Himself Light” (Westcott). Compare ver. 17. On Grace, see on Luke i. 30.
15. As ver. 14 is parallel to vv. 1-5, so this verse is parallel to vv. 6-8, but with an advance of thought. Vv. 6-8 set forth the Baptist’s witness to the Word as the general light of men. This verse gives the Baptist’s witness to the personal Word be- come flesh.
Bare witness (waprtupei). Present tense. Rev., correctly, beareth witness. The present tense describes the witness of the
*7.¢., attributing human form and human modes of activity to God, as when we speak of the hand, the face, the eye of God, or of God begetting as here.