The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 149

neither created, nor did he then begin to the forthcoming, the clothing of thought, be. Ooneequently, there is no r8880n to the manifestation of reason or purpose, but gathor from this passage the temporal origin neither the "thought," nor tli<'l "reason," of "the Word," or from the firet verse of nor the "purpose" itself. The term is Genesis to argue the eternity of matter. need here without explanation, as though The writer here shows that he was pr~ it would be well understood by its readers. foundly impressed by the Lord's own self- Numerous explanations ha.ve been offered consciouene·ss which permitted his disciples in later times, which are far from sa tis- to believe in a personal Being 11nd glory factory. 'fhns Beza regarded the term 1kt "before the world was," and "before the identical with 6 .\e;,6µ.oo,, " the Promised foundation of the world" (eh. xvii. 5, 24). One "-the Personage spoken of by the The idea. of existence before the world was prophets. This, even with Hofmann's modi- is attributed to the Divine (Sophia. or) fication of it, viz. " the Word of God, or wisdom (Prov. viii. 23 and elsewhere; I Gospel, the great theme of which is the Epist. i. l). The same apostle speaks more- personal Christ," breaka to pieces as soon over of "that which wns• (cl,r' a.px11s) from as it is referred to the various predicates the beginning," but has been manifested to which follow, and especially to the state- us. The interpretations which made the ment of ver. 14, that "the Word wa.~ /,pxfi mean, with Cyril, the Divine" Father;" made flesh, and tabernacled amongst us." the Valentinian notion that a.px-li was a dis- Readers of the Old Te8tBment would not tinct hypothosis, distinct from the Father or forget that, in the record of the creation from the Logos; Origen's notion that it in Gen. i., tne epochs of creation are de- meant the "Divine Wisdom;" the Socinia.n fined eight times by the expression, ·• .And view that it referred to " the beginning of God said." The omnific Word uttered itself the preaching of the gospel; "-are not now in time. and thus called into being "light" seriously maintained. " The beginning of nnd "life" and "all things," and gave time" launches the mind into the abyss of birth to man. The record thus preserved is the eternal noto. At that starting-point of confinned by the corresponding teaching of all creation and all Divine manifestation, the Psalms: "By the Word of the Lord were "the Word waB." It would be difficult to the heaven~ made, and ail the host of them express in human speech more explicitly the by the breath of his mouth" (cf. 1 Sam. idea of eternal existence. In Greek usage iii. 21; Ps. xxxiii. 6; cvii. 20; cxlviii. 5; and philosophy the term Aoro:::s sustained Isa. lv. 10, 11). Moreover, the Scripture in the double sense of reason or thought the Book of Proverbs (viii., ix.), Job (xxviii. immanent in the supreme Godhead (.\d;,os 12), as well as the apocryphal Books of Wis- lvli,d.6e-ros), and also of "speech" or dom, Baruch, Ecclesia.'!ticus, had set forth "word" (.\&;,os wpo,Pop1K6s). Attempts have the Divine "wisdom," .l~?i;t, rro,PC«, with often been made to identify the .\&-yos of more or less of personification and e-.en John with the former phase of its meaning personal dignity, answering to the creative common to Plato or Philo, and to find in energy and resources here attributed to the the prologue the metaphysical speculations Logos. From eternity was it brought forth, of the Alexe.ndrine school-to identify the in the beginning of all God's ways. "The .\&-yos with the Philonic conception of the Lord possessed me,'' Wisdom says, "before K6trµ.os vo11-r1K6s, with the Divine "idea of all his works." In the controversy of the third ideas," the archetype of the universe, the end fourth centuries the LXX. translation personality of God personified, or the Divine in Prov. viii. 22 of .l}R. by lKntre led Arius self-consciousness. But Philo's entire system of philosophy by which he tried to explain and others to the idea of the creation of the the creation of the world, his theory of the Logos before a.II worlds. The Vulgate trans- Loaos which was abhorrent to and entirely lation, "possessed me," is a far closer ap- inc~pable of incarnation, which was baseu proach to the original. The whole of the on a thorough-going dualism, which was passage, Prov. viii. 22-27, is in correspon- significantly reticent as to the Messianio dence with the functions and dignity of idea, and knew nothing of the hopes or him who is here describ~d as " iu the begin- national anticipations of Israel, was not the ning with God." The Jewish translator~ source either of John's revelation or nowen- and commentators had so thoroughly grasped cle.ture (see Introduction). The disciple of the idea, tllllt they were accustomed, iu their the Baptist and of Jesus found in Holy Chaldee paraphrases of the Old Testament, Scripture itself both the phraseology ~nd to substitute for the name of the Most High, the idea. which he here unfolds and applies. the phrase Memra-Jah, "The Word of thll The New Testament writers never use the Lord," as though the Lord, in his acti vitit>B term Logos to denote " renson," or "thought,'' and energies, onu in his relations with the or "self-consciousness," but always denote universe and man, could be better unJer- by it "speech," "utterance," or ••word" - etood under the form of this periphra.si,  6 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN, [OH, I. 1--bl.