The Prologue of 1 John
By Jonathan Mitchell
First John, chapter 1:
1. The One who was continuously existing from a beginning (or: He Who was progressively being parted away from [the] Source, Headship and Rule). The One whom we have listened to, and still hear, as it were, ringing in our ears; the One whom we have discerningly seen, and now yet perceive with our eyes (or: in our eyes); the One whom we contemplatively gazed upon as a public spectacle (as an exhibit in a theater) and our hands handled in investigation (felt about for and touched) - groping around the Word of the Life [cf Lu. 24:39](or: the Logos, which is the Living Existence; the thought which pertains to life; the Information and Idea from the Life; the message with the character and qualities of the Life; the Reason which belongs to the Life; this Blueprint and the transfer and input of Information that was conveying Meaning in this that is a Pattern-forming Influence which is this Life),
2. and the (or: this) Life was manifested (or: is brought into the clear light and made visible; [cf Jn. 1:14])! And so we have discerningly seen, and still perceptively observe, and are repeatedly testifying (bearing witness; giving evidence) and in a message are constantly reporting back (fully announcing), to, and for, you folks, this Life which has the character and qualities of the Age (or: the life of, for, and pertaining to, the age [of the Messiah]; eonian life) which Certain [Life] was continuously existing [oriented and proceeding] toward (or: was face to face with) the Father, and was manifested (or: is made visible; appeared) to us, with us, in us, by us, among us, and for us. [cf Jn. 1:1ff; 14:26]
3. The One whom we have seen, and still now see, and we have heard, and now to Whom we continue listening, and we are presently hearing, we are also constantly reporting to, and for, you folks, to the end that you people, too (as well, also) could, and would, be continuously having common being and existence (or: would be progressively holding partnership and participation) with us. Now also, our COMMON BEING and EXISTENCE (or: this participation and partnership belonging to us; the fellowship and sharing, which is ours) [is; exists] with the Father, even with His Son (or: as well as with the Son from Him; or, in apposition: and with the Son which is Him), Jesus Christ. [cf Heb. 2:11; 1 Cor. 1:9]
I have treated 'ho' as the definite article, "the One," in the first four phrases in vs. 1, and in vs. 3; many treat it as a neuter relative, and render it: "That which." With my rendering, the first clause of vs. 1 can easily be seen as an echo of the Gospel of John, 1:1. The next three clauses refer to the history of the disciples during their time with Jesus, up to the point of His ascension. The last phrase,
"the Word of the Life,"
echoes the entire passage of Jn. 1:1-4.
The parenthetical expansion at the end of vs. 1 explores both the potential meaning of the term Logos, and the potential renderings of the genitive-ablative functions of the articulated noun, "Life." As suggested by the first inserted reference in vs. 2, which speaks of the Incarnation of the Logos, the next three clauses of vs. 1 are historical references to the years of His Incarnation. Jesus was the manifestation of the Logos of God, and He Who is the Life (Jn. 6:35, as well as the Way and the Truth - Jn. 14:6) and Who was continuously face to face with the Father (the same preposition, pros, is used here that was used in Jn. 1:1), was manifested, as Jesus, in John's own time.
The last pronoun, of vs. 2, is in the dative case. To make the point that all the functions of the dative case are legitimate readings in this prepositional phrase, I simply conflated them into multiple phrases:
"to us, with us, in us, by us, among us, and for us."
The two functions,
"in us, by us,"
would primarily apply to the times that followed the coming of the Spirit, on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:2). So, ponder the significance of each functional reading in this phrase (note: the Greek text has no expressed preposition, but one is implied by the case of the noun and its article).
Another important aspect of each of these three verses is the fact that John repeatedly used the perfect tense. The perfect tense indicates that the action of the verse was a completed action, but that the results of that action carries on into the future. When I was a boy, my father used the metaphor of the building of a house. When this is described using the perfect tense, he said, it means that the house has been constructed in the past, the act of building has been completed, and it now exists as a house, in the present time. My expanded translation exhibits the perfect tenses in the following clauses:
a) we have listened to, and still hear, as it were, ringing in our ears
b) we have discerningly seen, and now yet perceive with our eyes (or: in our eyes)
These are in vs. 1, but now observe that John uses the aorist (indefinite) tense in the next two clause of this verse - they no longer "contemplatively gazed upon as a public spectacle," or, "handled in investigation (felt about for and touched)." That was in their past, prior to His ascension. But they were still experiencing the results of the prior two clauses.
In verse 2, where John instructs us that,
"the (or: this) Life was manifested"
(aorist tense), he once again uses the perfect tense:
"we have discerningly seen, and still perceptively observe."
They had discerned that Life within the person of Jesus, and because this was a spiritual perception, their spirits and minds could still perceive and observe what they had spiritually seen, in the past. This same thing happens to us: when we first come to know Christ, we see who He is, but this perception does not cease. We are changed by that perception, and now we can still "see" what we at that time "saw," as well as what we have come to perceive and observe of Him, ever since, by multiple means.
Verse 3 opens with two consecutive verbs in the perfect tense:
"whom we have seen, and still now see, and we have heard, and now to Whom we continue listening, and we are presently hearing."
The second verb is on offer as a conflation:
"have heard... continue listening... presently hearing."
This happens by the indwelling of His Spirit, within us. We heard the Logos proclaimed to us, and now we listen during our reading of the written Logos, and during our listening, in prayer, as we commune with Him. This is a dynamic, ongoing, relationship with Christ... with God.
The dynamic aspect of our Life in Christ is richly described in the last half of vs. 3. John uses the Greek term koinonia twice. It first refers to what John and his associates have with those who will listen to the reading of this letter: "that you people, too (as well, also) could, and would, be continuously having common being and existence (or: would be progressively holding partnership and participation) with us." On offer are three meanings of this word, which has at its core the present participle, 'on', of the verb "to be; to exist." Prefixed to this participle is the particle which means "common." Thus, we have:
a) common being and existence
b) partnership
c) participation.
A partnership is normally an arrangement where each member has a common place, or "being," in the arrangement. Each member usually "participates" on a common basis which comprises the existence of the partnership. In the called-out, covenant communities, each person had a common existence as a member of the local body of believers. They were all
"members of the body of Christ."
And yes, they normally had "fellowship," one with another, but that fellowship was based upon their being common members which comprised the existence of the local community.
That said, let us move to the second use of this word, koinonia, in vs. 3:
"Now also, our COMMON BEING and EXISTENCE (or: this participation and partnership belonging to us; the fellowship and sharing, which is ours) [is; exists] with the Father, even with His Son (or: as well as with the Son from Him; or, in apposition: and with the Son which is Him), Jesus Christ."
To help us understand John's meaning, here, let us look at Jn. 15:5,
"I, Myself, AM the Grapevine; you folks [are] the tender branches (shoots or twigs that can be easily broken). The person continuously remaining (dwelling; abiding) within the midst of Me - and I within the midst of and in union with him - this one is repeatedly bearing (bringing forth; = producing) much fruit."
The metaphor of a grapevine gives us a perfect example of the vine plus all it branches being a
"common being and existence."
Yes, there is a "partnership," and there is "participation" involved, for Jesus went on to say, in this verse:
"[It is the case] that apart from (or: Because separated from) Me you folks continue having ability and power to do (make; construct; create; form; perform; produce) nothing!"
With this picture in mind, consider what John is saying, here: we have
"COMMON BEING and EXISTENCE with the Father."
This means that, like the branches having a common being with the Vine, we also have a common being, and a common existence, with God.
We find an echo of this in Acts 17:28b-29a,
"You see, we are also a family of the One (or: we even continuously exist being a race whose source is the One; or: we also are His species and offspring; we are even a family which is composed of the One and which is the One). Therefore, continuously and inherently subsisting from under a beginning, being God's family (or: a species of God; a race whose source is God; [the] kind of being having the qualities and characteristics of God; [the] offspring birthed from God)..."
Paul gave us another picture of our being God's family, in Rom. 8:29b, where he states that Jesus is,
"the Firstborn among, within the center and sphere of, and in union with, many brothers (= a vast family from the same Womb)."
So, it is no surprise, or wonder, that Paul instructs us, in Eph. 2:5-6,
"He made alive together by (or: joins us in common life with) the Christ,"
and then,
"He jointly roused and raised (or: suddenly awakens and raises) [us] up together, and caused [us] to sit (or: seats [us]; = enthroned [us]) together in union with, and among, the heavenly people, and within the things situated upon [thus, above] the heavens (or: centered in the full, perfected heavenlies; or: among those comprising the complete and perfected heavenlies; in union with the celestial people; among the folks [residing] upon the atmospheres) within, in union with, and in the sphere of, Christ Jesus."
There is another aspect of our common existence and participation with Christ. In Phil. 3, Paul expands our understanding of this topic:
A closing reference to consider is that which Jesus said to the Judeans, in Jn. 10:34,
"Jesus judiciously replies to them, "Is it not standing written within your Law [other MSS: the Law; = the Torah] that 'I say, you people are (or: exist being) gods'? [Ps. 82:6]
We are common being with, and have common existence with, the Father, and with His Son, Jesus Christ.
Jonathan
A Response to "The Prologue of 1 John"
By John R. GavazzoniHere's what was for me, a very touching tidbit, that came to me in a picture in my mind: The Logos, face to face with God, looking into the eyes of God, turns to us (with face unveiled) so that we might see in His eyes what He saw in the eyes of God. While the Logos, of course, has to do in the usual sense with verbal communication, in the case of God, in this day, speaking to us IN a Son (Hebrews), that communication goes deeper, of course, than a mere mental concept from the Speaker to the hearer.
It is, as Jonathan's translation points out, a matter of still perceptively observing, and still seeing. As the very moving lyrics of a gospel song says, "I have seen Him; I have known Him; and He deigns to walk with me. And the glory of His presence will be mine eternally. Oh, the glory of His presence; oh, the beauty of His face. I am His, and His forever, He has one me by His grace." From the complementing prologue to John's gospel, in that face we SEE grace and truth fully.
John does go on to write,
"BEHOLD, what manner of love the Father has bestowed up us that we should be called the children of God."
The process of hearing from God leads to a beholding of Him. In the opening of the Book of Revelation, John hears a voice behind him, and he turns and SEES a magnificent apocalyptic picture of Jesus. Later he hears, "BEHOLD/LOOK, I am making all things new."
There's a seeing dimension to spiritual knowing and believing: Meister Eckhart testified that in looking into the empty dinner plate set before Him, he saw "the eternal generation of the trinity."
Return To Jonathan Mitchell's Page