Ho Logos (The Word)

On John 1:1 - “ho Logos” (the Word)

Just as we are adopted into God's family, so John adopts vocabulary from Greek philosophy in the word Logos, which we translate as Word. In Greek philosophy, the Logos was an aspect of the Universe, its rational sense, expressed in nature. It was this impersonal cosmic principle that 
enabled us to grasp the world as real.

John, however, had seen that the Universe was made through Christ (“everything was made through him”, v.3). Paul saw it too: “Everything has been made through him and for him” (Colossians 1:17). The philosophical Logos, a force pervading and making sense of the whole of creation, was a perfect vehicle for John to adopt to denote Christ the Cosmic Word, God's living, personal presence in Creation.

Logos was also the direct translation of the Old Testament word davar, which stood for an event of speech and action, God's word and deed. Scholars say the Jews considered every event as a direct action of God. Here we have a glimpse of the New Testament reality of the happening Word – the Church.

The Logos lends itself to personification, as John has done. It is revealed to be the eternal Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, Jesus Christ the Nazarene. You thought it was an impersonal world, with your Logos, says John, but look! Our Logos Christ has filled everywhere for us with his personal Presence, who is Love personified.

God blesses us not only through events, but through the very stuff of creation, because John testifies that the world is made through God's passionate love in the Word, caught up in the Spirit, speaking and singing a whole yearning world into life.