Pronouns in John 1:1 and 1 John 1:1-4

KJohn36574 at aol.com KJohn36574 at aol.com
Wed Dec 22 16:34:58 EST 1999


To Soloman Landers:

I noticed you are writing from the Memra Institute.

The Aramaic term "memra" is used in the Targums of John's day in place of the 
unmentionable name for the Hebrew G-d, YHVH or YHWH.

It is not necessarily a different person than God, and it could have been in 
the mind of John when he wrote John 1:1-4, since he probably spoke and read 
Aramaic in his day. Memra is similar to the Greek "Logos". He probably chose 
Koine Greek terminology because it was used so much in written 
correspondence, and he might have been countering allegorical Jewish and 
incipient Gnosticism tendencies or teachings which were usually written in 
Hellenistic Greek.

However, NT scholar Peter Borgen believes that John's Prologue is an 
exposition of Gen. 1:1ff, and written in a manner that reflects Targunic 
exegesis. In his view certain key words found in Gen 1:1-5 ("in the 
beginning", "God", "life", "light") are interpreted in John's Prologue by 
means of paraphrasing expansions. The Jerusalem Targum on Gen 3;24 is 
mentioned as a parallel to the Prologue of John, in an effort to show how 
each paraphrasing expansion is similar. When comparing John's Prologue with 
Jewish thought, Borgen states:

"...in Jewish sources there is quite a strong exegetal tradition that 
interprets Gen. 1:1-ff. as not only referring to the creation of the world, 
but what preceeded it. The exegetical basis for this is expressed in John 
1:1-2 in the light of v. 3: en archee/bereshith in Gen. 1:1 could be 
developed in Judaism within the thought category of existence at creation, 
and before, with subsequent revelation."

Peter Borgen, "Observations On the Targumic Character of the Prologue of 
John," New Testament Studies, Vol. 16, pp. 288-295.

Also, getting back to the term "Memra"...W.F. Albright refers to the ms 
Targum Neofiti I (a complete Palestinian Targum) in which "the 'Word' of God 
appears as a surrogate for the name of God, Yahweh."
(New Horizons in Biblical Research, London, 1966, p. 45).

Memra is used as a name for God himself, especially as God as 
"self-revealing". M. McNamara stated, 

"Johannine tradition may yet well prove to be mainly influenced by liturgical 
Jewish tradition, particularly of the form found in the Targums."

("Logos of the Fourth Gospel and Memra of the Palestinian Targum (Ex 1242)", 
ExT LXXIX, 1967-68, pp.117.)

If John had "the Memra" in mind when he wrote "the Logos" he was probably not 
thinking of a second person or being as the Jewish literature was strictly 
monotheistic as was the Shema of Israel in the LXX and in Mark 12:29 "one" = 
masculine "heis"- the cardinal number in the Greek.

Ken Johnson
Elk Grove, CA
KJohn36574 at aol.com






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