"In the beginning was the word" (Jn 1:1a) <LYR324-39855-2000.02.22-21.24...

Polycarp66 at aol.com Polycarp66 at aol.com
Tue Feb 22 23:52:59 EST 2000


In a message dated 2/22/2000 11:13:23 PM Central Daylight Time, 
x99swain at wmich.edu writes:

<< 
 Now I would argue that LOGOS is in some senses all of these, what possible
 English word or short phrase could cover this?  Or word or phrase in
 another language?  Utterance doesn't.  Word doesn't (wonder why Jermoe
 chose Verbum for LOGOS---don't have the VL to check what others may have
 made of it in Latin before Jerome.)  In short, this is one place that I
 think that no matter how we choose to render it, it won't quite fit what
 is hapening in the Greek. >>

It surely doesn't mean ALL of those things in Jn. 1.1.  It has a very 
specific range of meaning.  The job is to discern what that range includes 
and to try to convey that notion in whatever language we happen to be using. 
I think we get too philosophical and try to make it mean everything.  Gen. 
1.1 is the most likely referent as I see it.  Let's face it, John (or whoever 
wrote the 4th gospel) wasn't primarily a philospher.  True, none of us can 
help dabbling in philosophy to a greater or lesser extent since we must have 
some conception of what this world is all about, but this isn't a 
philosophical text.  

gfsomsel



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