From: KJohn36574@aol.com
Date: Wed Dec 22 1999 - 16:34:58 EST
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@aol.com
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