Understanding God: The Significance of Logos in the Gospel of John-Part 3
Key Question
So the question that we have been exploring for this series of posts is—
- Why did John (through the Holy Spirit) decide to start his Gospel identifying Jesus as Logos?
Keep reading as we dive further into Logos, Memra, Divine Wisdom and even the Tree of Life.
Purpose of the Blog
This blog focuses on the Genesis 1 homework of my curriculum. I created the supplemental homework for the more zealous or ambitious student. Remember, this blog is for the educator, and the homework and study are much simpler. My Bible study/discipleship curriculum is straightforward and easy to use.
Disclaimer: I am teacher not a theologian. I am not a Hebrew or Greek scholar, but I am a faithful Christian who loves to study Scripture. I try to use quality, trusted sources and the Holy Spirit’s guidance to help me research the Bible. Being the sinner that I am, I may err from time to time. Please gracefully let me know if I made a theological error (and not just a theological preference), and I will be happy to correct it.
Review
Bereshit Part 3
In my Bereshit-Part 3 post, I stated that I believe that there is an order in Genesis that each person needs to grasp in some capacity in order to understand the purpose of Jesus. The first question people need to grasp is “Who is God?” Then in the Noticing and Wondering Routines Part 1 and Part 2 posts, we explored why God chose to start the Bible with identifying himself as Elohim.
So the question that we have been exploring for this series of posts is—
- Why did John (through the Holy Spirit) decide to start his Gospel identifying Jesus as Logos?
Understanding God: The Significance of Logos in the Gospel of John-Part 1
Then in my post Understanding God: The Significance of Logos in the Gospel of John-Part 1, I challenged you to read John 1, replace the word “Word” with “Logos” and complete a graphic organizer exploring what John says about Logos in his gospel.
Understanding God: The Significance of Logos in the Gospel of John-Part 2
In the post Understanding God: The Significance of Logos in the Gospel of John-Part 2, we discussed Arnold Fruchtenbaum’s book Yeshua: The Life of the Messiah from a Messianic Jewish Perspective, Volume I, and how he claims that John was most likely using the word Logos from a Jewish rabbinic perspective as it matches the Jewish concept of Memra. Then I challenged you to create two Venn diagrams: one comparing John 1:1-18 to Proverbs 8: 1, 22-36 and another comparing Proverbs 8: 1, 22-36 to Genesis 1: 1-25.
I also did the exercise, and here are my results. Note: My Venn diagrams may look different than yours, and that is expected.
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Controversy
Comparing John 1 to Proverbs 8 has led to a lot of controversies over the years. John’s gospel seems to evoke similar ideas as Wisdom in Proverbs 8. Depending on how you translate the Hebrew word, qana, Proverbs 8:22 can imply that Wisdom was created. If Wisdom is Logos, than Jesus was created, which supported the Arian heresy. One aspect of the Arian controversy was the divinity of Christ. Arian viewed Jesus as a created being inferior to God the Father. [CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Arianism (newadvent.org)]. Athanasius disagreed and a council was convened, and a debate ensued. He stated that Jesus’s nature was divine and identical to God the Father and that they have the same substance. [Arianism | Definition, History, & Controversy | Britannica]
Nicaean Creed
Eventually, Athanasius won the argument. One of the results of this controversy was the Nicaean creed that many churches still regularly recite together during their worship services:
“I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified; who spake by the Prophets. And I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.”
To be noted, the history behind this debate is rather complicated and drawn out over many years, so we won’t delve into much further. To gain deeper insight there are a lot of trusted commentaries that discuss this topic which can be found on the Bible Hub discussing Proverbs 8:22. This blog post will uphold traditional orthodox Christian (not to be confused with the Russian and Greek Orthodox churches) teaching found in the Nicene Creed. Additionally information on the Arian Controversy can be found on the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia and Encyclopedia Britannica.
Is Wisdom in Proverbs 8 Logos in John 1?
According to Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers, prior to the Arian controversy the early church fathers such as Justin Martyr, Iraneus, and Tertullian associated Wisdom in Job and Proverbs with Jesus [Logos].
Greek translators translated the word qana two different ways. The Septuagint and Targum translated it “created” and Aquila and others translated it “possessed.” Arian favored the former (hence the controversy) and Athanasius favored the latter.
- Barnes Notes on the Bible states, “There does not seem indeed any ground for the thought of creation either in the meaning of the root, or in the general usage of the word. What is meant in this passage is that we cannot think of God as ever having been without Wisdom. She is “as the beginning of His ways.” So far as the words bear upon Christian dogma, they accord with the words of John 1:1, “the Word was with God.” The next words indeed assert priority to all the works of God, from the first starting point of time.”
- And the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges states, “But it is well to remember that, all theological questions apart, it is impossible to understand the word, whatever rendering of it we adopt, as indicating that Wisdom ever had a beginning, or was ever properly speaking created. Wisdom is inseparable from any worthy conception of Him who is “the only wise God” (1 Timothy 1:17), and therefore is like Him “from everlasting to everlasting” (Psalm 90:1).”
- The Pulpit Commentary states, “It is impossible to decide what was the exact view of the writer with regard to the wisdom of which he speaks so eloquently; but there can be no doubt that he was guided in his diction so as to give expression to the idea of him whom St. John calls the Word of God.…The Father set Wisdom over all created things, or made Wisdom to be the efficient cause of his creatures (Revelation 3:14). May we not say that the writer was guided to use a word which would express relation in a twofold sense? Wisdom is regarded either as the mind of God expressed in operation, or the Second Person of the Holy Trinity; and the verb thus signifies that God possesses in himself this essential Wisdom, and intimates likewise that Wisdom by eternal generation is a Divine Personality. St. John (John 1:1), before saying that the Word was God, affirms that ‘the Word was with God.’….. There is, then, nothing forced or incongruous in seeing in this episode a portraiture of the Second Person of the blessed Trinity, the essential Wisdom of God personified, the Logos of later books, and of the gospel. This interpretation obtained universally in the Church in the earliest times, and has commended itself to the most learned and reverent of modern commentators.”
However, not everyone agrees.
- My NIV footnote says, “A hymn describing wisdom’s role in creation. Wisdom is here personified…. Therefore, these verses should not be interpreted as a direct description of Christ. Yet they provide part of the background for the NT portrayal of Christ as the divine Word and as the wisdom of God. Here wisdom is an attribute of God involved with him in creation.
- Keil and Delitzch Commentary on the Old Testament says this, “Wisdom is not God, but is God’s; she has personal existence in the Logos of the N.T., but is not herself the Logos; she is the world-idea, which, once projected, is objective to God, not as a dead form, but as a living spiritual image….his wisdom the poet here personifies; he does not speak of the person as Logos, but the further progress of the revelation points to her actual personification in the Logos.”
So which is it?
Holy Communion and the Word “Is”
In the 1990’s sitting President Bill Clinton was accused of committing perjury. His defense was, “It depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is.” Although, this defense seems ludicrous in many ways, the church has a similar issue with Holy Communion. What does Jesus mean when he states, “This IS my body given for you.” (Luke 22:19)? Roman Catholics hold to a very literal meaning where the bread and wine actually turn into the body and blood of Christ (Transubstantiation). Lutherans believe that Jesus is in, with, and under the bread and wine; Jesus is fully present as is the actual bread and wine (Consubstantiation). Presbyterians believe the communion elements are a sign and seal that point to Christ; whereas Baptists believe that the bread and wine are purely symbolic. Others believe that it is simply a fulfillment of the Passover.
As you can see, there is quite a continuum. So, which is it? This is a question that divides denominations, and no one on this side of heaven knows for sure. Yet everyone agrees that there is some association between Jesus’s body and blood and the bread and wine whether it be literal view like the Roman Catholics or symbolic like the Baptists or somewhere in between.
Wisdom & Logos
So in the same vein as the argument on Holy Communion, there is some association between Wisdom in Proverbs 8 and Logos in John 1. Whether they are literally the same thing or just a symbolic association depends on the commentator. No one on this side of heaven truly knows, but it is helpful for our understanding of Scripture to realize that these ideas are associated in some capacity. (Note: Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons believe Jesus was created, which is one of several reasons why most of Christendom rejects them at fellow Christians; although they self-identify as such.)
Wisdom is the Tree of Life
What is wisdom compared to in Proverbs 3: 18?
“[Wisdom] is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed. By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundation, by understanding he set the heavens in place; by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.” Proverbs 3: 18-20
Interestingly enough, according to Jewish tradition, the personification of Wisdom is the Torah, which is what the Jewish people call the Old Testament (typically the first 5 books).
Reread the verse but substitute “Torah” or “God’s Word” into the verse.
“[The Torah] is a tree of life to all who take hold of her. And those who hold her fast will be blessed.”
Or for us New Testament Christians
“[God’s Word] is a tree of life to all who take hold of her. And those who hold her fast will be blessed.”
Now think back to our discussion on Logos in John 1 and the Memra in Genesis 1. See Understanding God: The Significance of Logos in the Gospel of John-Part 2 blog post. So far we have in a symbolic sense at least that—
God’s Word(Logos) = Wisdom = Tree of Life.
(Note: the equal sign may or may not be too strong of a symbol, but it’s the easiest way to communicate the point.
Again, remember what John 1 says about the Logos “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” And Proverbs 8: 35-36 states “For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord. But those who fail to find me harm themselves; all who hate me love death.”
Conclusion
So let’s circle back to our key question:
- Why did John (through the Holy Spirit) decide to start his Gospel identifying Jesus as Logos?
It seems that John was alluding to the Jewish rabbinic term of Memra that was used in their midrash writings. Johan’s contemporaries would have understood that allusion. In a sense, the Memra (or Divine Wisdom) became flesh and dwelled among us.
How does that help us understand God better?
Elohim in Genesis 1 showed us that God was a powerful, creator king who could create by speaking things into existence. It should provoke in us a sense of awe and wonder and perhaps fear but possibly also trust.
Logos shows us that this Divine Wisdom, or this concept of the spoken Memra, that is present in the beginning was with God and was God. This Wisdom or Logos (who either is the Wisdom or Memra or contains this Wisdom depending on your viewpoint) came down to earth to bring us life. He brings us light into our darkness if we recognize Him and accept him as such. This should also provoke in us a sense of awe and wonder, trust, and humility. Additionally, it shows us just how compassionate God is to come to us when we dwelled in darkness.
Write in the comments ways that viewing God as Elohim or Logos helps you understand him better!
One More Application
Read Proverbs 15:4. What else is the Tree of Life compared to?
“The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushed the spirit,” (NIV)
The Jewish culture puts a much bigger emphasis on the power of speech than the American Protestant culture. They realize according to Genesis 1 (and for us John 1) that it is a tool of creation as God literally spoke the world into existence. Think about whether your words bring life or death to those around you. For a list of verses related to speech, check out the Genesis 1 homework.
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