John 1:1c

From: DR. KEN PULLIAM (thedoc@aztec.asu.edu)
Date: Thu Aug 17 1995 - 01:59:14 EDT


Alan Feuerbacher wrote:

>Ken Pulliam wrote:

>>1) The Word was the God (THEOS is inherently definite).
>>2) The Word was a god (THEOS is indefinite).
>>3) The Word was God (THEOS is qualitative).

>That is my understanding of the possibilities. According to
>the reading I've done, 1) is neither grammatically nor
>contextually possible. Is this not correct?

Alan, I don't think it is possible contextually but I believe it
is possible grammatically. The noun THEOS is sometimes definite
even without the article since it is a title.

>As for 2), we also have variation "deity," "divine," "nature
>of ..." and so on. Correct?

I think what you are suggesting with the variations "deity,"
"divine," etc. fits better under number #3. Number #2 would be
the indefinite use, in the sense of one among others, "a god."

>As for 3), it does not give the full meaning of the Greek,
>either the basic words or the cultural context in which John
>wrote. Correct?

>This is an interesting point, and I'd appreciate some
>insight from people who have studied the cultural context.
>The Greeks and others around them believed in a pantheon of
>gods. These gods were as real to them as our God is to us.
>These gods were worshiped, even though most of them were
>imaginary idols.

This is certainly accurate.

>In certain cases, though, as I described in my previous
>post, worship was rendered to a "god" that is a real, live
>entity --Satan. By all Greek cultural practices that I'm
>aware of, Satan was a god -- not THE GOD, of course, but a
>god that really exists. Jesus believed that Satan existed,
>and would have called him a god. Yet Jesus certainly cannot
>be described as polytheistic, nor did he ever think that
>this god was God.

This is also true, but I fail to see your point. The fact is that
both ELOHIM and THEOS could be used of men, angels, idols, and
the true God. Obviously, then the term has two different senses.
In one sense, it refers to anything that is worshipped as if it
were God and the other sense is the Almighty One who is truly
deserving of worship.

--
Ken R. Pulliam, Ph.D.
Chandler, Arizona
thedoc@aztec.asu.edu


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