Re: John 1:1-2

From: Jack Kilmon (jkilmon@historian.net)
Date: Wed Mar 24 1999 - 10:15:22 EST


George Blaisdell wrote:

> Rog' ~
>
> I think I understand your focus ~ It has to do with Greek word order and
> in particular the word order of the opening of John. So I invite you to
> check out the following chiastic pattern.
>
> A EN ARCH HN hO LOGOS
> B KAI hO LOGOS HN PROS TON QEON
> B' KAI QEON HN hO LOGOS
> A' hOUTOS HN EN ARCH
> PROS TON QEON
>
> The couplets A and A' mirror each other ~ As also do B and B' ~ PROS TON
> QEON is 'left over', so to speak, at least in terms of the mirroring
> pattern of the couplets.
>
> There are also 3 nouns and a pronoun in this opening. To illustrate the
> pattern, call ARCH [A], LOGOS [B], and QEOS [C]. hOUTOS technically
> refers to LOGOS, so it also is [B]. So we havew the following:
>
> [A]:[B]::[B]:[C]::[C]:[B]::[B]:[A]::[C]
>
> Or [A][B][C][B][A] [C]
>
> Next observe the progressive pattern of modifiers.
> EN is locational
> PROS is directional/orientational
> QEOS HN is simple identity
>
> As I read this passage, hOUTOS refers to the QEOS HN hO LOGOS identity,
> and not only to hO LOGOS. Were is not, the author would have used hO
> LOGOS. Instead he used "THIS one" [hOUTOS], referring to the identity
> just specified.
>
> The 'left over' PROS TON QEON emphatically stresses its importance
> [through repetition] as the center of the chiastic parallel structure.
> It is the Johannine formulaic statement of the quintessential
> relationship of hO LOGOS to hO QEOS that is summarized in the identity
> couplet [QEOS HN hO LOGOS].
>
> Observe as well the literary tension established between the QEOS with
> an article and the one without an article. [This is a subject of vast
> controversy on this list, and is best left alone!! The nature of that
> identity is WAY off limits!!] The whole of the book of John can be seen
> as an elaboration of the relationship of hO LOGOS to hO QEOS, which
> results in the hO LOGOS-QEOS identity, through the PROS TON QEON
> relationship.
>
> And all this from the simple chiastic word order of this passage.
> Everything 'turns' on the center two couplets [B-B'], which are framed
> or located by the outer two [A-A']. And the feature of the center that
> is stressed is stressed by repetition following the last couplet.
>
> And all in marvelous [chiastic] balance!

Excellent treatment, which fits quite well with the Yohannine prologue
as an early Christian antiphonal hymn that was incorporated into the
Gospel.

Jack

-- 
______________________________________________

taybutheh d'maran yeshua masheecha am kulkon

Jack Kilmon jkilmon@historian.net

http://www.historian.net

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