Is the "WORD" at JOHN 1:1 a euphenism for YHWH?

Question

If the apostles had believed in Jesus then. The Jews would believe in Jesus now.

Answer 1

I think most Christians would say the Word is Jesus.

Answer 2

Read the whole verse: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." There's no euphemism here. John tells us very clearly that the Word is God. The rest of the passage makes it very clearly that he's talking about Jesus of Nazareth - God the Son.

Of course the apostles believed in Jesus. This can be seen in the Gospel, as well.

Answer 3

No,

Contrary to many of the explaniations,

The Apostles and 1st century Christians, who for a large part were Jews

Understood that You can not be with someone and be that person at the same time.

PLease note these references:

The New Encyclopædia Britannica says: “Neither the word Trinity, nor the explicit doctrine as such, appears in the New Testament, nor did Jesus and his followers intend to contradict the Shema in the Old Testament: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord’ (Deut. 6:4). . . . The doctrine developed gradually over several centuries and through many controversies. . . . By the end of the 4th century . . . the doctrine of the Trinity took substantially the form it has maintained ever since.”—(1976), Micropædia, Vol. X, p. 126.

The New Catholic Encyclopedia states: “The formulation ‘one God in three Persons’ was not solidly established, certainly not fully assimilated into Christian life and its profession of faith, prior to the end of the 4th century. But it is precisely this formulation that has first claim to the title the Trinitarian dogma. Among the Apostolic Fathers, there had been nothing even remotely approaching such a mentality or perspective.”—(1967), Vol. XIV, p. 299.

In The Encyclopedia Americana we read: “Christianity derived from Judaism and Judaism was strictly Unitarian [believing that God is one person]. The road which led from Jerusalem to Nicea was scarcely a straight one. Fourth century Trinitarianism did not reflect accurately early Christian teaching regarding the nature of God; it was, on the contrary, a deviation from this teaching.”—(1956), Vol. XXVII, p. 294L.

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Notice what the NAB footnote says:

2 [1] In the beginning: also the first words of the Old Testament (Genesis 1:1). Was: this verb is used three times with different meanings in this verse: existence, relationship, and predication. The Word (Greek logos): this term combines God's dynamic, creative word (Genesis), personified preexistent Wisdom as the instrument of God's creative activity (Proverbs), . . . With God: the Greek preposition here connotes communication with another. Was God: lack of a definite article with "God" in Greek signifies predication rather than identification.

This means that Jesus as the Word was with God, NOT that he is God.

This means that Jesus as the Word like Wisdom in Prov ch 8 was created 1st prior to the creation of anything else.

This means that Jesus as the Word has the qualities of God, NOT that he is God.

Did John who wrote this Gospel believe Jesus was God or a god?

Rev. 1:6 and he made us to be a kingdom, priests to his God and Father—

Did Paul believe that Jesus was God?

(Romans 15:3-6) . . .” 4 For all the things that were written aforetime were written for our instruction, that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 Now may the God who supplies endurance and comfort grant YOU to have among yourselves the same mental attitude that Christ Jesus had, 6 that with one accord YOU may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Did Jesus believe he was God?

36 do YOU say to me whom the Father sanctified and dispatched into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said, I am God’s Son?

Did God say Jesus was God?

Matt 3: 17 Look! Also, there was a voice from the heavens that said: “This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved.”

I for one do not want to call God, Jesus, John, or Paul liars.

I hope and pray you don't.

Eph 1:3,17

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Answer 4

No.

Logos is a Greek term which was translated to "word" in the New Testament. It is the base word for "logic". Logical thoughts and arguments are normally in words.

The Logos (or Word) was a concept tossed around by Greek philosophers or theologians. It was possibly rooted in ideas similar to the Jewish "Son of Man" or "Son of David", which sought an mediator between God and Man, who like David would be "a man after God's heart" or share other divine aspects but also have mortal limitations so that we would relate to him. E.g. Jesus was supposedly "wholly God yet wholly Man"

The general idea was that an immortal infinite god of infinite intellect and purity, was beyond the reach of humans and that a perfect God could not lower himself to relate at our level. (There is also a mathematical argument why this might be so.) E.g. in the Old Testament man could not easily look on the brilliance of God and live, and God was pained to look at our iniquities.

Jesus apparently intimated that he was the Logos or predicted Son of Man from the line of David who would put things right between God and Mankind.

My understanding is that YHWH did not want to be known by any one label. Like Popeye he might say "I am what I am", but not give a label like "Nigel". Jesus on the other hand was born to this world and did have a name given him.

If God had extracted a part of himself to became his mediator Word then it might be true to say "In the beginning the Word was with God and was God".

The Trinity is always a tricky issue but may be akin to the three parts of human personality described in Transactional Analysis (Parent Adult and Child) where at time parts of our personality may be Childlike Caring or Mature.

Whether claims that the man Jesus actually was this Logos or "Son of God" and "Son of Man" is a matter for theologians and historians to debate.

Answer 5

I never heard that. I believe that the Word was some sort of vibration that got substance moving and gave Form to Chaos. And I'm gonna tell you why I believe that.

It's important to remember that, most likely, John wrote the Gospel in Greek. In Greek, the word "logos" has many meanings, most related to logic (which derived from "logos"), reasoning, thinking, word -- along those lines.

From that, as well as other things I've read, I think that "Word" refers to the movement of either soul/mind/spirit, or to the vibration similar to speech. In other words, the Word is the vibration or something like it that got the substance in Chaos moving in such a way that it came to have Form.

It would explain the Big Bang. The Singularity would be Chaos, and Logos the cause of its beginning to expand.

Answer 6

NO. The belief of the Jews, or the non-belief of many so called Christians has nothing whatsoever to do with the belief of the apostles, John was reiterating the creation account of Bereshith, "And God SAID.. and it was" Logos refers to the individual berakoth. Bereshith berakh adonai elohainu ha-Shemaiim w'eth ha-Eretz.

Answer 7

When John said, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God..." John:1:1-2, he meant what he said.
Jesus is the Word and He was with God in the beginning when they created the world. Also Jesus (the Word) was with God, but He also IS God. It's sort of confusing but, the Trinity has three persons, but one God.

Answer 8

"Euphemism" And yes...in the beginning was the WORD and the word was with God, and the word was God. Manifested into flesh...ect. ect. ect. but it was written by John in the New Testement so No the Jews don't buy it.

Answer 9

Christians will tell you that it is. However, for me the symbolism of that verse has to do with all thought/consciousness being together as ONE before the creation of the physical universe.