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How is Jesus described as the Word in the Gospel of John?
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Christology
The Transfiguration, the nature of Jesus as the Son of God being revealed to the apostles Peter, James, and John, mosaic icon, early 13th century; in the Louvre, Paris.
In the Gospel According to John, Jesus is identified as the "Word" (logos) made flesh, a foundational concept in Christology that emphasizes his preexistence and his role as the divine agent of creation and revelation.12
The description of Jesus as the Word serves several theological purposes:
- Divine Identity: The opening of the Gospel declares, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," establishing Jesus as the manifestation of God’s own reason, will, and power.2
- Incarnation: The Gospel asserts the "startling newness" that this divine logos "became flesh," emphasizing that the transcendent divine mind entered human history.12
- Agent of Revelation: By using the term logos—a concept familiar to the Hellenistic world—the author portrays Jesus as the source of life and illumination for humankind, revealing the divine plan of salvation.1
- Personification: Unlike earlier philosophical uses of logos as an abstract principle, the Gospel of John interprets the Word as inseparable from the person of Jesus, who is described as the "way, and the truth, and the life".1