By Pastor Dave Farmer

Exegesis of 1 John 1:1

Revised July 17, 2019

Exegesis in support of translation.

1 John 1:1

What was from the beginning [incarnation]; what we have heard and His voice is still ringing in our ears; what we have seen with our own eye's and the mental picture of Him is still crystal clear; what we have observed [fully examining Him] and our hands have touched. This [epistle] is about the Logos of Eternal Life. Expanded Translation

The Prologue of 1 John

Exegesis 1 John 1:1

Numbers in brackets [ ] refer to Strong's numbering system whereby Greek words are assigned a number for easy look up. Those who study the Scripture from the original languages are familiar with this type of lexicon.

1 John 1:1

What was from the beginning [the Virgin Birth]; what we have heard, and His voice is still ringing in our ears; what we have seen with our own eyes, and the mental picture of Him is crystal clear; what we have observed for ourselves and our hands have touched; this [epistle] is about the Logos of [Eternal] Life. Expanded Translation

I. Introducing the Logos of Eternal Life 1 John 1:1

1a] Ὃ ἦν ἀπ̓ ἀρχῆς, "What was from the beginning."

Four Relative Clauses

Structural analysis of verse one indicates that the four relative clauses ¹ are the direct objects of the main verb, which is found in verse three APANGELLO "we are reporting."

We are reporting:

What was from the beginning

What we have heard

What we have seen

What we have observed and our hands have touched

Each clause begins with the nominative neuter singular form of the relative pronoun HOS [Ὃ -3739], meaning WHAT. HOS is routinely used to link a noun or other substantives to a clause which either describes, clarifies, or restricts the meaning of the noun it is related too. “They are hinge words. They refer back to an antecedent as well as function [they have a role to play] in their clause.” Here they introduce a direct object clause describing an absent antecedent.² The Lord Jesus Christ is the unstated antecedent of the relative pronouns in this verse.

Some of the English translations include the Lord in their paraphrased versions; such as: "Christ was alive when the world began" Taylor, K. N. (1997). The Living Bible. See also The New Living Translation, "We proclaim to you the One who existed from the beginning…He is the Word of life.”

Violation of The Rule of Agreement

“The general rule of relative pronouns is this: The relative pronoun agrees with its antecedent in gender and number, but its case is determined by the function it has in its own clause.” ³ Since the relative pronouns refer to our Lord Jesus Christ, we would expect the masculine gender, not the neuter. We don't translate this "who" because it is neuter, not masculine. It is translated WHAT.

Did John make a mistake? Not if you believe in the verbal plenary inspiration of the Bible. John purposefully placed the relative pronoun in the neuter gender rather than the masculine to draw attention to the incarnation which was being denied by Gnostic Christians. The neuter gender is an important clue into what 1 John is about. He is defending the true doctrine of the Humanity of Christ. It was this doctrine that was under attack in Ephesus during John’s ministry. John was writing to correct the error of Gnosticism, especially Cerinthian Gnosticism.

Next is the imperfect tense of the verb EIMI [ἦν - 2258] which means TO BE, TO EXISTS. The progressive imperfect views the action as continually existing. WHAT CONTINUALLY EXISTS. This use of EIMI is not identical in meaning to John 1:1. There the idea is, He is always existing, and there never was a time that He did not exist. So, the idea of eternality is attributed to the subject, and since this is the Lord Jesus Christ, His deity is being affirmed. He is God eternal and immutable. John 1:1 looks back before the creation of the universe.

This is not the case with 1 John 1:1. In anticipation of the meaning attached to the prepositional phrase "from the beginning," which refers specifically to the Virgin Birth. This epistle starts at that point or as Dr. Hiebert says, “John’s message must seem incredible until we start where he starts—at Bethlehem. ⁴ The active voice signifies our Lord Jesus Christ’s decision to come to earth and become our Savior, Luke 9:56. The indicative mood indicates the fact and the reality of the incarnation.

The preposition of separation APO [ ἀπ̓ - 575] plus the ablative of separation from ARCHE [ἀρχῆς - 746] meaning FROM THE BEGINNING.

The noun ARCHE is a definite noun ⁵ and therefore in the translation the article is added; that is, the article is included, from THE beginning not from A beginning. In 1 John, the prepositional phrase APO ARCHE is found seven times and is always translated "from THE beginning." It refers to a variety of times when something began. ⁵ The noun is also monadic, giving it an additional reason to be definite. It points to a unique beginning. So, from the Virgin Birth onward what was existing was the Theanthropic Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man.

Some treat this expression the same way John 1:1 does, and that is a possible interpretation. Although the imperfect tense is used in both instances, the context is different from the standpoint of the writer and what he desires to accomplish. Structural similarity must give way to semantic priority. The meaning is determined by the context.

So, in the Gospel of John EIMI is focusing on the eternal past, before creation. The stative aspect is primary. So EIMI means someone in the past eternally exists. The LOGOS existed in the past, and there was never a time in which He did not exist. The beginning was not THE beginning for the One spoken about is eternal. Eternal God has no beginning. John has to start somewhere, so he does by introducing us to the eternally existing LOGOS. This interpretation is in keeping with John's purpose in revealing Jesus Christ as God.

John 1:1

In the eternal past kept on existing the LOGOS, and the LOGOS was eternally existing as God, and the LOGOS kept on being face to face with God."

The question before us is, "Are John 1:1 and 1 John 1:1 identical? The four relative clauses are convincing enough to indicate he was thinking about the incarnation. John's unrelenting theme of this book is a defense of the Humanity of Christ, which means 1 John1:1 is related more to John 1:14 "The LOGOS became flesh" than John 1:1. The great theological truths which are being abandoned by Christian Gnostics are the virgin birth, the Humanity of Christ, the hypostatic union, the impeccability of Christ; and the sustaining ministry of God the Holy Spirit in the life of Christ. All contribute to an accurate, Biblical understanding of the Humanity of Christ.

What was the beginning ⁶ John had in mind in 1 John? It was the new beginning in God's manner of speaking to humanity.

Hebrews 1:1,2

1) God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,

2) in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

II. FOUR PROOFS OF THE INCARNATION - 1:1b-e

First, We Have Heard the Logos of Eternal Life 1:1b

1b] ὃ ἀκηκόαμεν - "what we have heard and is still ringing in our ears."

We start out with the nominative neuter singular of the relative pronoun HOS [ὃ - 3739]. This is the second time it is used. Each time the Lord Jesus Christ is the unstated antecedent of the relative pronoun.

The first action-packed verb we meet is AKOUO. This is the perfect active indicative first- person plural of AKOUO [ἀκηκόαμεν - 191] meaning TO HEAR.

The dramatic perfect signifies the action as completed from the point of view of the present time. It was completed in the past, and the results are a present reality. In other words, what happened in the past is so real, that as he is writing this letter, his experience with the Lord Jesus Christ has an immediate impact upon him.

He heard Jesus speak in a human voice. His words, which he heard 40 years ago, is still ringing in his ears. The words of Jesus have a present result, and that is the meaning of the dramatic perfect. John says I can close my eyes and hear Him speaking, and it is as fresh and vivid and stirring as when I first heard them. A completed process with a present impact. In the active voice, the Apostles produce the action. For instance, John was there when the greatest sermon that was ever preached, the Sermon on the Mount, was taught by our Lord Jesus. Now through the recall ministry of God the Holy Spirit, those words are currently in his mind.

John 14:26

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

The indicative mood in the relative clause assumes the actual existence of the Humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. It declares the fact of the incarnation. The first-person plural, WE, used by John, includes all of the Apostles. The use of the plural is significant. It is easier to discount one person's testimony declaring that he is hallucinating, but this is harder because of the joint declaration of the eleven disciples. Even under the Law of Moses, truth is established by two witnesses. Scientific experiments require repeated observation and tests to assure the trustworthiness of the facts. They ALL heard Him speak. The hearing test is now complete. We now move to the second refutation of Gnosticism. What we saw was real!

Secondly, We Have Seen the Logos of Eternal Life 1:1c

1c] ὃ ἑωράκαμεν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν “What we have seen with our eyes."

We start out with the nominative neuter singular of the relative pronoun HOS [ὃ - 3739]. This is the third time it is used. Each time the Lord Jesus Christ is the unstated antecedent of the relative pronoun.

Next, we have the verb HORAO [ἑωράκαμεν - 3708] which means TO SEE. HORAO goes beyond the mere act of seeing and includes the concepts of understanding and comprehending what is seen. In using this word, John implies that what he saw was no hallucination, no dream, no vision. It was real!

The dramatic perfect expresses the action as a completed process with present results. It emphasizes the existing result in a very vivid and realistic way. In addition to the verb we have the articular instrumental of manner from OPHTHALMOS [ὀφθαλμοῖς - 3788], meaning EYES; followed by the possessive genitive plural of the first-person personal pronoun EGO [ἡμῶν - 2257] together meaning WITH OUR VERY OWN EYES. Great stress is placed on their EYEwitness testimony. It wasn't an unconfirmed report, hearsay, or a second-hand report, we saw Him!

Grammar: The Article Used with Possessive Pronouns

In constructions where a possessive pronoun is attached to a noun, the article normally is not translated. The article fulfills the function without the necessity of translation, THE eyes of us become our eyes.

Having completed the seeing test, we begin the third refutation of Gnosticism, which denied the Humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thirdly, We Have Examined the Logos of Eternal Life 1.1d

1d] ὃ ἐθεασάμεθα "What we have examined for ourselves."

We start out with the nominative neuter singular of the relative pronoun HOS [ὃ - 3739]. This is the fourth time the relative pronoun is used. Each time the Lord Jesus Christ is the unstated antecedent of the relative pronoun.

A third proof is now presented. We start with the aorist middle indicative 1st person plural of THEOMAI [ἐθεασάμεθα - 2300] which means TO SEE, but in the middle voice, it means to conclude from observation. It involves combining thought with observation and coming to a conclusion, WHAT WE HAVE OBSERVED OR EXAMINED. Dr. Wuest gives us his translation, "we gazed upon Him with mingled wonder." ⁷ The sense of wonder is involved in the verbal idea. The various words in this family mean wonder, amazement. For instance, the noun THAUMA [2295] implies wonder, excitement; and a verb THAUMAZO [2296] to wonder, to marvel, to be struck with admiration. Dr. Zodhiates defines it as:

To behold, view attentively, contemplate, indicating the sense of a wondering consideration involving a careful and deliberate vision which interprets its object. Zodhiates, S. (2000). The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers. ⁸

The constative aorist contemplates the action in its entirety, and it refers to a succession of observations over a period of time and now gathered up into a single fact to prove the reality of the Lord's humanity. He was observed at every stage of his life. The middle voice ⁹ is an indirect middle, which means the Apostles produced the action of the verb. They were there! This is their observation, “we have observed FOR OURSELVES.” The indicative mood is declarative for a dogmatic statement of fact. The fact is the Humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The constative aorist means that whenever they were in the Lord's presence, they were in awe and admiration of Him. His life was a living drama. Every day a new excitement unfolded. There was never a dull moment. They were utterly swept off their feet by Him.

John uses this verb in John 1:14, "The LOGOS became flesh (true humanity) and tabernacled among us, and we beheld [THEOMAI] His glory." We saw Him, and our sight of Him was mixed with admiration and amazement. This loving regard John had for the Lord was constant and had not subsided in His forty-year absence. The examination is now complete, so we begin the fourth refutation of Gnosticism, we have touched Him.

Fourthly, We Have Touched the Logos of Eternal Life 1.1e

1e] καὶ αἱ χεῖρες ἡμῶν ἐψηλάφησαν - "and our hands have touched."

The continuative use of KAI adds another proof and connects with the previous statement, “what we have observed for ourselves.” The second subject of this relative clause is the nominative plural articular noun CHEIR [αἱ χεῖρες - 5495], which means THE HANDS. This is followed by the possessive genitive plural of the first-person personal pronoun EGO [ἡμῶν- 2257], together meaning OUR HANDS (See above: The Grammar of the Possessive Pronouns).

Next, the verb is an aorist active indicative 3rd person plural of PSELAPHAO [ἐψηλάφησαν - 5584] which means TO TOUCH. The full phrase reads OUR HANDS HAVE TOUCHED. The constative aorist summarizes the action by gathering up all the times the disciples touch the Lord in a single statement. The most famous moment was when John laid his head on the Lord's chest, that act of touching became a badge of honor for John. Even years after his death, he will be remembered as the one who rested his head on Jesus' bosom." In the active voice, the Apostles did the touching. The indicative mood is declarative for a dogmatic statement of the fact of the Humanity of Christ. You can’t touch a ghost or a phantom.

III. FIRST CAUSE OF ALL THINGS 1 John 1:1f

1f] περὶ τοῦ λόγου τῆς ζωῆς "[This epistle is ¹⁰] about the Logos of [Eternal] Life.

The final phrase of verse one is a prepositional phrase containing the title of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is called "the Word of Life" or as the Greek audience heard when reading "The Logos of the Life."

Unique in His Person

We start with the preposition of reference PERI [περὶ - 4012] noting the person who is being introduced meaning ABOUT, CONCERNING. The object of the preposition is the articular genitive noun LOGOS [τοῦ λόγου – 3056] meaning WORD. We also have a modifying phrase the descriptive articular genitive of ZOE [τῆς ζωῆς - 2222] meaning THE LIFE.

First, the article with logos is anaphoric and connotes the previous reference. The question that arises is what is before verse one? The answer is the Gospel of John. The recipients of the Gospel of John are now receiving 1 John, and in the Gospel's prologue, he introduced Jesus as the LOGOS. The LOGOS of John 1:1,14 is also the subject of this epistle. This use of the article falls within another semantic category, the monadic use which asserts uniqueness [one of a kind] to the word it modifies. Our Lord Jesus Christ is unique due to the hypostatic union. He is God [John 1:1] who became a man [John 1:14]. Embedded in the concept is the fact that He is different from all members of the human race; in that, He is God; and from all members of the Godhead; in that, He is truly a man. He is the unique Person of the Universe; He is the GOD-MAN.

Unique in His Life

Completing the phrase is the articular, descriptive genitive, singular noun ZOE [τῆς ζωῆς 2222] meaning OF THE LIFE. So, this takes aim at the core belief of Docetic Gnosticism, which claimed Jesus was a phantom or an allusion. Not so fast, He has life! For the second time we have the article, but this time it modifies the head noun LIFE. Again, we have the monadic use of the article describing a unique life; that is, ETERNAL LIFE. Why add the word “eternal?”

The Greek article in a broad sense is anaphoric; that is, it denotes the previous reference, like THE Logos which proceeded it pointed to John 1:1. So, some have suggested John 1:4 as a prior reference, "In Him keeps on being THE LIFE." Yet there are some excellent reasons to translate this phrase, “Eternal Life" for the article can be kataphoric [pointing ahead, or forward]. In support of this, you will note that the word "life" is followed by a parenthesis. Verse two is an appositional sentence to further explain “THE life:"

(Furthermore, this life was revealed, and we have seen it and presently have a vivid mental picture of Him, and we are testifying and we are proclaiming to you [to your advantage] this life, the uniquely eternal One that very one who keeps on being face to face with the Father and was revealed to us.)

For this reason, the article looks forward to “the eternal life” of verse two [kataphoric] and not John 1:4 [anaphoric].

Secondly, ZOE is a favorite word of John. He uses it 13 times in this epistle and on six occasions he adds the adjective AIONIOS [166] which means ETERNAL [ 1John 1:2; 2:25; 3:15; 5:11,13, 20]. So, when John uses the word "life," whether stated or not he is talking about that quality of life belonging to God, which has no beginning or end. The full title of our Lord is "The Logos of [Eternal] Life." He came to earth to provide for us eternal life. Isn’t that what He said:

John 6:40

“For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

John 10:10

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

He is truly “The Logos of Eternal Life.”

___________

ENDNOTES

¹ The Figure of Speech: Anaphora - Repetition for effect. The use of the same word or phrase at the beginning of several successive clauses, sentences, lines, or verses, are usually for emphasis or rhetorical effect, "She didn't speak. She didn't stand. She didn't even look up when we came in" is an example of anaphora. A-naph´-o-ra, from two Greek words, ἀνά (ana), again, and φέρω (pherō), to bring or carry. It means a carrying back, reference, or repeating over again. Bullinger, E. W. (1898). Figures of speech used in the Bible (p. 199). London; New York: Eyre & Spottiswoode; E. & J. B. Young & Co. Another example is the eight woes of Matthew 23:13-27.

² Grammar: Relative pronouns introduce clauses which modify a noun or other substantive to describe, clarify, or restrict the meaning of the noun it is related too. The word that it modifies is called the antecedent of the relative pronoun. “They are hinge words. They refer back to an antecedent as well as function [they have a role to play] in their clause [subject, direct object, etc.] Wallace, p. 337-43.“

³ Grammar: Relative Pronouns When The Gender Is Not In Agreement:

Principle: When there is no agreement in gender, look for a reason. Sense agreement supersedes syntactical agreement. Since John was emphasizing the Humanity of Christ, the neuter case was selected in place of the masculine gender throwing the relative pronoun and its antecedent out of harmony. John was shining a light on the Humanity of Christ, so the neuter gender was utilized. Disagreement of gender is found in a number of passages: John 4:22; Philemon 10; Acts 26:17; 1 Corinthians 4:17; Colossians 2:19; Galatians 4:19; 2 Peter 2:17; 2 John 1; Revelation 13:14. This is not a mistake made by the writers of Scripture. “Their so-called grammatical error has a purpose, and understanding this will yield exegetical fruit. [Wallace, p.337.] “

⁴ Hiebert, D. E. (1988). An Expositional Study of 1 John Part 1 (of 10 parts): An Exposition of 1 John 1:1–4. Bibliotheca Sacra, 145, 202.

⁵ Grammar: The Article With Definite Nouns

In Greek, there is no need for the article to be used to make the object of a preposition definite. However, this is not to say that all prepositional objects are definite. An anarthrous noun as object of a preposition is not necessarily definite. It is often qualitative (e.g., ὑιῷ in Heb 1:2, mentioned above), or even occasionally indefinite (cf. μετὰ γυναικὸς ἐλάλει— “he was speaking with a woman” [John 4:27]). Thus, when a noun is the object of a preposition, it does not require the article to be definite: if it has the article, it must be definite; if it lacks the article, it may be definite. The reason for the article, then, is usually for other purposes; such as anaphora [previous mention] or as a function marker. [ See Wallace p.245]

John 1:1 Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος “In the beginning [definite noun] was the Word."

Romans 1:4 τοῦ ὁρισθέντος υἱοῦ θεοῦ ἐν δυνάμει κατὰ πνεῦμα ἁγιωσύνης ἐξ ἀναστάσεως νεκρῶν. " who was designated the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead."

Here are three prepositional phases and two of the three prepositional phrases include definite objects, and the article is added: "according to the Spirit of holiness and by the resurrection from the dead." However, ἐν δυνάμει is qualitative, and therefore, the article is not added. See Wallace, p.247.

⁶ John uses ARCHE [21 times in His writings]. ARCHE [746] comes from the verb ARCHO [757]. When the verb speaks of persons, it means TO RULE. When it speaks of time, it means TO BEGIN in the sense of origin. So, the noun ARCHE [746] has two primary meanings. When it refers to people, it speaks of A RULER, A MAGISTRATE, A KING, and when it has a time element, it means BEGINNING emphasizing origin.

The Gospel of John - 8 times

John 1:1, 2 also John 6:64 Before the universe was created, the eternal past.

John 2:11; 8:25; 15:27; 16:4 The beginning of Jesus’ public ministry.

John 8:44 Satan sponsoring the Fall of Man, at the beginning of man's creation.

1,2,3 John - 10 times

1 John 1:1 w preposition EN; w/preposition APO 2:7,13,14, 24 [twice]; 3:8, 11; 2 John 5,6

1 John 1:1; 2:13.14 - The beginning is the virgin birth, the incarnation, or what is called the First Advent.

1 John 2:7 = The mandate was given in John 15:9-17 “to love one another.”

1 John 2:24 (2), 3:11- the beginning of their Christian lives.

1 John 3:8 – The beginning of the angelic conflict, the fall of Satan as in Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:12-19.

Revelation - 4 times in Titles

3 times in the Title of Christ - The Beginning and the End. Rev 1:8; 21:6; 22:13.

1 time in Rev 3:14 - The Beginning of the Creation of God.

⁷ Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s word studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English reader (1 Jn 1:1). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

⁸ Zodhiates, S. (2000). The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.) Chattanooga, Tn: AMG Publishers.

⁹ The Grammar of The Indirect Middle

The subject acts for (or sometimes by) himself or herself, or in his or her own interest. The subject thus shows a special interest in the action of the verb. This is a common use of the middle in the NT; apart from the deponent middle, it is the most common. This usage is closest to the general definition of the middle suggested by many grammarians. For example, Robertson says that “the middle calls special attention to the subject … the subject is acting in relation to himself somehow.” This is an apt description of the indirect middle. [Wallace pp. 419–420.]

¹⁰ This prepositional phrase stands alone in the verse. It identifies the unnamed Person that the previous clauses described. Most translations recognize this. Some just add a comma to separate this clause from the others NKJV, NAS, ESV. Others supplement the text making it into a sentence, which is my preference; such as, the NIV "This we proclaim" and the NLT "He is" and here "This epistle is."