prologue key to understanding the gospel

Question 1

3 key points

Answer 1

christology and jesus’ identity
key themes reoccur in the gospel
later addition

Question 2

christology and jesus’ identity

Answer 2

-prologue sets a high christology ‘in the beginning was the word, jesus’ pre-existence and divinity
-shapes readers understanding of subsequent miracles- jesus’ actions are not merelyprophetic but divine
eval - reader may still understand the person of jesus later in the passage i.e thomas’ confession ‘ my lord and my god’
- but, prolougue sets his divinity from the start ensuring it is read through a theological lens

Question 3

key themes in the prologue reoccur in the gospel

Answer 3

-prologue introduces symbolic dualism such as light and darkness that are present in the gospel
i.e healing of the blind man ( the divine brings light ) illustrating the key theme in narrative form
eval - echos the idea that the prologue is crafted as a theological lens
- but one could argue that the key themes are accesible without the need of the prologue
- the prologue helps to unify the theological message

Question 4

later addition

Answer 4

• some scholars argue the prologue was a later addition and may not reflect the gospels origional narrative
  i.e some scholars have argued that it reflects hellenistic thought rather than conveying the gospels jewish context
• the concept of logos is not explicitly mentioned after the prologue
  eval - may weaken the argument that the prologue is essential
• but its specific placement makes it a theological guide for the reader