[tpaine]

Read John 1-3.

The gospel of John not only relates Jesus to all humanity but to the very creation of the cosmos. "In the beginning the Word already was. The Word was in God's presence, and what God was, the Word was." Jesus is the "Word made flesh," the "light that shines in the darkness," the "Father's only Son." But the fourth gospel also uses the title "Rabbi" for Jesus, even more frequently than the gospel of Matthew. The language of the gospel suggests, therefore, that it was written for a community of Greek-speaking, Jewish Christians who believed that Greek philosophical notions were helpful in articulating the ultimate significance of Jesus Christ. Jesus is understood as the revelation of God, because he is God's only Son and, therefore, "is nearest to the Father's heart." The gospel of John presents in more memorable language Paul's assertion about Jesus Christ that: "From him and through him and for him all things exist." (Rom. 11:36)

[Alamo-Girl]

A beautiful post, tpaine! Thank you! This happens to be right at the core of the discussion over on What is Man? You might want to take a look-see and put your comments into the mix.