{{2012_07_07_t1.jpg}} {{2012_07_07_t2.jpg}} {{2012_07_07_t3.jpg}} [[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/de/doku.php/jn_de_2012_07_07|Deutsche Version]] [[Start|| Wiki Start]] [[topics_collection_iv|| Topics Collection iv ]] ======In the beginning was the word ...====== Saturday, July 7, 2012. What is the core of mankind? What is it that makes us man or woman? Over the past days I have been looking into the gospel of John, which starts with those well-known passages about "the word". {{2012_07_07.jpg }} **Goethe's Dr. Faustus ...** "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. He was with God in the beginning". In the original Greek version of the New Testament the word used here is "logos", which also means thought, reason, mind. So what is it that has been at the beginning, with God and God himself? For me, the beginning of the gospel of John is also linked to a well-known classical book, to Dr. Faustus of Goethe. There, Dr. Faustus tries to understand these passage, and tries to translate "logos" into his language. But Faustus has difficulties to translate it. Word is not enough to him. He tries "Sense", then "Power", then finally settles with "Deed". The problem seems to be generic. We read a part of the biblical books, but we need to understand and to interpret, even if we found some translation, that ist absolutely vital and there is no way around it. But what Faustus does not do, is to reed on to find the interpretations which are given by the biblical book itself. Clearly, if you just read the first lines, they can be unclear. But read the whole chapter or even the whole book, and things will be much clearer! {{ 2012_07_07_2.jpg}} **Jesus, the Word ...** The word, which John talks about, is part of creation: "through him all things were made". Then, it is confirmed again: "the world was made through him". The world is called "the light" in verse 9. And then "the word became flesh", "the light [[http://www.jesusnetwork.eu/en/doku.php/topics_collection_iv|... more texts]]