John 1
New Catholic Bible
A New Creation[a]
In the Beginning Was the Word[b]
Chapter 1
The Word of God, Source of Life[c]
1 In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the very beginning.
3 Through him all things came into existence,
and without him there was nothing.
That which came to be
4 found life in him,
and the life was the light of the human race.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has been unable to overcome it.
Faith Means Welcoming the Word of God Made Man.[d] 6 A man appeared, sent by God, whose name was John.[e] 7 He came as a witness to give testimony to the light, so that through him all might come to believe. 8 He himself was not the light; his role was to bear witness to the light.
9 The true light that enlightens everyone
was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world,
the world had come into existence through him,
yet the world did not recognize him.
11 He came to his own,
but his own did not accept him.
12 However, to those who did accept him
and who believed in his name
he granted the power to become children of God,
13 who were born not from blood
or human desire or human will,
but from God.
14 And the Word became flesh
and dwelt among us.
And we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father’s only Son,
full of grace and truth.
15 Jesus Christ, Fullness of Truth.[f] John testified to him, proclaiming, “This is the one of whom I said, ‘The one who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ ”
16 From his fullness we have all received,
grace upon grace.
17 For the Law was given through Moses,
but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God.
It is the only Son, God,
who is at the Father’s side,
who has made him known.
Jesus Is the Expected Messiah[g]
19 John the Baptist Is Not the Messiah.[h] This is the testimony offered by John when the Jews[i] sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, he did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”[j] 21 Then they asked him, “Who then are you? Are you Elijah?”[k] He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” 22 Therefore, they said to him, “Who are you, so we may have an answer to give to those who sent us? What do you have to say about yourself?” 23 He replied, in the words of the prophet Isaiah,
“I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,
‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’ ”
24 Some Pharisees were present in this group, 25 and they asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water; but among you there is one whom you do not know, 27 the one who is coming after me. I am not worthy to loosen the strap of his sandal.” 28 This took place in Bethany, beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 Behold, the Lamb of God, Who Takes Away the Sin of the World.[l] The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and he said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world.
30 This is the one of whom I said,
‘After me is coming one
who ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.’
31 I myself did not know him,[m]
but the reason I came to baptize with water
was so that he might be revealed to Israel.”
32 John also gave this testimony, saying,
“I saw the Spirit
descending from heaven like a dove,
and it came to rest on him.[n]
33 I myself did not know him,
but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,
‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest
is the one who is to baptize with the Holy Spirit.’[o]
34 And I myself have seen and have testified
that this is the Son of God.”
35 We Have Found the Messiah.[p] The next day John was standing there with two of his disciples, 36 and as he watched Jesus pass by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” 37 On hearing him say this, the two disciples began to follow Jesus. 38 When Jesus turned and saw them following him, he asked them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which, translated, is “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39 He answered them, “Come and see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him for the rest of that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon.[q]
40 One of the two who had heard John speak and had followed Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to seek out his brother Simon and say to him, “We have found the Messiah”[r] (which, translated, is “Christ”), 42 and he took him to Jesus. Jesus gazed at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas”[s] (which, translated, is “Peter”).
43 The next day Jesus[t] decided to go to Galilee. Encountering Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Philip came from the same town, Bethsaida,[u] as Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael[v] and said to him, “We have found the one about whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote—Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip replied, “Come and see.”
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Behold, a true Israelite, in whom there is no deception.”[w] 48 Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip summoned you, when you were under the fig tree,[x] I saw you.” 49 Nathanael said to him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel.” 50 Jesus responded, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than that.” 51 Then he added, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”[y]
Footnotes
- John 1:1 As believers contemplate Christ, they cannot but reflect on the fate of the universe and the destiny of the human race. They believe that creation is the work of God. In Jesus they see the Word who is of God and has come to renew creation. In the view of the evangelist, both the testimony of John the Baptist and the changing of water into wine at the wedding feast of Cana attest to this renewal.
These first texts seem to comprise a week in the life of Jesus, as if the author wanted to establish a parallel between the first week of creation and the new work of God in Jesus. - John 1:1 Rather than being an introduction, this well-known “Prologue of John” resembles an “overture.” The entire Gospel is summed up in a few lines and all its essential themes are brought together. The great conviction of faith is immediately proclaimed: Jesus is God who has entered into the world and history to save us. With this key in hand, it is possible to understand all that Jesus says and does. This majestic prelude, written in rhythmic prose, unfolds in three stages (1:1-5; 1:6-14; 1:15-18).
- John 1:1 In the first stage of the Prologue, we wonder at Jesus, the Word, whose person and existence infinitely transcend the world and history. We also call to mind creation, which is from the very outset an action of the Word, that is, of the creative Word of God, the divine Wisdom and source of life that makes the world exist (see Gen 1:1; Prov 8:22f.). At the same time, we proclaim the new creation, for the Word offers human beings a new life that comes from God and illumines their entire existence.
This Prologue is a hymn to the Word (in Latin, Verbum; in Greek, Logos). The term “Word” sums up and goes beyond everything that the Old Testament had glimpsed of the presence of God amid humanity by means of his Word; it includes and is superior to everything that the philosophy of the age could imagine regarding God’s reflection in the universe. - John 1:6 The second stage of the Prologue calls to mind the struggle of human beings against the light. John came, a man sent to announce the coming of the light to God’s own, that is, the people of Israel. But he was not the Messiah! In Jesus, and in Jesus alone, the very Word of God became flesh, in order that the gift of the Lord might be present among us, in our human existence.
- John 1:6 John, i.e., the Baptist.
- John 1:15 The third stage of the Prologue expresses our conviction. Human beings may await various messiahs and various revelations, but Jesus is the only true Christ foretold by the Law, that is, by the Old Testament. He is more than a new Moses, because in him the former covenant yields place to the new and definitive covenant. He is not only the extraordinary and only One Sent, but he is the Son, equal in every way to the Father (John gives us here the perfect formulation of the mystery of the incarnation).
- John 1:19 Right from the Prologue, Jesus Christ is present in this Gospel as the Word and the only-begotten Son of God. Jesus communicates his life to us and makes known to us his glory. We are present at a great trial. In this trial, Jesus appears as witness of the truth, he alone. John’s whole Gospel draws the reader, page after page, into this drama.
- John 1:19 At that time, there was lively expectation in Israel that the great personages of the past would reappear in order to prepare for the coming of the Messiah (in Greek: Christ) (see Deut 18:15; Sir 48:10-11; Mal 3:23).
The sudden popularity of John the Baptist alarms “the Jews,” i.e., all those who have authority. In the political circles of the priesthood, there is fear of uprisings; among the “pure,” i.e., the Pharisees, there is concern for the good observance of the practices of the Law. The response comes—public and confirmed by the prophet Isaiah (40:3): John is not the Messiah, but the Precursor who announces him. By contrast, here is a testimony to the unique role of Jesus. - John 1:19 The Jews: this phrase occurs more than 70 times in the fourth Gospel—sometimes in a favorable sense (Jn 4:20), others in a neutral sense, but most often in a pejorative sense referring to the leaders of the Jews who were hostile to Jesus (Jn 8:48, etc.). Here it means the delegation sent by the Sanhedrin to assess the activities of an unauthorized teacher.
- John 1:20 Christ: the Messiah, the anointed vicegerent of the Lord, usually regarded as the heir of David.
- John 1:21 Elijah: this prophet who had been carried away to heaven in a fiery chariot was expected to return to earth to announce the end time. The Prophet: i.e., the Prophet mentioned in Deut 18:15, 18, the one like Moses (see Acts 3:22), who was expected to be the Messiah and repeat the prodigies of the Exodus.
- John 1:29 John knows that he acts as a prophet gripped by the mission of God. And at the threshold of the Gospel, he presents the image of the lamb who will be evoked again at the end of the Passion. It is connected with the Jewish Passover and symbolizes the deliverance from Egypt (Ex 12:1-28); it also fits in with the portrait of the mysterious Servant of God, foretold by a prophet as an innocent victim led like a lamb to the slaughter, who was not only to atone for the sins of humanity but also to justify sinners (Isa 53:7, 11-12). It further recalls the great apocalyptic Lamb who would destroy evil in the world (Rev 5–7; 17:14).
- John 1:31 I myself did not know him: this may refer to the fact that John lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel (see Lk 1:80) and thus did not know Jesus very well. It may also indicate that John did not know that Jesus was the Messiah until he saw the sign mentioned in vv. 32-33.
- John 1:32 For Jesus’ Baptism, see notes on Mt 3:13-17; 3:15; 3:17.
- John 1:33 The one who is to baptize with the Holy Spirit: John baptized with water, but Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit. We can see in this a reference to the sending of the Holy Spirit. In this Gospel that occurs on Easter Sunday (Jn 20:22).
- John 1:35 The movement of Jesus is separated from the movement of the Baptist. In the very first encounter, Jesus wins over Andrew, and perhaps the disciple who is not named was the beloved disciple, sufficiently interested in Andrew’s call to still remember the hour (v. 39). Jesus gives Simon a new name indicative of his future mission (see Mt 16:18); with authority he calls Philip, and he reads the heart of Nathanael. In this man so unexpected because of his lowly origin (v. 46), the disciples recognize the Messiah Israel expected. And Jesus unveils to them his mystery: Messiah of Israel, he is also the Son of Man who reunites heaven and earth in his kingdom. He is the sole mediator who gives access to the Father, as indicated in v. 51, an allusion to the dream of Jacob (see Gen 28:12).
The Gospel then offers us a meditation on the free gift and the happiness of being called by Jesus, a charter of the spiritual life. The dialogue with the first disciples lets us understand where Jesus leads those who follow him: there where he dwells at the side of the Father (see Jn 1:18). Intimacy with Christ, shared knowledge, and faith are the principal traits that describe the life of disciples. The Church must be the community where people share the certainty and the joy of having encountered Christ. - John 1:39 Four o’clock in the afternoon: literally, “the tenth hour” (from sunrise: 6:00 A.M.) in the Roman method of telling time.
- John 1:41 Messiah: Greek transliteration of the Hebrew word for “Anointed One,” which is used only here and in Jn 4:25 in this Gospel. The Greek translation Christos (“Christ”) appears everywhere else.
- John 1:42 Cephas in Aramaic signifies “stone, rock” (see Mt 16:18). It was not used at that time as a personal name. Peter: i.e., Petros, the Greek equivalent of Cephas.
- John 1:43 Jesus: literally, “he,” which could also refer to Peter.
- John 1:44 Bethsaida: on the northern shore of Lake Tiberias.
- John 1:45 Nathanael was certainly the apostle Bartholomew; see Mt 10:3.
- John 1:47 A true Israelite, in whom there is no deception: this phrase recalls the fact that Jacob was the first to bear the name “Israel” (Gen 32:29), but he was an “Israelite” in whom there was deception (Gen 27:35-36).
- John 1:48 Under the fig tree: a phrase signifying Messianic peace (see Mic 4:4; Zec 3:10).
- John 1:51 Son of Man: see note on Mt 8:20 for the use of this term in the New Testament. In John, it occurs 13 times and is commonly associated with themes of crucifixion and suffering (Jn 3:14; 8:28) and revelation (Jn 6:27, 53) as well as eschatological authority (Jn 5:27; 9:39).
John 1
Mounce Reverse Interlinear New Testament
1 In en the beginning archē was eimi the ho Word logos, and kai the ho Word logos was eimi with pros · ho God theos, and kai the ho Word logos was eimi God theos. 2 He houtos was eimi in en the beginning archē with pros · ho God theos. 3 All pas things were created ginomai by dia him autos, and kai apart chōris from him autos not oude a single thing heis was created ginomai that hos has been created ginomai. 4 In en him autos was eimi life zōē, and kai that ho life zōē was eimi the ho light phōs of ho men anthrōpos. 5 · kai The ho light phōs shines on phainō in en the ho darkness skotia, and kai the ho darkness skotia has katalambanō not ou understood katalambanō it autos.
6 There came ginomai on the scene a man anthrōpos sent apostellō from para God theos, whose autos name onoma was John Iōannēs. 7 He houtos came erchomai as eis a witness martyria to hina bear testimony martyreō about peri the ho light phōs so that hina everyone pas might believe pisteuō through dia him autos. 8 He ekeinos was eimi not ou the ho light phōs, but alla came to hina bear testimony martyreō about peri the ho light phōs. 9 The ho true alēthinos light phōs, · ho which hos enlightens phōtizō everyone pas anthrōpos, was eimi coming erchomai into eis the ho world kosmos.
10 He was eimi in en the ho world kosmos, and kai the ho world kosmos was created ginomai by dia him autos, but kai the ho world kosmos did ginōskō not ou know ginōskō him autos. 11 He came erchomai to eis that ho which was his idios own , but kai his ho own idios people did paralambanō not ou accept paralambanō him autos. 12 But de as many hosos as did accept lambanō him autos, to them autos he gave didōmi the right exousia to become ginomai children teknon of God theos, to those ho who believe pisteuō in eis · ho his autos name onoma, 13 who hos were born gennaō, not ou from ek human haima stock or oude from ek a physical sarx impulse thelēma or oude by ek a husband’ s anēr decision thelēma, but alla by ek God theos.
14 And kai the ho Word logos became ginomai flesh sarx and kai dwelt skēnoō among en us hēmeis, and kai we gazed theaomai on · ho his autos glory doxa, glory doxa as hōs of the only monogenēs Son from para the Father patēr, full plērēs of grace charis and kai truth alētheia. 15 John Iōannēs testified martyreō about peri him autos and kai cried krazō out , saying legō, “ This houtos is eimi he of whom hos I said legō, ‘ He ho who comes erchomai after opisō me egō is ginomai greater emprosthen than I egō, because hoti he existed eimi before prōtos me egō.’” 16 For hoti from ek · ho his autos fulness plērōma we hēmeis have all pas received lambanō · kai one gracious charis gift after anti another charis. 17 For hoti the ho law nomos was given didōmi through dia Moses Mōysēs; · ho grace charis and kai · ho truth alētheia came ginomai through dia Jesus Iēsous Christ Christos. 18 No one oudeis has horaō ever pōpote seen horaō God theos. The only monogenēs Son , himself God theos, the ho one who is eimi in eis the ho bosom kolpos of the ho Father patēr, he ekeinos has made him known exēgeomai.
19 And kai this houtos is eimi the ho testimony martyria of ho John Iōannēs, when hote the ho Jews Ioudaios sent apostellō priests hiereus and kai Levites Leuitēs to pros him autos from ek Jerusalem Hierosolyma to hina ask erōtaō him autos, “ Who tis are eimi you sy?” 20 · kai He confessed homologeō and kai did not ou deny arneomai, but kai confessed homologeō, “ I egō am eimi not ou the ho Christ Christos.” 21 So kai they asked erōtaō him autos, “ Then oun who tis are you sy? Are you eimi Elijah ēlias?” And kai he said legō, “ I am eimi not ou.” “ Are eimi you sy the ho Prophet prophētēs?” And kai he replied apokrinomai, “ No ou.” 22 Then oun they said legō to him autos, “ Who tis are eimi you ? Tell us so hina we can give didōmi an answer apokrisis to those ho who sent pempō us hēmeis. What tis do you say legō about peri yourself seautou?” 23 He said phēmi, “ I egō am the voice phōnē of one crying boaō out in en the ho wilderness erēmos, ‘ Make straight euthunō the ho way hodos for the Lord kyrios,’ as kathōs Isaiah ēsaias the ho prophet prophētēs said legō.”
24 Now kai those who had been eimi sent apostellō out included some ek · ho Pharisees Pharisaios. 25 So kai they asked erōtaō him autos, · kai saying legō, “ Why tis then oun are you baptizing baptizō, if ei you sy are eimi not ou the ho Christ Christos, nor oude Elijah ēlias, nor oude the ho Prophet prophētēs?” 26 John Iōannēs answered apokrinomai them autos, · ho saying legō, “ I egō baptize baptizō with en water hydōr, but there stands stēkō among mesos you hymeis one whom hos you hymeis do not ou know oida, 27 the ho one coming erchomai after opisō me egō; I egō am eimi not ou worthy axios to hina untie lyō the ho thong himas of ho his autos sandals hypodēma.” 28 This houtos took place ginomai in en Bethany Bēthania on the far peran side of the ho Jordan Iordanēs where hopou John Iōannēs was eimi · ho baptizing baptizō.
29 On the ho following epaurion day John saw blepō · ho Jesus Iēsous coming erchomai toward pros him autos and kai said legō, “ Behold ide, the ho Lamb amnos of ho God theos, the ho one who takes airō away the ho sin hamartia of the ho world kosmos! 30 This houtos is eimi he of hyper whom hos I egō said legō, ‘ After opisō me egō comes erchomai a man anēr who hos is ginomai greater emprosthen than I egō, because hoti he existed eimi before prōtos me egō.’ 31 I kagō myself did not ou know oida him autos; but alla I egō came erchomai baptizing baptizō with en water hydōr for dia this reason houtos, that hina he might be revealed phaneroō to ho Israel Israēl.” 32 Then kai John Iōannēs testified martyreō, saying legō, “ I saw theaomai the ho Spirit pneuma coming katabainō down as hōs a dove peristera from ek heaven ouranos, and kai it remained menō on epi him autos. 33 I kagō myself did not ou know oida him autos, but alla the ho one who sent pempō me egō to baptize baptizō with en water hydōr said legō to me egō, ‘The one on epi whom hos you see the ho Spirit pneuma descending katabainō and kai remaining menō on epi him autos, it is eimi he houtos who ho will baptize baptizō with en the Holy hagios Spirit pneuma.’ 34 I kagō myself saw horaō it, and kai I bear witness martyreō that hoti this houtos man is eimi the ho Chosen One eklektos of ho God theos.”
35 Again palin, on the ho following epaurion day , John Iōannēs was standing histēmi · ho there with kai two dyo of ek · ho his autos disciples mathētēs. 36 · kai Looking emblepō intently at · ho Jesus Iēsous as he walked peripateō about , John said legō, “ Behold ide, the ho Lamb amnos of ho God theos!” 37 · kai The ho two dyo disciples mathētēs heard akouō him autos say laleō this, and kai they followed akoloutheō · ho Jesus Iēsous. 38 When Jesus Iēsous turned strephō around · de · ho and kai saw theaomai them autos following akoloutheō him, he said legō to them autos, “ What tis do you want zēteō?” They ho · de said legō to him autos, “ Rabbi rhabbi” ( which hos translated methermēneuō means legō “ Teacher didaskalos”), “ where pou are you staying menō?” 39 He said legō to them autos, “ Come erchomai and kai you will see horaō.” So oun they went erchomai and kai saw where pou he was staying menō, and kai they remained menō with para him autos · ho that ekeinos day hēmera, for it was eimi about hōs the tenth dekatos hour hōra. 40 Andrew Andreas, the ho brother adelphos of Simon Simōn Peter Petros, was eimi one heis of ek the ho two dyo disciples who ho heard akouō John Iōannēs and kai followed akoloutheō Jesus autos. 41 The first thing prōton he houtos did was to find heuriskō · ho his own idios brother adelphos · ho Simon Simōn and kai say legō to him autos, “ We have found heuriskō the ho Messiah Messias!” ( which hos is eimi translated methermēneuō “ Christ Christos”). 42 He brought agō him autos to pros · ho Jesus Iēsous. Jesus Iēsous looked emblepō at him autos · ho intently and said legō, “ You sy are eimi Simon Simōn, the ho son hyios of John Iōannēs; you sy will be called kaleō Cephas Kēphas” ( which hos is translated hermēneuō “ Peter Petros”).
43 The ho following epaurion day Jesus decided thelō to go exerchomai to eis · ho Galilee Galilaia, and kai he met heuriskō Philip Philippos. And kai Jesus Iēsous said legō to him autos, · ho “ Follow akoloutheō me egō.” 44 Now de Philip Philippos was eimi · ho from apo Bethsaida Bēthsaida, the ho town polis of Andrew Andreas and kai Peter Petros. 45 Philip Philippos found heuriskō · ho Nathanael Nathanaēl and kai told legō him autos, “ We have found heuriskō the one of whom hos Moses Mōysēs wrote graphō in en the ho law nomos, and kai of whom the ho prophets prophētēs wrote— Jesus Iēsous, the son hyios of ho Joseph Iōsēph, a man ho from apo Nazareth Nazaret.” 46 And kai Nathanael Nathanaēl said legō to him autos, “ Can dynamai anything tis good agathos come eimi out ek of Nazareth Nazaret?” Philip Philippos said legō to him autos, · ho “ Come erchomai and kai see ide.” 47 Jesus Iēsous saw · ho · ho Nathanael Nathanaēl coming erchomai toward pros him autos and kai said legō of peri him autos, “ Here ide is a true alēthōs Israelite Israēlitēs, one in en whom hos there is eimi no ou deceit dolos!” 48 Nathanael Nathanaēl asked legō him autos, “ How pothen did you get to know ginōskō me egō?” Jesus Iēsous answered apokrinomai him autos, · kai saying legō, “ Before pro · ho Philip Philippos called phōneō you sy, while you were eimi still under hypo the ho fig sykē tree , I saw you sy.” 49 Nathanael Nathanaēl declared apokrinomai to him autos, “ Rabbi rhabbi, you sy are eimi the ho Son hyios of ho God theos! You sy are eimi the king basileus of ho Israel Israēl!” 50 Jesus Iēsous responded apokrinomai, · kai saying legō to him autos, “Is it because hoti I told legō you sy that hoti I saw you sy under hypokatō the ho fig sykē tree that you believe pisteuō? You will see horaō greater megas things than that houtos.” 51 Then kai he said legō to him autos, “ I tell legō you hymeis the solemn amēn truth amēn: you will see horaō · ho heaven ouranos standing anoigō open and kai the ho angels angelos of ho God theos ascending anabainō and kai descending katabainō on epi the ho Son hyios of ho Man anthrōpos.”
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