John 1
'In the beginning was the Word' — the prologue of the fourth Gospel — the Word made flesh.
The chapter
John 1 is the great prologue of the fourth Gospel. Its opening — 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God' (John 1:1) — is the highest Christology in the whole New Testament. The chapter then moves to John the Baptist's testimony, the first calling of the disciples, and the promise 'ye shall see heaven open' (John 1:51).
Who wrote it
The Gospel of John was written by John the son of Zebedee, the beloved disciple (John 21:20, 24), late in the first century — traditionally at Ephesus. Ancient tradition (Irenaeus, Against Heresies III.1.1) is unanimous. The Gospel has been read as a companion to the three Synoptics since the second century, when Muratorian and Irenaean witnesses first list the four Gospels together.
Historical and geographical context
The prologue (vv. 1-18) is set in eternity. The rest of the chapter is set at Bethabara beyond Jordan (v. 28), where John was baptising — the eastern bank of the Jordan River, in Peraea. The events belong to c. AD 26-27, the year Christ's public ministry began.
Important verses
- John 1:1 (KJV) 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.'
- John 1:3 (KJV) 'All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.'
- John 1:4-5 (KJV) 'In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.'
- John 1:14 (KJV) 'And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.'
- John 1:17 (KJV) 'For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.'
- John 1:18 (KJV) 'No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.'
- John 1:29 (KJV) 'Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.'
- John 1:42 (KJV) '…thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.'
- John 1:51 (KJV) 'Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.'
Christ-centred reading
The entire chapter is Christological. He is the Word (v. 1), the Life (v. 4), the Light (v. 5), the Only Begotten (v. 14), the Lamb of God (v. 29), the Son of God (v. 34), the Messiah (v. 41), the King of Israel (v. 49), the Son of man (v. 51). Nine titles for Christ in one chapter — no other single chapter in Scripture packs so many.
In Christian tradition
- John 1:1-14 (the 'Last Gospel') was read at the end of every Latin Mass from the medieval period until 1969.
- Read at the third Mass of Christmas Day in every Roman and many Anglican liturgies.
- In the Byzantine rite, John 1:1-17 is the Gospel of Pascha (Easter) — Christian tradition reads the prologue as an Easter text.
- The first English translation of John 1 was in Old English by the Venerable Bede (early eighth century).
Connected People
- Christ Jesus — the Word.
- John the Baptist — the witness.
- Peter — Cephas, called in this chapter.
- Andrew — Peter's brother, the first disciple in John's account.
- Nathanael — 'an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile.'
- John the son of Zebedee — the beloved disciple who wrote it.
Connected Places
- Jordan River — where John was baptising.
- Nazareth — ‘Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?’ (John 1:46).
- Sea of Galilee — the region of the first disciples.
Household application
John 1:1-14 is the household's Christmas Day chapter after Luke 2 has done its work on Christmas Eve. Read it aloud after Christmas morning coffee.
Teach the little ones to say John 3:16 by heart, then John 1:14. Two verses that carry the whole faith.
Room connections
Where this entry meets the household in the wider house of CrossAIHub.
- Read (Library) — Read the prologue (John 1:1-18) slowly, once a week, for a month.
- Pray (Chapel) — The medieval 'Last Gospel' — pray the prologue silently after Sunday Communion.
- Family (Kitchen Table) — Read on Christmas Day morning at the family table.
- Sing (Choir Room) — Sing 'Of the Father's Love Begotten' (Aurelius Prudentius, fourth century).
- Learn (Workshop) — Study the nine titles of Christ in this one chapter.
Further reading
John 1 in the KJV.
Augustine, Homilies on the Gospel of John (fourth century) — the greatest patristic commentary.
Irenaeus, Against Heresies III.1 — the ancient testimony that John wrote the fourth Gospel at Ephesus.
Elsewhere in the Atlas
Continue Your Journey
Where else this page opens into the household library.