Introduction to John 1–12

The Protestant Reformation has often been regarded in part as a revival of Paul’s theology. That is no doubt true, even though sixteenth-century Catholic theologians were understandably unwilling to concede that the Protestants had recovered the true meaning of Paul’s gospel. But it is also important to recognize the keen interest of Reformation-era theologians in the message of the Fourth Gospel. For Martin Luther, the Gospel of John occupied pride of place in the New Testament canon. And judging by the tremendous outpouring of lectures, sermons and commentaries over the course of the sixteenth century, Luther was clearly not alone in providing a privileged place to the “spiritual Gospel.” Between 1470 and 1555, at least fifty-two commentaries on John were published in a total of 280 printings.1 Some of these works were printings of patristic and medieval commentaries, but thirty-one works by “modern” authors were published.2

It is difficult to imagine that many readers will pick up this volume and read it cover to cover, starting at the beginning. Like most encyclopedic reference books, this book will likely be dipped into for exegetical information for those who study and teach and preach the Bible. Yet the Reformation commentators cited in this volume occupied a world different from our own. To help us understand their conversations, contexts and cultures we will examine several key thematic interests for early modern commentators and some charateristically Johannine Gospel passages. Finally we will survey the early modern commentators cited in this volume and the genres they used to interpret Scripture. This introductory material is not meant to be exhaustive; it is merely meant to aid the reader in recognizing key themes and methods of interpretation for the reformers. The excerpted commentary itself will give a richer and more robust entrée into their world and concerns.

Early Modern Themes of John 1–12

Logos: Sermo or verbum? Starting at the beginning of this Gospel can prove to be a daunting foray into the world of sixteenth-century exegesis. The prologue, probably an adaptation of an ancient Christian hymn, is theologically and poetically dense, and it invites theologians to engage in deep trinitarian, christological and cosmological reflection. As is well known, the prologue begins by echoing the opening words of the book of Genesis (“In the beginning”). Just as the beginning of Genesis tells its readers something about the nature of God the Father—that is, that God is a good and all-powerful Creator who speaks the worlds into existence—so the opening of John’s Gospel informs its readers about the nature of the Son, that he is “the Word,” who “was with God” and “was God,” through whom all things were created.

And what does it mean to call the Son “the Word” (Greekho logos)? This question received a great deal of attention in the sixteenth century because Erasmus suggested a new Latin term for the Greek, namely,sermo (“speech”). Erasmus pointedly argues that the church fathers also usedsermo to convey the sense of the Greek term, a translation that better conveys the notion oflogos as a complete discourse, conversation or statement, as opposed toverbum, which suggests a discrete, single utterance. The implications of the word choice for trinitarian theology are significant.Sermo conveys, in a sense thatverbum does not, the notion of an eternal dialogue or conversation between God the Father and God the Son. Furthermore,sermo conveys the sense that whatever and whenever the Father speaks, he speaks through the Son. Reformation theologians were divided over the new translation, some expressing ambivalence and others enthusiasm. But Reformation exegetes were united in their desire to engage one of the central concerns of Christianity since the earliest centuries: Who is Jesus in relation to God?

Christological heresies. The Gospel of John offers prime opportunities for christological reflection. Few Reformation authors explicitly challenged or contradicted Chalcedonian Christology, that Jesus Christ our Lord is rightly confessed to be fully human and fully divine—without confusing, mixing or separating his natures, and without dividing his person. However, at ti