Durham E-Theses The Johannine logos doctrine and its sources Whiteld Mowbray, D. D. How to cite: Whiteld Mowbray, D. D. (1952) The Johannine logos doctrine and its sources, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/9710/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk •THE JOHANNINE LOGOS DOCTRINE AND ITS SOURCES' (Thesis for M.Litt., by D.D.Whitfield Mowbray). INTRODUCTION: The authorship, occasion, date and general background to the Fourth Gospel are briefly considered. PART I. The Joharinine "P'r o 1 o g u e. The Prologue to the Fourth Gospel is commented on with a view to bringing into prominence the chief elements in the Logos doctrine. The Logos had pre-temporal existence; is personal and Divine? was the Agent in the Divine act of creation; is the Source of all life, in particular that form called 'eternal life* in the body of the Gospel; is the true Revealer of God to men, the Mediator of Grace and Truth. ; 'Ihe Logos became flesh in the historical Person of Jesuf Christ. The Prologue is not separable from the Gospel: it contains in embryo the basic Christological ideas of the Gospel. i PART II.Sources of the Johannine Logos Doctrine - (i) HELLENISTIC THOUGHT. The use of the term LOGOS with special significance is traced from Heracleitus* "cosmic reason11, through the Stoic doctrine, to its place in Alexandrian and Alexandrian Jewish philosophy and religion. Special consideration is given to Philo Judaeus, since many influential scholars have sought in Alexandrian Judaism generally, and Philo more particularly, the source of the Johannine Logos Doctrine.': Examination of these claims leads us.to reject this position. .7 Nor is it considered likely that the author of the Prologue drew his ideas from Mandaeism, the syncretistic mystery cults, or from the'various forms of the' Primal Man idea* PART III.S ourcesof the Johannine Logos Doctrine - (ii) HEBREW THOUGHT. The attractive theories of Dre. R.Harris and C.F.Burney are examined and found to be inadequate as *he source. PART IV. S. ouroes of the Johannine. Logos Doctrine- (iii) HEBREW THOUGHT. The O.T. concept of the. D'BHfiR YHWH is thoroughly reviewed, and its main characteristics' emphasized. Other possible sources have been eliminated/ "arid we discover that the salient features of the dynamic Word of God, in the O.T. are reflected - only much more powerfully - in the Person of the Word of God incarnate. These features are, dynamic creativity, personal mediation, Divine self-revelation, purposeful redemption". : . Thus we regard the Old Testament to be the source. THE J 0 H A H HI I E LOGOS DOCTRINE AND ITS SOURCES being a thesis submitted to the University of Durham for the degree of Master of Letters, by D.DoWHITFIELD MOWBRAY, B.D.(London) January 1952 0 0-N T EJ; N T S page FOREWORD ...... 1 INTRODUCTION ..... 6 PART I. The Johannine Prologue* chapter i. The Nature of the Logos in the Johannine Prologue . 23 PART II. Sources of the Johannin Logos Doctrine: (i.) HELLENISTIC THOUGHT. chapter ii.The Logos Principle from Heracleitus to the Stoics ... 87 chapter ili. Alexandrian Judaism: (a.) The Background in respect of the Logos,-idea . 102 (b) Philo Judaeus . ... 106 (c) Considered as a possible source of the Johannine Logos-doctrine .... 156 chapter iv.Mandaeism,and the Syncretistic - Mystery Cults ... 174 chapter v. The Primal Man Idea . 188 PART III. Sources of the Johannin L o go s Doctrine: (ii) HEBREW THOUGHT: - some theories considered. page chapter vi. (a) the Jewish SOPHIA Concept, -the theory of Dr.B.Harris•. .204 (b) The Theory of a Logos-hymn . .212 (c) The Theory of Dr.C.F.Burney. 218 PART IV. Sources of the Johannine Logos Doctrine: (iii) HEBREW THOUGHT: the D'BHAR YHWH of the Old Testament ... chapter vii. Some General Considerations: (i) Statistical Survey .825 (ii) The Oriental Religious Background of the O.T. .241 (iii) Torah, Memra, Wisdom . .255 chapter viii. D'BHAR YHWH and the Old Testament Prophets .281 CONCLUSION . 356 BIBLIOGRAPHY, S73 I 'V 0 R E W- 0 R D ' THE second quarter of this century has seen a marked turning to the study of the great allied themes - Revelation, Mediation, Inspiration and Authority in religion. A number of the most respected scholars have given them prominence in researches and writings, including such reverend doctors as H.Wheeler Robinson, H.H.Rowley and C.H.Dodd, together with A.G.Hebert and H.Cunliffe-Jones. Renewed interest in the subjects on the part of a wider reading public is indicated further by the re-printing of works by James Orr and B.B.Warfield. Many lesser scholars and disciples, too, over and above the masters mentioned above, have felt the fascination of a subject at once so funda• mental to the Christian Faith, and so complex and extensive. One aspect of this so vast a sphere of study is that suggested by the terminus technicus, THE WORD OF GOD - rendered more highly significant for all time by its application to the Person of Jesus Christ. Attracted to a territory which has been as much explored as any within the bounds of the Bible, the writer has found deep satisfaction in pursuing for himself (and,, he trusts, with open mind) the exploration of the noble Johannine Prologue. He has tried to discover for himself the probable source of the Logos-doctrine. What lay behind John's use of the title LOGOS - one so rarely given to Jesus Christ in the New Testament ? What significance did John attach to it ? Was its introduction into first century Christology an inno• vation - an attempt to embrace oriental or Hellen• istic thought forms and speculative principles for the Christian faith ? Or, did it really continue and consummate lines of thought and religious prin• ciples operative in the first Christians' Bible, the Old Testament ? These are some of the leading questions we have set ourselves to answer in the following study. Geschrieben stents rtIm Anfang war das WORT I M Hier stock ich schon I Wer hilft mir welter fort ? Ich kann das. WORT so hoch unraoglich schatzen, Ich muss es anders ubersetzen, Wenn Ich vom Geiste recht erleuchtet bin. Geschrieben stehts wIm Anfang war der SINN." Bedenke wohl die erste Zeile, Daes deine Peder sich nicht ubereile I Ist es der SINN, der alles, wirkt und schafft ? Es sollte stehn: ttIm Anfang/war die KRAFT ! " Doch, auch indem ich dieses niederschreibe, Schon warnt mich was, dass ich dabei nicht bleibe. Mir hilft der Geist ! auf einmal sen ich Rat Und schreibe getrosts wlm Anfang war die TAT I " - GOETHE, Faust, (Erster Teil). THE. PROLOGUE TO ST OOHH'S doSPEit- * « « K<*i &£o^ 6 Ao^o$. K^'l oiiJTOU iy£y£TZ> Ou6£ £V 6 ^£^OV€V. 6. £y£V£To <&vQpuxiro$f . ^£0"T<x'>s(jie/o5 7Toifoi *J. OUT05 pAfcfey pc^pT<Jp/<*'>/,/V**' jUlQ/pTOprXfr; crtoCTi &VO<(3TOU. TT^i TOO <^coro^. r *** ^ V / 4*V / a r^Y TO <j>££ TO ^\rj0/vov , ^wrrC^i THATO* 'o. iv kioff|uo 9V, Ki/i o KOCT|LAO5 SI'^OTOO iyey/ero, 11. £15 T<* iS«od jjXikV, 12. (5cr©i <5e i\o^ov O/UTOV, i'otoK£v 0/UT015 7Ti<rT€<Jou(ris/ TO OVO^ OWTOU* £jUX()©(r9ev |Ucu ^^ov£V or/ 7fp^-n^ juou j^v- /6- OT| £l< TOU T^pp^otTO^ o^TOO J^ju^ TWns5 7- or/ 0 voVoc SwMw^etvjc ISofr?, i5Voii< tfou o jUo«/o^e^n5 ufo^, d ^ov/ T3V j<b\7rov TOU i^ipo$\ verses forming a possible Logos Hymn which John took and incorporated in his Prologue, - (after J.H.BERNARD.; I< N T R 0 D U G T I 0 N THE fascination of the Johannine Prologue is felt at the outset in its very simplicity. Three brisk and bold strokes and the author both focuses and fixes our attention on the subject * the Divine Word. Any suspicions, roused by the opening phrase of the proem, that the author was a Stoio are soon allayed by the second, and dispelled by the third: In the beginning was the Logos, And the Logos was with God, And the Logos was God. The first stanza of the Logos-hymn is typical of the Prologue as a whole - Jewish thought in Greek garb, and that, at times, thinly clad. The Fourth Gospel does not disclose its author. If, however, we may not know him by name, at least we may deduce a great deal about fle grand anonyme', as Goguel calls him. He was, so we think, a Palestinian Jew who appears to have enjoyed intimate acquaintance with Jesus Christ during His ministry - certainly the latter part of that ministry. Later he went to Ephesus and settled in that ancient centre of the Logos-idea as developed by the.