To me we will never be able to have dialogue on these issues unless we examine some of the concepts involved and explore the meaning.
One of the significant things to me about the Gospel of John are the opening verses:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
[2] He was in the beginning with God;
[3] all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.
[4] In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
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The use of the term "Word" or Logos is sigificant and seems to me to be related to the identical word used by the philosopher Philo Judeaus of Alexander who lived between (20 BCE - 40 CE). A summary of his concept of logos:
"The supreme being is God and the next is Wisdom or the Logos of God (Op. 24). Logos has many names as did Zeus (LA 1.43,45,46), and multiple functions. Earthly wisdom is but a copy of this celestial Wisdom. It was represented in historical times by the tabernacle through which God sent an image of divine excellence as a representation and copy of Wisdom (Lev. 16:16; Her. 112-113). The Divine Logos never mixes with the things which are created and thus destined to perish, but attends the One alone. This Logos is apportioned into an infinite number of parts in humans, thus we impart the Divine Logos. As a result we acquire some likeness to the Father and the Creator of all (Her. 234-236). The Logos is the Bond of the universe and mediator extended in nature. The Father eternally begat the Logos and constituted it as an unbreakable bond of the universe that produces harmony (Plant. 9-10). The Logos, mediating between God and the world, is neither uncreated as God nor created as men."
Source:
http://www.iep.utm.edu/p/philo.htm#SH11m
One of the early church fathers Origen had Philo's writings in his library and referred to them often. Origen was widely read and respected.
- Art
