Over the last few days, I have revisited John chapter one. I have gone back through two thousand years of debate, as well as my own publications. And I have determined that my translation is the only answer for me. The main focus of verses 1-4 is on what and who. The who is the Word-Life-Light, He is all three in these verses. The what is that He was/existed and caused to become. There were two leading translations over these last two millennia. --- "What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of men." "In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind." --- In the first case, one separates the Word from the life; wherein verse four reads life is the light, in that of the Word. In the second case, life again is separated from the personage of the Word by stating instead life comes from Him or that He is the source of life; however, verse four tells us He is the life-light. All things became through Him; however, He was the life, the light before mankind. It would be redundant and mistaken to say, "In Him was Him." I have rendered verse four as "Life was" because that is the focus of the entirety of verses 1-3. The Word-Life-Light who caused to become, was/existed. The Word = The Life = The Light ------- "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with the God. Through Him, all things became, and without Him, not even one thing became that has become in Him. Life was, and the life was the light of mankind." (Joshuastone7) All love... Joshua
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it." Jhn 1:1,2 "Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jhn 8:12 "Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life." Jhn 14:6 "Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live." Jhn 11:25
An interesting cause and effect of John saying the Word is the Life is the fact that Jesus admits He is created. "For as the Father has life in himself, also to the Son, He gave life to have in himself." Jhn 5:26 Since John says Jesus was the Life from the beginning, that means through our Lord's own words, He became the Life the moment He was given it from His Father. Life was in the beggening with God. It was only after He became the Son of man that He was given authority to judge. "And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man." Jhn 5:27 Joshua