Gospel of John 1:1–18 Catholic Bible study Lesson 1

The Gospel According to John:
An Encounter with Grace & Truth

Lesson 1 In the Beginning Was the Word
the Gospel According to John 1:1–18

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
Aperuit Illis (Instituting the Sunday of the Word of God)
Tami Palladino’s visual-meditation journal
glossary for the Gospel According to John
cross references in the Gospel According to John
next lesson: And This Is the Testimony of John

This material coordinates with Lesson 1 on pages 4–10 in The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth.

“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.”—the Gospel According to John 20:30–31

welcome to our in-depth study of the Gospel According to John
We invite interested groups and individuals to check out the sample first lesson from this 25-lesson Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study. These online study pages link to our free lesson videos, as well as to a glossary and cross references in the biblical text. Other study aids include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth has been granted an imprimatur and can be purchased from our website shop. If you have a Bible-related question or comment, click on one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons on any online study page.

every Turning to God’s Word Bible study carries an imprimatur
The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth was granted an imprimatur by the Most Reverend Richard E. Pates, (left), bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Des Moines, on July 8, 2019; the censor librorum for the Diocese of Des Moines, the Very Reverend Aquinas Nichols, granted the nihil obstat. These are official declarations that a book or pamphlet is free of doctrinal or moral error. There’s no implication that those who’ve granted the imprimatur or nihil obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed in the work. All Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible studies are submitted to the Church before publication. Visit the archives of Lost in Translation to read more about the Latin terms imprimatur & nihil obstat. Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible studies written after 2020 are being submitted to the Most Reverend William M. Joensen, Ph.D. (right), bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines.

the popes inspire us—serious Catholics study the Word of God
In his apostolic letter Aperuit Illis (Instituting the Sunday of the Word of God) issued motu proprio (of his own accord), Pope Francis established the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time to be devoted to the celebration, study, and dissemination of the Word of God. The Holy Father’s apostolic letter was published on September 30, 2019, the feast of St. Jerome and the 1600th anniversary of the saint’s death. St. Jerome, who translated the Latin Vulgate Bible from Greek and Hebrew manuscripts, is famous for saying: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” In Aperuit Illis, the Holy Father calls attention to the sacramental nature of the Word of God, pointing to the unbreakable bond between Sacred Scripture and the Eucharist. In 2025, the Church will celebrate the Word of God on Sunday, January 26. We’ve posted a free digital version of Dialogue with God: Reading & Praying with Sacred Scripture, our guide to incorporating the Church’s traditional practice of lectio divina (sacred reading) into regular Bible study.

ex libris—read more Church documents
Find links to magisterial documents referred to in Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible studies, including Aperuit Illis (Instituting the Sunday of the Word of God), at ex libris—magisterial documents. The page lists significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents.

a few reminders about Turning to God’s Word Bible studies
The most distinguishing feature of our Bible studies is that they’re Catholic. Each one has been granted an imprimatur, which means that a bishop has read the work and found nothing contrary to Church teaching on morals or faith. Note that the imprimatur makes no claim that a work is equivalent to Church teaching, simply that it isn’t opposed to what the Church teaches. Practically speaking, this means that you don’t have to accept Turning to God’s Word interpretations of Scripture, only that choosing to do so doesn’t amount to heresy. Choosing not to accept conclusions of a work that has been granted an imprimatur doesn’t immediately plunge you into heretical territory, but choosing not to accept Church teaching related to those conclusions does.

read the Catechism—how to avoid heresy
The imprimatur reinforces and validates the claim that Turning to God’s Word Bible studies are Catholic. All participants have a right to expect that discussions about our Bible studies will focus on Catholic teaching. That doesn’t mean that someone won’t occasionally have a question about Church teaching. Not knowing what the Church teaches about a particular issue isn’t heretical. Asking a question about Church teaching isn’t heretical. Failing to understand Church teaching isn’t heretical. Insisting that Church teaching is wrong is.

Most people who begin to study the Gospel According to John are caught off guard by how many challenging theological ideas are found in Scripture. There are a surprising number of things many Catholics believe to be Church teaching that actually are not. In this study, we attempt to present Scripture and Church teaching related to the Gospel According to John as unambiguously as possible. When in doubt, you can refer to the Catechism of the Catholic Church or talk with your parish priest about any doctrine that remains unclear.

If a Church teaching seems particularly unsettling even after studying the Catechism and speaking with someone who’s knowledgeable regarding Catholic doctrine, you might want to examine whether there might be a personal or emotional reason why you’re having difficulty. Pray for God’s guidance and be open to receiving a different answer than you anticipated, possibly at a later time than you expected or hoped.

be respectful of the others in your group
Keep in mind that most people in your discussion group are there for a Catholic interpretation of Scripture. People from other faith backgrounds are welcome, but the focus of any Turning to God’s Word study always is going to be Catholic in nature. The following opening prayer emphasizes maintaining mutual respect amid differences of opinion:

Heavenly Father, send forth your Spirit to enlighten our minds
and dispose our hearts to accept your truth.
Help us to listen to one another with openness and honesty,
eager to learn from the talents and intuitions that you have given each of us.
Never let differences of opinion diminish our mutual esteem and love.
May we leave this meeting with more knowledge and love for you and your Son.
In the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You can find other opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

WHAT DO YOU THINK about interpreting Scripture?

The Church encourages Catholics to read and interpret Scripture on our own as long as we follow these two rules:
1) Our interpretation can’t contradict anything else in Scripture.
2) Our interpretation can’t contradict Church teaching.

In order to comply, we need to know everything else that’s in the Bible as well as everything that the Church teaches. That’s a tall order, which is why each Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study is submitted to the Church for an imprimatur. The imprimatur for The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth is a guarantee that the Church finds nothing objectionable in the work. You’re free to agree with interpretations in this Catholic Bible study, but it’s not essential that you do so. There are many different interpretations in other commentaries, but few of them carry an imprimatur. This doesn’t mean that they necessarily pose any problems in regard to doctrine or morals, but there’s no Church guarantee that they don’t.

When considering opinions that haven’t been granted an imprimatur, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Our Bible studies address some common ideas, but there are innumerable opinions floating around about the meaning of different passages in the Bible—including in the Gospel According to John.

what to expect from this Bible study
The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth focuses on the many ways that the Fourth Gospel differs from the Gospels According to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which are called the synoptic Gospels (from a Greek word meaning “with the same eye”). Because the Evangelist John takes a different viewpoint, many events recorded in the Gospel According to John don’t appear in the synoptic Gospels. In general, the Evangelist John provides us with a close look at some of Jesus’ more intimate everyday encounters with ordinary people. Jesus’ dialogues with his Mother, Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, the man born blind, Lazarus’ sisters, Pontius Pilate, and the disciples give us glimpses into Jesus’ relationships with these people. From these accounts in the Fourth Gospel, we can pick up practical information that each of us can apply to our own relationship with Jesus.

? Here’s the first question to ask about an opinion expressed in any commentary: How closely does it adhere to what we can read in the biblical text?
? Do viewpoints about the meaning of the Bible passages contradict anything else you already know from Scripture?
? Do they contradict anything from Church teaching? The Catechism of the Catholic Church addresses a large number of questions related to the most common Scripture interpretations.

map notes—where the action takes place
Everything that happens in the Gospel According to John takes place in a narrow strip of land 150 miles long and 60 miles wide between the Mediterranean Sea on the west and the Jordan River and Dead Sea on the east. At the time of Jesus, the entire region had begun to be referred to as Palestine, a name derived from Philistia, the land along the Mediterranean coastline originally occupied by the Philistines. Rome is the uncontested world power after conquering Greece, a nation that had achieved dominance through the military conquests of Alexander the Great. The area around Jerusalem that once was the kingdom of Judah now is called Judea, and territory that made up the former northern kingdom of Israel now is known as Samaria. Both, along with Idumea (formerly known as Edom), are ruled by the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate. Herod Antipas is ruler of Galilee and Perea. Although he’s an Edomite, he holds the title king of the Jews, which was given to his father, Herod the Great, by the Roman Senate. Click on the image (right) to enlarge the map, which appears on page 7 in The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth.

a close look at the prologue (46:13)
In the video for this lesson, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses the role played in the Gospel According to John by the person we understand to be Jesus’ cousin. The Fourth Gospel is the only one of the four Gospels that fails to describe John as “the Baptist.” Matthew suggests that “John the Witness” might be a better way of referring to Jesus’ cousin in order to avoid confusion with John the Evangelist. It turns out that in the Fourth Gospel, John’s primary mission is to provide testimony to the light—to attest to the fact that Jesus, who appears in human form, actually is both human and divine. Without John serving as a credible witness, it would be difficult if not impossible for men and women to recognize that Jesus is God.

The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study match the Scripture ranges for the sets of questions in The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth. You can follow along with the video overview as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 1, “In the Beginning Was the Word,” on pages 4–10 in the study book.

what language did Jesus speak?
The Gospel According to John originally was written in Greek, which had become the international language of commerce and travel during the worldwide reign of Alexander the Great. After the Romans came into power, official government business was conducted in Latin. Although Hebrew remained the traditional language of the Jews, in the wake of the Babylonian Captivity, Aramaic became the most common spoken language in the Middle East. The most frequently used version of the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament) at the time of Jesus was the Greek translation known as the Septuagint.

when & why was the Fourth Gospel written?
Most scholars believe that the Gospel According to John and the book of Revelation are the last books written in the New Testament. Although they display similarities in style and content, there’s academic disagreement about whether they were written by the same person. When compared with the Gospels According to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the Fourth Gospel contains a large amount of material that the others neglect to mention—including Jesus’ encounters with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman at the well, the Bread of Life discourse, and the account of Lazarus being raised from the dead. This seems to be an intentional decision by the author of the Gospel According to John. In general, the Fourth Gospel is more theological in tone and focuses more on explaining the sacraments—especially the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist.

biblical vocabulary—synoptic
The word synoptic comes from syn, a Greek root that means “with,” and optic, a Greek root that means “eye.” Synoptic means “with the same eye” and reflects that Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke take much the same perspective when telling the story of Jesus’ life and public ministry. The three-year cycle for the Sunday readings (Years A, B, and C) goes through the synoptic Gospels According to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, one each year. Readings from the Gospel According to John are sprinkled throughout the Church’s calendar during the liturgical year, especially on holy days.

authorship
In its original Greek, the title of the Fourth Gospel is best translated as the Gospel According to John, and not the shortened form of the Gospel of John or John’s Gospel. The words “according to” in the title indicate that while biblical scholars are in disagreement about whether the author was Jesus’ disciple John, there’s no question that disciple is the source of many ideas expressed in the Fourth Gospel.

ex libris—here’s an insightful book
If you’re looking for more information about scholarly debate over authorship of the Gospel According to John, check out Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration by Pope Benedict XVI. This landmark work focuses on all four Gospels, and the author offers explanations to clarify discrepancies in the biblical source material. His section on the principal images of the Gospel According to John provides an in-depth look at how the Fourth Gospel differs from the synoptic Gospels According to Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The three-volume Jesus of Nazareth set includes books that cover biblical accounts of The Infancy Narratives and Holy Week. Visit ex libris—main bookshelf to read an excerpt from each volume.

WHAT DO YOU THINK that God is longing to say to you?
Because portions of the Gospel According to John reappear at high points on the Church calendar, an in-depth study of the Fourth Gospel can enrich our understanding of the scriptural foundations that underlie some of our most cherished liturgies.

? What questions do you have about the biblical foundations of the sacraments?
? What are the most pressing questions that you have regarding your faith?
? What manner do you think that God might choose to answer your questions?
? How can you make sure the channel of communication is open?

another video—one that could change the way you approach the Bible (40:44)
Even if you’re a veteran of Catholic Bible studies, we encourage you to watch an explanation of the practical benefits of approaching The Bible as the Living Word of God. This 40-minute video is distilled from a talk that Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps gave at a summer Bible-study retreat at Conception Abbey in Conception, Missouri. In this video, Matthew looks at how viewing Scripture as a living document can help us to develop a more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. There are real benefits in setting aside what we think we already know about Scripture to approach the Bible with the goal of learning what new things God is saying to us. Matthew examines the principles of lectio divina, the traditional Catholic approach to reading and praying with Scripture that’s foundational for all Turning to God’s Word Bible studies.

calling attention to Jesus
In the prologue to the Gospel According to John (1:1–18), the Evangelist uses a number of literary devices to call attention to the divine name. He begins by referring to the Word, which seems an unusual way to write about a person he has known well. He next refers to the light, which turns out to be the same as the Word. Then he mentions by name the person sent by God to identify and bear witness to the light. We learn that the Word became flesh, and that this Word has the glory of the only-begotten Son of the Father. Finally, we learn that the name of the Word is Jesus Christ (Christ is a title meaning “anointed,” and not Jesus’ surname). The Evangelist John appears to be a very intentional writer, so nothing in his text is haphazard or accidental. The delayed revelation of Jesus’ name in the prologue (the Gospel According to John 1:1–18) reflects the author’s understanding of Jewish respect for the holiness of God’s name, and it sets the stage for Jesus to claim God’s name as his own.

themes to watch for in this Catholic Bible study
The prologue (the Gospel According to John 1:18) establishes themes the Evangelist plans to develop in the Fourth Gospel. What thoughts do you have about how the Evangelist might be planning to use Jesus’ name to further explain who Jesus is and what constitutes his mission? Even if we don’t want to harbor a guess about how Jesus’ name might relate to his mission, recognizing that it’s of importance to the Evangelist tips us off to be on the lookout for more references to Jesus’ name and to the name of God.

Q&A—a question about the connection to the Letter to the Hebrews
The reference to the Letter to the Hebrews 1:1–2 in Question 2 on page 6 in The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth uncovered a translation discrepancy between the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) and the New American Bible (NABRE). Learn more about that passage in Lesson 1 Superior to Angels in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study The Letter to the Hebrews: An Explanation of the Mechanism of Our Salvation.

Q: The Revised Standard Version translates the Letter to the Hebrews 1:2 (RSVCE) as “… but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the ages,” but the NABRE translates the same verse as “in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe …” Creation of the ages seems to be more temporal and creation of the universe more spatial. Which translation is closest to the meaning of the original Greek?

A: [Here’s the question for the benefit of those who don’t have access to a study book: Question 2 (Read the Gospel According to John :1–3 ; the same instruction for Question 1 still applies). Consider ways in which the Word in the prologue of the Fourth Gospel compares with what Paul writes about Jesus in his First Letter to the Corinthians 8:6 and in his Letter to the Colossians 1:15–16. According to the author of the Letter to the Hebrews 1:1–2, what is the relationship between the Word and all things?]

what Matthew says: The Greek αἰών (aion) comes into English as “eon.” Most literally, it means “age” but also can mean “the world.” So we can accept either translation, which means that we can view Jesus as being critically involved in the Creation of time and/or space. It’s usually easier for us to think about Creation in spatial terms, but the first biblical account of Creation supports the idea that God also created the construct of time when he made the sun, moon, and stars—an act of Creation described in the book of Genesis 1:14: “And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years.” Since the Fourth Gospel points to the beginning of the book of Genesis to make the claim that Jesus is present at Creation as the creative Word of God, that would mean that Jesus is present when God created time. Scripture rather neatly places God and Jesus operating outside of time and space, something that’s easy to overlook since humanity is completely dependent on both and is unable to escape the confines of either. You can learn more about the two biblical accounts of Creation in Lesson 1 And God Said, Let There Be Light and Lesson 2 It Is Not Good That the Man Should Be Alone, both in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis.

WHAT DO YOU THINK is in a name?
A return to the biblical text in the prologue (the Gospel According to John 1:1–18) provides a clue to why Jesus’ name is so important. The Gospel According to John 1:12 records: “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.” This clearly indicates that the divine name is endowed with spiritual authority not otherwise available to humanity. Those who believe in this name will be given the power to become children of God.

? Consider what believing in the name of Jesus might entail.
? What might be involved in being a child of God?
? When the Evangelist writes about the benefits that come to those who receive Jesus, gaining access to those benefits is dependent on whether we understand what it means to receive Jesus. In the Greek, receiving Jesus means “taking hold” of Jesus. In the Fourth Gospel, “to receive” is a dynamic verb and requires action. What action have you taken to indicate that you’ve received Jesus?

light—you could look it up in our archives
There’s more to light and darkness than meets the eye. In Lost in Translation, an online column that can help readers connect with ideas expressed in the original language of the Scriptures, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps examines how the word “light” is used in the Gospel According to John 1:5. The original Greek of the biblical text discloses something that disappears in most English translations—the contest between light and darkness is over and done with. How might this understanding change the way that Christians view good and evil? How does thinking about light in such a way change the way you view the world? New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.

order & chaos—you could look this up in our archives, too
Many ancient accounts of Creation are similar. The biblical view differs primarily in the nature of God as Creator. You can learn more about the words “order” and “chaos” with respect to Creation by reading the archived entry for order & chaos entry in Lost in Translation.

Q&A—a difficulty in understanding
A participant in this study is having trouble reconciling John’s theology in the Fourth Gospel with her idea about the ongoing battle between good and evil.

Q: I disagree with Matthew’s suggested translation of the Gospel According to John 1:5 because it fails to take into account the ongoing battle between good and evil in the world.

A—what Matthew says: Even the Catechism of the Catholic Church can appear to present a somewhat confusing picture of how we’re to think about the nature of the ongoing battle between good and evil. When we read and pray about Scripture, God speaks to us through our questions. This reader’s comment indicates natural confusion about how the battle between good and evil can be finished when we clearly can see evidence of evil in the world and can experience evil in our own lives.

The first part of this comment pertaining to how the Greek is translated, however, is easily dismissed. Gut feelings about one particular translation over another are of no value to an argument unless the person has a degree in ancient languages and can focus on the ins and outs of complicated Greek grammar. We’ve encountered a number of popular Bible commentators who attempt to use a smattering of Greek to bolster their positions. It’s an easy way to appeal to an authoritative backup, since almost no one has a grasp of ancient Greek. [Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps majored in ancient languages in college, with emphasis on Greek and Latin. Our Bible study has been granted an imprimatur, indicating that a censor librorum and a bishop had no problem with Matthew’s comments about the meaning of the Greek in the Gospel According to John 1:5 or about any of the other passages that we felt would benefit from explanation about the translation in order to shed light on the meaning the original author had in mind.]

read the Catechism—Dualism is a heresy
The main problem appears to be that this reader wants to reject the obvious conclusion—based on the idea of darkness already having been defeated by the light—that the battle between good and evil is a done deal. While human experience backed up by Scripture and Church teaching strongly supports the idea that there’s a battle between good and evil being waged in each person, paragraph 285 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that to believe good and evil are equal forces locked in permanent conflict is heresy (Dualism or Manichaeism). All heresies distort our view of God. This particular heresy credits evil with divine power equivalent to God’s. It shouldn’t take much thought to see the danger in such an approach to the faith. What good is a God who can’t defeat the forces of evil? How can such a God be of any help to us in our own struggles with sin and temptation?

285 Since the beginning the Christian faith has been challenged by responses to the question of origins that differ from its own. Ancient religions and cultures produced many myths and cultures concerning origins. Some philosophers have said that everything is God, that the world is God, or that the development of the world is the development of God (Pantheism). Some have said that the world is a necessary emanation arising from God and returning to him. Still others have affirmed the existence of two eternal principles, Good and Evil, Light and Darkness, locked in permanent conflict (Dualism, Manichaeism). According to some of these conceptions, the world (at least the physical world) is evil, the product of a fall, and is thus to be rejected or left behind (Gnosticism). Some admit that the world was made by God, but as by a watchmaker who, once he has made a watch, abandons it to itself (Deism). Finally, others reject any transcendent origin for the world, but see it as merely the interplay of matter that has always existed (Materialism). All these attempts bear witness to the permanence and universality of the question of origins. This inquiry is distinctively human.

heresies have a limited focus
Like all heresies, Dualism develops from focusing excessively on a small part of the truth—in this case the danger of evil, which is very real and will remain a constant threat to men and women until Final Judgment. Dualism emphasizes the power of evil at the expense of diminishing the power of God. We already know that story, like the Bible itself, has a happy ending. (Spoiler alert: God wins.) We just don’t know where we as individuals will fit in. Dualism threatens to cause us to become discouraged and give up the fight.

Part of the difficulty this participant is encountering has to do with the constructs of time and space, which are indispensable for humans but are irrelevant from God’s point of view. It’s almost impossible for men and women to wrap our heads around that idea. Unless we accept that God exists outside of time and space, we remain unable to accept that the forces of evil already have been defeated. This is particularly troublesome because we so obviously still must deal with evil in our world and in our own lives. As we move forward in this study, Jesus will have helpful things to say about time and space, and especially about faith and understanding. An in-depth study of the book of Revelation also can shed light on Final Judgment, when time and space no longer will be relevant to humanity.

Q&A—another question about evil in the world
Another reader is having difficulty considering how Christians are to think about the evil we encounter in the world today.

Q: How are Christians supposed to relate to the truly evil things we see all around us?

A—read the Catechism: The Scripture verse that deals with this issue and often is quoted by Catholics is from Paul’s Letter to the Romans 8:28: “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose.” More information about how this plays out can be found in paragraphs 312–314 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

312 In time we can discover that God in his almighty providence can bring a good from the consequences of an evil, even a moral evil, caused by his creatures: “It was not you,” said Joseph to his brothers, “who sent me here, but God … You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive.” From the greatest moral evil ever committed—the rejection and murder of God’s only Son, caused by the sins of all men—God, by his grace that “abounded all the more,” brought the greatest of goods: the glorification of Christ and our redemption. But for all that, evil never becomes a good.

313 “We know that in everything God works for good for those who love him.” The constant witness of the saints confirms this truth:

St. Catherine of Siena said to “those who are scandalized and rebel against what happens to them”: “Everything comes from love, all is ordained for the salvation of man, God does nothing without this goal in mind.”

St. Thomas More, shortly before his martyrdom, consoled his daughter: “Nothing can come but that that God wills. And I make me very sure that whatsoever that be, seem it ever so bad in sight, it shall indeed be the best.”

Dame Julian of Norwich: “Here I was taught by the grace of God that I should steadfastly keep me in the faith … and that at the same time I should take my stand on and earnestly believe in what our Lord shewed in this time—that ‘all manner [of] thing shall be well.'”

314 We firmly believe that God is master of the world and of its history. But the ways of his providence are often unknown to us. Only at the end, when our partial knowledge ceases, when we see God “face to face,” will we fully know the ways by which—even through the dramas of evil and sin—God has guided his creation to that definitive sabbath rest for which he created heaven and earth.

HOW DO YOU THINK it is that the prologue relates to Jesus?
“Prologue” on page 6 in The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth examines the linguistic relationship between the beginning 18 verses in the Fourth Gospel (the prologue) and the Greek word logos used by the Evangelist to identify Jesus as the Word of God.

? What’s the purpose of a prologue?
? What’s the purpose of the Word of God?
? What might the purpose of the prologue in the Gospel According to John (1:1–18) suggest about the purpose of the Word of God?
? Consider how the Word of God is active in your life.

only Jesus is capable of keeping the law
In the Gospel According to John 1:16–17, the Evangelist makes a comparison between Jesus and Moses. Many of the earliest Christians were Jews, whose religion of Judaism was based on the belief that the only way of pleasing God was by following the Law of Moses. For more information about why the Evangelist felt such a comparison of Jesus and Moses to be necessary, read “Jesus Is Greater Than Moses” on page 9 of The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth.

a connection to the Angelus
Angelus Domini is the name of a Marian prayer based on the scriptural account of the Annunciation. Although most of the content of this prayer comes from the Gospel According to Luke, the key phrase—”the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”—is taken from the Gospel According to John 1:14. This firmly focuses the prayer on the Incarnation, one of the two foundational beliefs of Christianity. (The second is the Resurrection.) The history of the Angelus, which developed in European monasteries, dates at least to the 1300s. The Angelus bell was rung at the beginning of the day, at noon, and again in the evening—the three traditional times when the Angelus was prayed. This and other prayers to the Blessed Virgin can be found on our page of traditional Marian prayers.

read the Catechism—four reasons for the Incarnation
In the prologue to the Gospel According to John (1:1–18), the Evangelist chooses not to focus on Jesus’ earthly parents, instead emphasizing Jesus’ divine lineage. The Incarnation presents a fundamental problem that must be dealt with in the Fourth Gospel—God has come to earth in human form but nobody recognizes him. People are unable to see God. Paragraphs 457–460 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church list the four reasons that the Word became flesh. As we move forward in our study of the Gospel According to John, consider how Jesus’ actions point to these reasons.

457 The Word became flesh for us in order to save us by reconciling us with God, who “loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins”; “the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world,” and “he was revealed to take away sins.”

Sick, our nature demanded to be healed; fallen, to be raised up; dead, to rise again. We had lost the possession of the good; it was necessary for it to be given back to us. Closed in the darkness, it was necessary to bring us the light; captives, we awaited a Savior; prisoners, help; slaves, a liberator. Are these things minor or insignificant? Did they not move God to descend to human nature and visit it, since humanity was in so miserable and unhappy a state?

458 The Word became flesh so that thus we might know God’s love: “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.” “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

459 The Word became flesh to be our model of holiness: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me.” “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.” On the mountain of the Transfiguration, the Father commands: “Listen to him!” Jesus is the model for the Beatitudes and the norm of the new law: “Love one another as I have loved you.” This love implies an effective offering of oneself, after his example.”

460 The Word became flesh to make us “partakers of the divine nature”; “For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man; so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God.” “For the Son of God became man so that we might become God.” “The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods.”

WHAT DOES THE INCARNATION mean to you?
Belief in the Incarnation is one of the basic tenets of Christianity.

? What evidence can you see to indicate that God is bringing about these four effects in your own life?
? Which of the four reasons for the Incarnation seems to be the most important to your spiritual well-being at the present time?
? Consider which one of the four reasons you think is the most difficult to understand.

another insight regarding the Word
The Gospel According to John 1:18 (RSV2CE) reprinted in the study book refers to the Word as “the only-begotten Son of God.” The Revised Standard Version translation of the Gospel According to John 1:18 (RSVCE), which we link to on our online pages, eliminates “-begotten” and “of God.” The word “begotten” implies coming from a father. The word “born” describes a birth from the womb of a woman, and focuses attention on a child having both a mother and a father. It appears that because the Evangelist so intentionally emphasizes Jesus’ divine lineage over his human genealogy in the prologue, the translators of the RSV2CE chose to distinguish Jesus’ as God’s only-begotten Son.

a connection to Paul
Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians 5:17—”Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come”— shares the same theme as the Gospel According to John 1:12–13—”But to all who received [Jesus], who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” Consider how taking Christianity seriously already has done away with things in your former life and made you into a new creation. What aspects of your life might still need some attention?

for additional reflection
Throughout the Fourth Gospel, the Evangelist will build on themes introduced in the prologue. The following questions are designed to help readers begin to form their own thoughts and ideas related to the Gospel According to John 1:1–18 (the prologue).

? How would you describe to another person the significance of Jesus being introduced as the Word in the Fourth Gospel?
? What might explain why all four Evangelists begin their Gospels with information about John (called the Baptist in the Gospels According to Matthew, Mark, and Luke)?
? The Evangelist introduces a large number of themes in his prologue (the Gospel According to John 1:1–18). Which three of these themes seem the most interesting to you at this stage of our study?
? Which theme introduced by the Evangelist is the most difficult for you to wrap your head around?
? Consider what the Evangelist might identify as his most important point in the prologue?

visual meditation as a form of prayer
If you like to draw, consider illustrating your prayers for The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth. For inspiration, you can check out the drawings in the visual-meditation journal, which Turning to God’s Word co-founder Tami Palladino created to accompany another of our Catholic Bible studies—The Letter to the Hebrews: An Explanation of the Mechanism of Our Salvation. Tami illustrated Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers and The Revelation of Jesus Christ: The Faithful Witness as well as some lessons in In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis and You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus.

Q&A—where to find some answers
Some people are used to doing Bible studies from other publishers, and they’ve told us that they miss the answer keys in those studies. One leader even admitted that she relied on answer keys so she didn’t have to spend time doing Bible study lessons herself. We sympathize with omnipresent time constraints, but we maintain that up-front answer keys provide people with a strong temptation to rely on someone else’s idea of what Scripture means instead of thinking more deeply about what God might be trying to say to each of us as individuals at a particular moment in time.

Q: Why don’t Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible studies provide any printed answer keys?

A: The Turning to God’s Word method of Bible study is dependent on participants directly engaging with the biblical text and looking to that text for answers to their questions. All of the factual questions in the lessons can be answered from the Scriptures. Sidebars in the lessons contain supplemental material written to help explain some of the themes suggested by the biblical text. Most of our studies, including this one, feature videos with each lesson.

Outside commentaries can shed light on individual texts, but many commentaries examine Scripture passages out of context. Some may focus on an academic rather than a spiritual approach to the Bible. If you’re confused about anything in our studies or in any related outside commentaries, we encourage you to browse our website for more information.

The goal of all Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible studies is to foster personal reflection leading to a more intimate relationship with Jesus. Consequently, each lesson contains reflection questions, and these necessarily don’t have any “right” or “wrong” answers. If you’d like to share your thoughts about any of our studies or need clarification about a question, commentary, or video related to the lessons, contact us using the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” button on any online lesson page. Because others may have the same concern, we routinely turn questions and comments we receive into anonymous Q&A items and add them to the relevant online study pages.

Q&A—three questions about Bible translations
We’re frequently asked what translation of the Bible is best. Sometimes we’re asked which translation is approved to be read at Catholic Masses. More infrequently we’re asked why we’ve chosen to reprint the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) for the biblical text in our printed studies.

Q1: Which translation of the Bible is the best one for Catholics to read?

A2: As far as which translation is best, we maintain that reading any translation of the Bible you have on hand is a great place to start. The old adage “every translator is a traitor” certainly applies to Scripture, but God’s basic message to his people can be found in any Bible. While there are English-language Bibles catering to a variety of special-interest Catholic groups, they generally reprint either a translation of the New American Bible Revised Edition (the NABRE) or a Catholic edition of the Revised Standard Version (the RSVCE or the RSV2CE), which are the Bibles read by most American Catholics. Both of these translations rely on archeological finds and scholarship that were unavailable in earlier centuries. Before the mid-1960s, many Catholics were familiar with the Douay-Rheims English translation, which was based on the Latin Vulgate. Originally translated by St. Jerome in the late 4th century, a version of the Vulgate has remained the official Latin translation of the Catholic Church since the 16th century. Before the mid-1960s, most Protestants read The King James Version.

As people become more interested in Scripture study, they also become more interested in reading the “right” Bible. Since very few of us are proficient in ancient languages, we’re forced to rely on the work of scholars who’ve spent years studying Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, and Latin. In many cases, there simply isn’t an easy way to translate some of the original words and phrases of Scripture into English. The best advice we can offer is to choose an English translation that the Church has approved. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) offers guidelines. When questions arise, as they undoubtedly will, check out footnotes, commentaries, and other translations; talk to a knowledgeable priest; and—this part is most important—ask God to grant you increased understanding. You also can email us with your questions about Scripture. In many cases, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps’ background in classical languages proves helpful. We frequently rely on him to shed some light on the linguistics involved in difficult passages.

Q2: I’m having trouble locating the same Bible that I hear read at Mass. What translation is that?

A2: The Catholic Lectionary, a collection of biblical texts approved for liturgical use, isn’t the same as a Bible. The English-language lectionary used in the United States is primarily based on a 1970 translation. A close English translation outside the lectionary is the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE). The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) currently is working on a liturgical Bible based on the NABRE translation.

Q3: Why has Turning to God’s Word chosen to reprint biblical text from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) instead of the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)?

A3: We currently use the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) as our primary biblical translation in our printed studies because scholars consider it to be a more faithful word-for-word translation than many other translations. Pope Benedict XVI quotes from the RSV2CE in his three-volume book, Jesus of Nazareth. The RSVCE is the Bible translation used in English translations of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The RSV2CE varies only slightly from the earlier RSVCE, which we link to on our online study pages. Any discrepancies between the RSV2CE and the RSVCE are pointed out on the online study pages. Turning to God’s Word cites The Abbey Psalms and Canticles in references to the Psalms in all of our printed studies.

pray with the Psalms—intensely emotional prayers
Although some scholars question David’s authorship of the Psalms, it remains indisputable that many of the Psalms address themes related to events that occurred during the period when David ruled over the descendants of Jacob. Reading and praying with the Psalms offers insight into the minds and hearts of people who lived during the time of David—and long afterward as well. These prayers express universal human feelings every bit as relevant to us in the present day as when the Psalms first were composed.

don’t get confused—Psalms numbering varies
Numbering of many Psalms and their verses varies from one translation to another. Parallel numbering for commonly used Catholic Bibles is noted in the citations index included in the sample lesson for our study of the Gospel According to John. For more information about why the numbering varies in some translations, see the online Q&A on the study page for Lesson 1 Set a Guard on My Mouth in the Turning To God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers.

the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by Scripture passages in The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however.

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing extra information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out persons and places mentioned in the biblical text under multiple names or spellings. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun that appears in the primary biblical text for The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth.

to learn more, read more Scripture
If you’re having difficulty with a passage of Scripture, it can be helpful to read the relevant cross references—but looking these up can take time. To make that easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page accompanying this study, and it includes links to each of the cross references in the primary biblical text for The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.

memorize a favorite Bible verse (4:46)
Turning to God’s Word co-founder Tami Palladino has created a short video about the benefits of memorizing Bible verses. Choosing a passage that you find particularly meaningful will make the task easier. There are inspiring verses in every book of the Bible, but some people in our Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible studies like to memorize a verse from their lesson every week. For more ideas, check out Tami’s video, Why Memorize Scripture? It’s less than five minutes long.

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following link is to a reading from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open the link and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV reading provides an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical text. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the Gospel According to John 1:1–18 (NIV)

close with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers, you can follow our four easy steps, or you can use the following prayer based on this lesson’s text from the Gospel According to John.

Our Father and unseen God,
you sent John to bear witness to the light.
Make yourself known to us in the light of your Word
so that we may share in the grace and truth
that have come to us through your only-begotten Son.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Lesson 2 And This Is the Testimony of John—the Gospel According to John 1:19–51

you also may like our study of the book of Genesis
The first seven lessons of In the Beginning: The Book of Genesis, a 28-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, provide an in-depth look at the very earliest biblical history—including the two accounts of Creation, events surrounding the Fall of Adam and Eve, the relationship between Cain and Abel, and the baptismal foreshadowing present in the account of Noah and the Flood. Remaining lessons look at lives of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth. Information about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Bible study can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer questions and offer support. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All Scripture links for the online study pages for The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth are to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces these with more accessible English. The few significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.