Christmas Twelve: The Gospel of St. John

Christmas Twelve: The Gospel of St. John

“The Greatest Book Ever Written,” by Larrey Anderson

As we ponder, each in our own way, this most special of holidays, I have a suggestion: read (or reread) the greatest book ever written — the Gospel of John.Christianity has given the world many things. Its detractors say Christianity has provided the world holy wars and religious persecution. Its adherents proclaim that it has brought salvation to mankind. As a philosopher I find some truth, and much exaggeration, in each of those positions. Christianity has a checkered past and a challenging future. It also has the most important manuscript ever penned by a human being.

Scholars still dispute the date when the Gospel of John was written and they argue about who wrote it. I have always found these debates not only tedious — but also pointless. If ever a book transcended time and authorship, it is the Gospel of John. Perfection mocks lowly time. Inspiration requires no byline.

As prose the Gospel of John has no peers. (The Dialogues of Plato and some of the works of Shakespeare are as close as any get.) The Gospel is an unsurpassed literary masterpiece. It is history, philosophy, poetry, and religion seamlessly woven. The composition is so close to flawless that the words translate easily into almost any language.

Appropriately enough the greatest book ever written begins with a reflection on writing. The language soars in the original Greek:

Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος.

It pounds like the jackhammer of truth in Latin:

In principio erat Verbum et Verbum erat apud Deum et Deus erat Verbum.

And it mesmerizes in English (especially the KJV):

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=3163)