Cosmos, reality and God in the letters of John

Abstract

The major question addressed in this article is how reality, especially cosmic reality, is perceived in 1 John; in other words: What are the elements of John’s cosmological vision as it becomes apparent in his letters? Firstly, the semantics of the word κόσμος itself is investigated. Then concepts related to the cosmological vision of John receive attention, followed by an analysis of the presence of apocalyptic elements that form part of the Johannine view of reality