The Significance of John 1:14-18 for Understanding John's Approach to Law and Ethics

Abstract

The paper examines the role and status of Torah in Johannine ethics by examining where Torah first becomes the focus of attention, John 1:14-18. While what precedes in the prologue provides important background and what follows in the rest of the Gospel sheds significant light on the passage, this paper argues that already within 1:14-18, and not just in 1:16b, key parameters are set that inform our understanding of John's approach to the Law and ethics as a whole.