Prologue to the Gospel according to St. John

The divinity, humanity, and office of Jesus Christ, the Word of God, and himself God.

(The Gospel History, Section 1)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not. There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness of the light. There was the true light, even the light which lighteth every man, coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and they that were his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.

Prologue to the Gospel according to St. John

(The Saviour of the World, Vol I Book I Poem I)

Intimate, searching, inly witnessing
In every heart of man, behold, the Word!

We know not whence we came; nor how became:
The Word was in the beginning, and was God.

We may not know; but may know Him who knows;
For with the Word have all men secret speech.

The Word with the Father was ere time began:
He tells us of the Father all we know.

Whence came the world, and how were all things made?
All things that be to-day are of the Word.

No longer baffled, we, by tortuous quest—
Whether all life proceed from two or many,
Whether our origins be high or low—
Those things concern the manner of our making:
In Him was life; that is enough to know:
How He dispersed the largess of His bounty,
’Twere good indeed to learn; and time will come
When ear to hear the whisper of the Word
Shall wake; a man, learned in the laws of things,
That he heard whispered by the Word, shall tell.
Till then we wait, not knowing whence we came,
But knowing Him from whom all doth proceed.

Nothing of all good things that have been made,
Picture, or world, or book, without Him came.

Nor knowledge good for man can mankind know,
But He vouchsafes it; He is all our light.

And every man who comes into the world
By that true light is lighted, knowing it not.

The light in darkness shone; darkness nor quench’d
Nor caught the light, but dark in the light remained.

He came unto the world that He had made,
And the world knew not Him, its life and light.

He came to His own people, called of Him,
And they that were His own received Him not.

As many as received Him, they became
Children of God, believing on His Name.

Our flesh the Word became, and dwelt with us,
And we beheld His glory, as, of God,
The only-begotten Son: we who believed
Knew glory when we saw it, by the signs—
Not of the pomp and majesty of Kings—
But Grace, the touch of God, showed sweet in Him;
And Truth, discerning all things, made Him simple,
His glory saw we—full of grace and truth.

St. John i. 1–14