January 3, 2010 - Logos and Phos















1In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2He was with God in the beginning.
3Through him all things were made;
without him nothing was made that has been made.  
4In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  
5The light shines in the darkness,
but the darkness has not understood[a] it.
6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.
7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe.
8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.[b]


Original Word: φῶς
Transliteration: phós
Phonetic Spelling: (foce)
Short Definition: light
phosgene, phosphor, phosphate, phosphorus, phosphorescent, phosphorescence

Original Word: λόγος
Transliteration: logos
Phonetic Spelling: (log'-os)
Short Definition: word


Two Greek word/concepts central to the view of Jesus shaped in early church.  Expression became such a central characteristic of the godhead that it became the godhead.

We are what we display(?)

Logos -popular and more examined
Phos - more common association, yet less propagated
  • I am the light of the world he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.  john 8:12
  • As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world  john 9:5
  • You are the light of the world  Matt 5:14
Both Greek words are getting at a similar concept:   Outreaching enlightenment.



phos and zoe  - life and light cross

Both are words of extension, of outgoingness and characterize God.


alternatives to the outgoing God:
  • the uncaring God, self-sufficient and complete
  • the indrawing God, sucking energy and service
  • the not God, emptiness
Outgoing God reflected in nature:

    In 1929 Edwin Hubble, working at the Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena, California, measured the redshifts of a number of distant galaxies. He also measured their relative distances by measuring the apparent brightness of a class of variable stars called Cepheids in each galaxy. When he plotted redshift against relative distance, he found that the redshift of distant galaxies increased as a linear function of their distance. The only explanation for this observation is that the universe was expanding.

    Implications of Logos and Phos, of the outgoing God



    God is always reaching out to us.
          good times, bad times

    We reflect God when we reach out as well.
         tougher for some (introverts)
         at least reach back to God.











    Resources

    Cliff Richard — Shine, Jesus, Shine lyrics

    Lord the Light of Your Love is shining,
    In the midst of the darkness shining,
    Jesus light of the world shine upon us,
    Set us free by the truth You now bring us,
    Shine on me. Shine on me.

    Shine Jesus shine
    Fill this land with the Father's glory
    Blaze, Spirit blaze,
    Set our hearts on fire
    Flow, river flow
    Flood the nations with grace and mercy
    Send forth Your word
    Lord and let there be light.

    As we gaze on Your kindly brightness.
    So our faces display Your likeness.
    Ever changing from glory to glory,
    Mirrored here may our lives tell Your story.
    Shine on me. Shine on me.

    "Fundamentalism fails to make contact with the present situation, not because it speaks from beyond every situation, but because it speaks from a situation of the past.  It elevates something finite and transitory to infinite and eternal validity.  In this respect fundamentalism has demonic traits.  It destroys the humble honesty of the search fro truth, it splits the conscience of its thoughtful adherents, and it makes them fanatical because they are forced to suppress elements of truth of which they are dimly aware."  Paul Tillich (ST, p.1)



    (c) William H. Levering 2009