Greek Question

[Meg]

Can someone please expand on the meaning of Logos.

[mikhen7]

Hello Meg. Because i assume you know there are many places online where you can find the history of this word and its various meanings, something tells me you have a particular passage in mind where it is used. It is used 330 times in the NT and translated 25 different ways.

According to the UBS 4th Ed of the Greek New Testament it has the following meanings:

λóγος - something said (e.g. word; saying; message, teaching; talk, conversaton; question after ἐρωτάω erotao; preaching.) That is just a snippet of its meanings but from it you can see it deals with a form of wisdom, thought, or speech. So depending on the context to which you are referring it could mean one of the above or any derivitive.

Now I am guessing, but are you referring to John 1:1-14? Where John describes Jesus as being the eternal λóγος or Word.

John 1:1-4 state,

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. ... 14. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..

Clearly Jesus is referred to as the Logos. A person could get really philosophical here but in a few words it refers to Jesus as being the embodiment of the eternal, complete, and perfect wisdom of God and as God manifested in the flesh.

Nothing that was made, was made without Him. It is interesting that around 6 centuries before John penned those words that a sage named Heraclitus popularized the term as defining rational principle, power, or being which speaks to men both from without and from within. It is also interesting to note that John pastored at Ephesus from where Heraclitus spoke.

Plato- divine force creating the world.
Aristotle- Insight

John goes beyond this and and presents Jesus as "the Eternal Logos, the true concept of God, and also the Word (v. 1) expressing that concept fully in His incarnation." (Earle)

Truly it was Jesus' preaching that proclaimed the λóγος of God. God as the λóγος has no parallel in any religious or philosophical writings. Literally Jesus, the λóγος , is the fullness of God.

It can also be found in two other NT passages referring to Jesus, 1 John 1:1 and Rev 19:13, both written by John.

Hope that helps.

Hebrews 1:1-2,
1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

[mattfivefour]

Logos in its most basic form in classic and koiné Greek simply means a word uttered by a living voice. In other words, a communication of an idea, a thought, or something like that. It is important to note that. Logos is the expression of a thought, not the mere name of an object ... to quote W.E. Vine.

The StudyLight Greek New Testament Lexicon says:

"In John, (Logos) denotes the essential Word of God, Jesus Christ, the personal wisdom and power in union with God, his minister in creation and government of the universe, the cause of all the world's life both physical and ethical, which for the procurement of man's salvation put on human nature in the person of Jesus the Messiah, the second person in the Godhead, and shone forth conspicuously from His words and deeds. A Greek philosopher named Heraclitus first used the term Logos around 600 B.C. to designate the divine reason or plan which coordinates a changing universe. This word was well suited to John's purpose in John 1."

Dr. Ralph Earl in his very useful "Word Meanings in the New Testament" says:

"The Greek term is Logos. This word is found about 330 times in the New Testament and is translated 25 different ways in the King James version, including 218 times as times as "word" with a small w and 50 times as "saying." Just what does it mean?

In the city of Ephesus, six centuries before John wrote his Gospel there, Heraclitus used the term logos for the rational principle, power, or being which speaks to men both from without and from within. Plato used it for the divine force creating the world. With Aristotle it was "insight." In general, the Greeks thought of logos as "reason" or "thought." Whereas the Jewish emphasis was on logos as "word."

Philo, a Jew who lived in Alexandria in the time of Christ, sought to combine these two ideas— thought and speech. He used the term over 1300 times. It has been said that with Philo the Logos is often personified, but never truly personalized.

The apostle John, under divine inspiration, goes beyond all this. He presents Jesus Christ as the eternal Logos, the true concept of God, and also the "Word" expressing that concept fully in his incarnation.

Aside from three times in the first verse here and once in verse 14, "logos" is used for Christ in only two other places in the New Testament. 1 John 1:1 and Revelation 19:13. This fact tends to tie together these three books as written by John.

And if you really want to dig into the meaning of Logos, I am reproducing here Bruce Hurt's incredibly good and comprehensive study on the word "Logos":

Word (3056) (logos from légō = to speak with words; English = logic, logical) means something said and describes a communication whereby the mind finds expression in words. Although Lógos is most often translated word which Webster defines as "something that is said, a statement, an utterance", the Greek understanding of lógos is somewhat more complex.

In the Greek mind and as used by secular and philosophical Greek writers, lógos did not mean merely the name of an object but was an expression of the thought behind that object's name. Let me illustrate this somewhat subtle nuance in the meaning of lógos with an example from the Septuagint (LXX) (Greek of the Hebrew OT) in which lógos is used in the well known phrase the Ten Commandments.

The Septuagint translates this phrase using the word lógos as “the ten (deka) words (logoi)” (Ex 34:28), this phrase giving us the familiar term Decalogue. Clearly each of the "Ten Commandments" is not just words but words which express a thought or concept behind those words.

This then is the essence of the meaning of lógos and so it should not be surprising that depending on the context lógos is translated with words such as "saying, instruction, message, news, preaching, question, statement, teaching, etc". This understanding of lógos also helps understand John's repeated usage of this Greek word as a synonym for the second Person of the Godhead, the Lord Jesus Christ (see discussion below).

Lógos then is a general term for speaking, but always used for speaking with rational content. Lógos is a word uttered by the human voice which embodies an underlying concept or idea. When one has spoken the sum total of their thoughts concerning something, they have given to their hearer a total concept of that thing. Thus the word lógos conveys the idea of “a total concept” of anything. Lógos means the word or outward form by which the inward thought is expressed and made known. It can also refer to the inward thought or reason itself. Note then that lógos does not refer merely to a part of speech but to a concept or idea. In other words, in classical Greek, lógos never meant just a word in the grammatical sense as the mere name of a thing, but rather the thing referred to, the material, not the formal part. In fact, the Greek language has 3 other words (rhema, onoma, epos) which designate a word in its grammatical sense. Lógos refers to the total expression whereas rhema (see word study) for example is used of a part of speech in a sentence. In other words rhema, emphasizes the parts rather than the whole.

Cremer explains that lógos is used of the living, spoken word,

the word not in its outward form, but with reference to the thought connected with the form,… in short, not the word of language, but of conversation, of discourse; not the word as a part of speech, but the word as part of what is uttered.

Although not every lexicographer would agree with Vincent's assessment of the origin of lógos, his comments are very interesting and worth noting. He explains that

lógos is from the root "leg-", appearing in lego, the primitive meaning of which is to lay: then, to pick out, gather, pick up: hence to gather or put words together, and so, to speak. Hence lógos is, first of all, a collecting or collection both of things in the mind, and of words by which they are expressed. It therefore signifies both the outward form by which the inward thought is expressed, and the inward thought itself. (Vincent, M. R. Word studies in the New Testament: Vol. 2, Page 1-25)

Barclay adds that

the Greek term for word is lógos; but lógos does not only mean word; it also means reason. For John, and for all the great thinkers who made use of this idea, these two meanings were always closely intertwined. Whenever they used lógos the twin ideas of the Word of God and the Reason of God were in their minds. (Barclay, W: The Daily Study Bible Series, Rev. ed. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press)

As alluded to earlier the 330 uses of lógos are translated by multiple English words in the NASB, as shown by the following compilation with the parentheses indicating the number of occurrences

account(7), accounting(2), accounts(2), answer(1), appearance(1), complaint(1), exhortation (1), have to do(1), instruction(1), length (1), matter(4), matters(1), message(10), news(3), preaching(1), question(2), reason(2), reasonable(1), remark(1), report(1), said(1), say(1), saying(4), sayings(1), speaker(1), speech(10), statement(18), story(1), talk(1), teaching(2), thing(2), things(1), utterance(2), what he says(1), what (1), word(179), words(61).

The following discussion will not deal with all of these nuances of lógos.

For more discussion and specific uses of the individual words by which logos is translated click Vine's main lexicon entry "Word" and you might also check his less in depth discussions at cause, communication, do, doctrine, fame, intent, matter, mouth, preaching, question, reason, reckoning, rumor, saying, shew, speech, talk, thing, tidings, treatise, utterance, work

Lógos was in use among Greeks before John used it, the Greeks using it to denote the principle which maintains order in world. In connection with the Greek word for “seed” in its adjective form, Lógos was used to express the generative principle or creative force in nature. The Stoics believed that this world was permeated with that Lógos. It was the Lógos which put sense into the world. It was the Lógos which kept the stars in their courses and the planets in their appointed tracks. It was the Lógos which controlled the ordered succession of night and day, and summer and winter and spring and autumn. The Lógos was the reason and the mind of God in the universe, making it an order and not a chaos.

In summary, Greek philosophers, in attempting to understand the relationship between God and the universe, spoke of an unknown mediator between God and the universe, naming this mediator, “Logos” John tells them that this mediator unknown to them is our Lord, and he uses the same name “Lógos .” In the first verse of his gospel John gives us a summary outline of Jesus' preexistence, His fellowship with God the Father in His preincarnate state and His absolute deity writing that

"In the beginning was the Lógos, and the Lógos was with God, and the Lógos was God." (Jn 1:1)

If there is any doubt about Who John was referring to, he goes on to describe the incarnation writing that

"the Lógos 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." (Jn 1:14)

In his first epistle John writes that

"What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life." (1Jn 1:1)

John describing Jesus' triumphant return at the end of this age writes that

"He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God." (see note Revelation 19:13).

Barclay adds that the Greeks

had the conception of the Logos. In Greek logos means two things—it means word and it means reason. The Jew was entirely familiar with the all-powerful word of God. “God said, let there be light; and there was light” (Ge 1:3). The Greek was entirely familiar with the thought of reason. He looked at this world; he saw a magnificent and dependable order. Night and day came with unfailing regularity; the year kept its seasons in unvarying course; the stars and the planets moved in their unaltering path; nature had her unvarying laws. What produced this order? The Greek answered unhesitatingly, The Logos, the mind of God, is responsible for the majestic order of the world. He went on, What is it that gives man power to think, to reason and to know? Again he answered unhesitatingly, The Logos, the mind of God, dwelling within a man makes him a thinking rational being. (Barclay, W: The Daily Study Bible Series, Rev. ed. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press)

Lógos also can refer to a computation, reckoning or a formal accounting, especially of one’s actions, and frequently with a figurative extension of commercial terminology (account, accounts). For example, Paul writes that

"each one of us shall give account (logos) of himself to God." (see note Romans 14:12)

In a similar use Jesus told about a certain rich man who called to his steward

"and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account (lógos) of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward." (Lk 16:2)

After explaining that

"the word (logos) of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

the writer then brings home his point emphasizing that

"there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." (He 4:12, 13-notes).

This last phrase reads more literally "with Whom is our reckoning (lógos)" or "to Whom we must render an account (lógos)."

The Gospel and Logos

The phrase “the word of the Lord,” the revealed will of God, is synonymous with the gospel in several instances (Acts 8:25; 12:24 13:48 13:49; 15:35 15:36, 16:32;19:10; 1Th 1:8 [note]; 2Thes 3:1 1 Peter 1:25 [note])

The gospel is also frequently referred to as "the word of God" (click here to study all 41 occurrences of this phrase in the NT).

In Acts we read that

"when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with (controlled by) the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God (this phrase referring to the gospel as it does also in the following verses in this paragraph) with boldness." (Acts 4:31)

"Now the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received (accepted deliberately and readily ~ welcomed) the word of God." (Acts 11:1)

"And when they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John as their helper...who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God....And the next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of God." (Acts 13:5,7,44).

Paul writes

that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God ("the gospel") without fear. (Php 1:!4-note)

The writer of Hebrews exhorts us to

Remember (present imperative = command to make this your habitual practice - How might we remember them? What about in prayer?) those who led you, who spoke the word of God ("the gospel") to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. (see note Hebrews 13:7)

John describes what he saw writing that...

when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God ("the gospel"), and because of the testimony which they had maintained." (see note Revelation 6:9)

"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God ("the gospel"), and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years." (see note Revelation 20:4)

Paul writes to the saints at Thessalonica

"And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word (lógos) of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word (lógos) of men, but for what it really is, the word (lógos) of God, which also performs its work in you who believe." (see note 1Thessalonians 2:13)

Lógos is also used in several other phrases as a synonym for the gospel --

"Brethren, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the word of this salvation is sent out." (Acts 13:26);

"Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace (possessing the inherent power to transform), granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands " (Acts 14:3);

Peter gave the first of 3 speeches at the Council (Sanhedrin) that amount to one of the strongest defenses of salvation by grace through faith alone contained in Scripture.

"And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe" (Acts 15:7);

Paul contrasts the word (lógos) of the Cross to the speech (lógos) of human wisdom writing that

"Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech (lógos), that the cross of Christ should not be made void. For the word (lógos) of the cross (the gospel in all its fullness centering on the incarnation and crucifixion of Christ) is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1Cor 1:17-18)

Paul goes on to explain

"namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation." (2 Cor 5:19)

"in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left" (2 Cor 6:7);

"In Him, you also, after listening to the message (lógos) of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise" (Eph 1:13)

Paul exhorted believers to keep

"holding fast (better translated "holding out or forth" the gospel) the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may have cause to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain." (see note Philippians 2:16)

Paul gave thanks

because of the hope laid up for you (saints at Colossae) in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel," (see note Colossians 1:5)

The writer of Hebrews adds that...

For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe but solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil." (see notes Hebrews 5:13; 5:14).

Lógos is used occasionally for the sum of all God's utterances, Jesus declaring that the Pharisees and Scribes were

invalidating (depriving of authority, canceling) the word (lógos) of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that. (Mk 7:13).

Lógos was used to refer to ability as an orator combined with exceptional performance (his "deed"), the "word and deed" being distinguishing marks in Greek society.

Luke conveys this same thought speaking of Christ and of Moses:

"And He said to them (on the road to Emmaus after His resurrection), “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people." (Lk 24:19)

"And Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds." (Acts 7:22)

In the last section of his epistle to the Writing to the Colossians Paul exhorts them that

"whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." (see note Colossians 3:17)

Lógos is used 20 times in the pastoral epistles (including the 5 uses mentioned in the preceding paragraph). In the first letter to Timothy Paul reminded his young protégée that

"In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly (present tense = habitual, lifestyle, passive = being, action on subject comes from outside the recipient) nourished (continually being trained up) on the words (lógos) of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following." (1Ti 4:6)

Continual feeding on the truths of Scripture is essential to the spiritual health of all Christians, but especially overseers.

John MacArthur gives a stinging commentary on the modern church noting that

"This quality (being constantly nourished on the words of the faith) is basic to excellence in ministry, but is sadly lacking in the church today. Much contemporary preaching is weak and produces weak churches because it reflects a lack of biblical knowledge and a minimal commitment to the study of Scripture. For many pastors, study is an unwelcome intrusion into their schedule. It interrupts the routine of administrative tasks and meetings with which they occupy themselves. They study only enough to make a sermon, not to feed their own hearts and think deeply and carefully on divine truth. The result is impotent sermons that fall on hard hearts and have little impact." (MacArthur, John: 1Timothy Moody Press)

Paul reminds Timothy that "the word of God" is powerful and cannot be "imprisoned" (2Ti 2:9-note), that it is "the word of truth" that the workman is to handle accurately (2Ti 2:15-note), that he is to "preach the word (being) ready in season and out" (2Ti 4:3-note), and that the "teaching" (lógos) had been "vigorously opposed" implying that this would likely be Timothy's as experience as well as all overseers. (2Ti 4:15-note).

Paul emphasized the vital role of the lógos in the spiritual life of the church, commanding the Ephesian overseers to

“Be on guard for yourselves (note priority is first a call to self-examination) and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." (Acts 20:28).

Paul then goes on to say

"and now I commend (entrust) you to God and to the word of [God’s] grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” (Acts 20:32).

In other words, if an overseer is to feed (exhort) and protect (refute those who speak against) the flock, he must be a student of the Scriptures and devoted to prayer. Only then will the overseer have true knowledge of the "faithful word" and the wisdom to be able to apply that knowledge.

The Septuagint (Greek of the Hebrew OT) uses lógos 849 times. In one well known use the psalmist asks

"How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Thy word (lógos)." (Ps 119:9)

Spurgeon commenting on this verse gives good advice for young men, especially those who might aspire to be overseers writing

"Young man, the Bible must be your chart, and you must exercise great watchfulness that your way may be according to its directions. You must take heed to your daily life as well as study your Bible, and you must study your Bible that you may take heed to your daily life. To obey the Lord and walk uprightly will need all our heart and soul and mind. Yet the word is absolutely necessary, for otherwise care will darken into morbid anxiety, and conscientiousness may become superstition. It is not enough to desire to be right; for ignorance may make us think that we are doing God service when we are provoking him, and the fact of our ignorance will not reverse the character of our action, however much it may mitigate its criminality. Let each person, young or old, who desires to be holy have a holy watchfulness in his heart, and keep the Holy Bible before his open eye. There he will find every turn of the road marked down, every slough and miry place pointed out, with the way to go through unsoiled; and there, too, he will find light for his darkness, comfort for his weariness, and company for his loneliness, so that by its help he will reach the benediction of the first verse of the psalm ("How blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD" Ps 119:1 - Spurgeon's note on verse 1), which suggested the psalmist’s inquiry and awakened his desires." (Spurgeon, C. H. The Treasury of David)

MacArthur says that

"It is failure in the area of holding fast the faithful word that is largely responsible for the superficial, self-elevating preaching and teaching in many evangelical churches...the weak, shallow, insipid sermonettes for Christianettes” Here is the real villain that has led so many to be converted to what they consider relevancy and therefore to preach a pampering psychology or become standup comics, storytellers, clever speechmakers or entertainers who turn churches into what John Piper in his most excellent book The Supremacy of God in Preaching has called “the slapstick of evangelical worship” (Baker, 1990, p 21). Preaching and teaching are the primary responsibilities of elders." (MacArthur. Titus: Moody Press)

Dearly beloved elder/overseer, are you feeding the sheep or too busy to even feed yourself? The spiritual health of the flock is at stake. Peter informs us that it is only by the intake of the

"pure milk of the Word that...you may grow in respect to salvation." (see note 1 Peter 2:2)

Jesus prayed for His disciples (including overseers) asking His Father to "Sanctify them (make them holy, separate from the profane world around them. How?) in the truth" emphasizing that "Thy Word is truth." (Jn 17:17)

Warren Wiersbe described a naive church member who said

"We don’t want doctrine; just give us helpful devotional thoughts!” does not not know what he is saying. Apart from the truth (and this means Bible doctrine), there can be no spiritual help or health. (Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor) Overseers are to hold fast to sound, healthy doctrine irregardless of what other "pastures" the sheep clamor for!

The overseer (and every believer) is enabled "to stand firm against the schemes of the devil" (Ep 6:11-note) because he has "girded (his) loins with truth" (Ep 6:14-note) The only "offensive" weapon the overseer can wield against the lies of Satan is "the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" (Ep 6:17-note).

The overseer should cling to the faithful word because it is

the word of His grace (Acts 14:3)

the word of the gospel (Acts 15:7)

the word of promise (Ro 9:9-note)

the word of the Cross (1Cor 1:18)

the word of reconciliation (2Co 5:19)

the word of life (Php 2:16-note)

the word of truth (2 Cor 6:7, Col 1:5-note)

the message of truth (Eph 1:13-note)

the word of His power (He 1:3-note)

the word of righteousness (He 5:13-note)

the word of Christ (Ro 10:17-note; Col 3:16-note)

the word of the Lord (Click the 18 occurrences in NAS NT)

the word of God (Click the 39 occurrences in NAS NT)

Thus saith the Lord! should "punctuate" the ending of every exhortation and refutation the overseer speaks forth. See the interesting A. W. Pink booklet on Profiting From the Word.

C. H. Spurgeon's exhortation is applicable to overseers. He writes

''It is blessed, to eat into the very soul of the Bible until, at last, you come to talk in Scriptural language, and your spirit is flavored with the words of the Lord, so that your blood is Bibline and the very essence of the Bible flows from you.''

I hope this helps.

[Meg]

Oh Matt, thank you, this is a feast for the spirit and the faith. I'm too mentally packed up to absorb it all, but this very much answers my question! Between the opening passages of John, applying Logos to Jesus Christ, and 1 Corinthians also using Logos in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, this is what I was wondering about. This really unpacks the depth and truth the Apostles were out to express.

Thank you so much!!

[Meg]

Bump! Matt, and Mike too, I can't thank you enough for this brilliant explanation of such an important concept.

[Meg]

Bump!