So, having a late night conversation after a long day and flooding information is not a fair move to anybody. Yet, when you get the chance to talk about that which is exciting and may be what pushes someone to that next level of engagement in their relationship with the Lord???? I stink at resisting that temptation. In all fairness, however, here is a summary for you;
Hebrew, originally, had no vowels. It was simply consonants as far as letters go. To learn the written word, one had to have study in a mentoring relationship to know the words and how to say them when you found them in the context of a sentence. In essence, on the page, they were but dead lifeless symbols that pointed (and still point) to something greater. When the breath that was given to man was then added to the symbols, by means of speaking the words aloud, they were then given life. In this way, no single "word" could be taken on its own out of the context of the sentence it was in because it would lose any specific meaning. Students still practice today sitting across from each other alternating as they read aloud the words of ancient scripture.
It was not until late, off the top of my head I do not recall exactly how late, but will guess somewhere around 12th to 14th century that Hebrew was "rediscovered" and they began doing the vowel pointing that is seen commonly today. Prior to that, to read it, you had to in a sense memorize it which then led to you being able to recite it and no need of the vowel pointing. As persecutions go and the Jews were dispersed more and more, hebrew was read less and less--as in the Septuagint (Greek version) of the Old Testament that became so common following the Babylonian exile. (As an aside, this is also some of the argument that was taking place at the time between Pharisees and Sadducees as they were disagreeing on which were more accurate scriptures--just the Pentateuch or did the other writings have validity and did that validity include the writings that were part of the exile?)
So, back to the point. Adam came to life as a result of God breathing life into him. Then comes the word on the page which reveals God to his people, but it means that his people have to then give that life giving breath back as a gift when they read the word in order for it to come to life.
Now, take a dip into John's Gospel and the first chapter. In this chapter, John crashes together the Hebrew understanding of word and the life giving breath with the Greek understanding of word (from their philosophy) and we come to Logos. It is the very thought of God in action. Through God "speaking" the world came into being and nothing came into being without God speaking it. Thus, all creation comes through pre-incarnate Jesus as he is word at that time. Yet, ultimately, as part of the plan, that word does not remain as word but actually relinquishes his glory that he may become incarnate and the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us. So, the breath which carried through the word and gave life to Adam gives life to the word on the page which points to the Word that comes from heaven to become incarnate and, through life, death and resurrection followed by ascension then gives life to all those who would believe.
As we read the scriptures, and especially read them O U T L O U D, we take the life breath that was given to us to give life to the word which in turn is giving life to us who believe. This is the 'simplicity' of John. He sat at the foot of the cross, the only one of the men willing to follow Jesus even to the end. He witnessed Jesus' words come to truth as he was revealed in a glory that they never imagined. Think about it. Earlier in the gospels, Jesus was asked by John and his brother to be able to be at his right and at his left when he entered into his glory. John then looks up to the cross as he is instructed to now care for our Blessed Mother. He looks at the cross as a thief is pardoned in an instant and promised paradise that day. He is there to hear the thunder, feel the earthquake and see the flood come from the side of Jesus after he has already declared that it is finished and death is defeated. I wonder how small John might have felt at that moment realizing what he had unknowingly asked for?
Anyway, when you read John next time, keep this in mind. The Greek thought was that words were powerful because they strengthened the mind and made it possible to excel in worldly wisdom. John tells them that their whole theory culminates at one point: and the word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.....yet he was not known, because they loved (and so many still do) the darkness more.
Amen
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