Before John, there was Luke: A literary exploration of Lukan and Johannine Logosology

Abstract

This article aims to provide a critical evaluation of recent discourses on Logosology (Logos Christology) within New Testament scholarship, which has been largely dominated by an exclusive-non-titular view. This prevailing view maintains that within the entire New Testament, only the Gospel of John contains a Logosological discourse (exclusive), and that prior to John, the Old Testament and Second Temple Jewish literatures employed the terms ‘Word’ and ‘Wisdom’ in non-titular ways. John, it is argued, is the first to use Logos as a Christological title. Employing a qualitative–descriptive method and literary-observational techniques, I propose an alternative view that asserts: (1) the ‘word of the LORD’ functioned as a titular designation for a theophanic figure in the Old Testament; (2) prior to John, the writings of Luke already contained Logosological expressions; and (3) the relational nature of Logosology in the Old Testament, Luke, and John becomes evident through an examination of corresponding literary motifs.
Contribution: This article introduces a relatively new interpretive horizon into New Testament scholarship, particularly concerning Logosology, by taking into account not only the Johannine corpus but also the Old Testament and the writings of Luke.