1:1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John began his gospel with five verses of profound theology. His intentions were clear -- to establish a theological foundation upon the concept of the eternal God. Greek philosophers had already developed a concept called "the Idea." Philo, a Jewish philosopher from Alexandria, identified this concept as the Word (the Logos ). This did not mean word as we understand it, a group of letters written on a piece of paper. Rather, it was understood as the transcendent power or reason behind all that was seen and known. By using this Greek terminology, John tapped into the universal nature of this concept. He then went a step further, to infuse the concept of the Word with the idea of the eternal God.