The Light

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
- John 1:1-5

"In the beginning" is a phrase that starts what I consider to be the most haunting words of the bible. In a few sentences, the encapsulation of what it is to send light into the world, and who that light is. This is a different creation story, a story about the creation and renewal of life, and what it is to be born of the light.

I choose this particular translation because it uses the word "comprehend." In the original Greek, the word used indicates "comprehend or understand" and, just as with the English word comprehend, the same word can also be used to indicate being a part of something, or containing something. In this case, we understand at the same time that the darkness can't understand the light, and neither can it "take it in" or contain it. So we have a substance that comes into the world without necessarily being a part of the world, and neither can it be held or contained by that world; more importantly the darkness or ignorance in the world cannot understand it, won't "get it".

The Word, or "Logos" in Greek, has a long history, first used significantly in ancient Greek in works of philosophy, to indicate meanings as varied as "creative principle", or the law or reason behind the universe, or reason itself. It is formed from the word for "speak", and has manifold echoing meanings to indicate speaking something into existence which others do not necessarily grasp or understand. So there was already a tradition in the ancient world, or an understanding of the idea of a reality of values that human beings don't necessarily grasp but nevertheless form a circuit of reality, of the good and the true.

Therefore, although I am not a biblical scholar, from my attempts at learning and meaning I can discern the echoes of many meanings here in this simple paragraph, the beginning of John. We have a world into which the light is born. Paradoxically this is the light that created the world, but as we have our own way of grasping or understanding, we may lose sight of or miss the light altogether. And we have the choice to remain ignorant of the light, although this will neither extinguish the light nor make it a part of the ignorance.

How does the light reach us? To shine a light in the darkness means that it must have a source of its own, it's not dependent on the darkness for its energy or for its fuel. We always have the choice to walk in darkness or light, the "worldly" or the good. I think of this paradox as situations I have experienced in which those with whom I am dealing or observe have no mercy in them, and have no value for mercy or love or beauty. Where there is no compassion, and no creativity, no imagination except to repeat the brutal power struggles, lies and manipulations of selfishness. No room for truth. This is darkness which does not extinguish the light and doesn't take it in.

"And whoso degrades His dignity in the creature, degrades the Creator in his victim"
- Franz Werfel, The Forty Days of Musa Dagh