Prologue: The Gospel according to John presents Jesus as the eternal Word of God who 'became a human being and lived among us'. John has portrayed Jesus as the promised Saviour, the Son of God and that those who believe in him and have faith in him will have life (20:31). John's Gospel and the Book of Genesis both begin with the words 'in the beginning'. The Word is said to be God and with God. The existence of the Word precedes creation and through the Word, creation is accomplished (1:2-3). The Word is life and light of humanity, the source of authentic and meaningful existence. Through the Word, God restores the divine-human relationship, empowering human beings in becoming children of God. The Gospel of John differs much from the Synoptic Gospels especially with regard to the spiritual and theological visions of the person, life and teachings of Jesus. John's Gospel has been called the 'Gospel of the eagle's eye' as its thoughts soar like an eagle to the heights of heavenly mysteries and simultaneously penetrates the depths of Christ's mystery. The Gospel appears about 100 AD several decades after the appearance of the Synoptic Gospels; it naturally contains more developed thoughts concerning the Christ-mystery and it originated in the Johanine community. Throughout this Gospel, we are called to commit ourselves to Christ. John is the eye-witness to Jesus Christ 'who saw it and has borne witness' (19:35). He is the beloved disciple who stands at the foot of the cross. He lives to a ripe old age and writes this Gospel out of his own experience. The Gospel of John transmits the power of the Word of God in its highest degree because of the close bonding and deep love that existed between Jesus and him.
Titles: The Gospel explores a variety of images as a means of expressing the relationship between Jesus and God and between Jesus and humanity. There are bold affirmations that Jesus is God and the confession of