The efforts of the outstanding scholar and Christian John Wycliffe in the 1370’s produced the first English Bible translation still somewhat readable. Written by hand on costly parchment, these precious texts were concealed and carried throughout England by preachers willing to risk their lives so that God’s work could be made intelligible to the common people. With his characteristic intellectual boldness, Wycliffe in this earliest translation of John 1:1-2 broke with 900 years of tradition and the two times the Greek phrase “προς τον Θεων” [pros ton theon, or “towards the God”] appears, he renders this phrase “at God.”

Yet, despite this enlightened guidance, subsequent English translators for the last six hundred years have fallen back in step with the Latin Vulgate’s affirmation that the correct thought to correctly render the beloved apostle’s subtle praise of the pre-human Logos is “with God.”

Both King James translators and the Wilson Diaglott follow St. Jerome’s Vulgate, for it is easy to see how the preposition “with” conforms to Trinitarian thought. Any other preposition creates difficulties. Following St. Jerome, John 1:1-2 has undeservedly become a Trinitarian proof text. Other usage of this phrase will show that the correct thought is to be “towards” as in the sense of being ready for service. It does not suggest “with God.”

Quoting Strong, “προς,” ( S4314 ) – “a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. toward.” After this, special rules are then introduced by Strong to justify the translator consensus for John’s Gospel. The correct sense of this phrase is revealed by looking at other uses. Outside of John 1 the phrase appears only one other time in the New Testament when we read of our Lord in Hebrews 2:17 (Rotherham) “that he might become a merciful and faithful high-priest, in the things pertaining unto God.” This follows the King James very closely here.

Examination of the Greek will show that the phrase pros ton theon is here rendered, “in [the things] pertaining unto God.” This casts a much different light on John 1:1. Clearly “with God” does not work here. Yet even highly accurate translators like Rotherham have been forced to an interpretive, though correct reading, of “towards the God.”

Rotherham is consistent with the identical use of this phrase in the writings of New Testament contemporary historian Flavius Josephus. In his “Antiquities” (9:236), Josephus writes that righteous King Jotham was to be pious “in the things pertaining to God.” (Translation cited from Steven Mason, Flavius Josephus on the Pharisees, Brill Academic Publishers (2001), page 87.) Somewhat earlier (7:384), writing about the death of King David and his special charge to his son Solomon, Solomon is, “to be just towards your subjects and pious towards God.” Here the phrase appearing as “[pious] towards God” is once again pros ton theon.

Finally, appealing directly to his countrymen, Josephus asks them to act “towards others – righteous, and towards God – pious” (pros ton theon eusebia). Mason adds, “we frequently find the qualifier pros ton theon appended to eusebia [pious]” and he cites eighteen examples in his footnotes. The thought “with God” cannot be correct in John 1:1-2 and should be literally “towards God” with the interpretive understanding that the high priest called from among men had this same service towards God as the Logos had from before the foundation of the world.

– Richard Doctor

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