The Deity of Jesus Christ
IN the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
3 All things exist through him; and without him, exists not one thing which does exist.
4 In Him is life; and the life, is the light of men.
5 The light shines in darkness; and the darkness has not overcome it.
The Light of the World
6 ¶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He came for a witness: to bear witness about the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness about that Light.
9 ¶ That is the true Light, which shines upon every man, that comes into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world existed through Him, yet the world did not know Him.
11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
12 ¶ But as many as did receive Him; to them He gave the ability to become the children of God: those, that believe in His name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man: but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us: and we saw His glory; the glory as the only begotten of the Father: full of grace and truth.
John’s Witness
15 ¶ John bore witness concerning Him, and cried, saying: “This is He of whom I spoke: He that comes after me, is greater than I am: because He existed before me.”
16 And from his fulness we have all received, grace upon grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father: He has made Him known.
19 ¶ And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him: “Who are you?”
20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed: “I am not the Christ!”
21 And they asked him: “Who then? Are you Elijah?” And he said: “I am not.” “Are you ‘The prophet’?” And he answered: “No.”
22 Then they said to him: “Who are you? that we may give an answer to those that sent us. What do you say of yourself?”
23 He said: “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,'” as said the prophet Isaiah.
24 And those sent, were of the Pharisees.
25 ¶ And they asked him, and said to him: “Why do you baptize then; if you be not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”
26 John answered them, saying: “I baptize with water: but there stands among you, one whom you do not know;
27 It is He, who comes after me, who existed before me: whom, I am not worthy to unloose His sandal strap.”
28 These things took place in Bethabara on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
(notes: Bethabara means ‘house of the ford’ which makes perfect sense, given its locations. For this reason I have used ‘Bethabara’ instead of ‘Bethany’ which seems incorrect in some of the Greek manuscripts)
29 ¶ The next day John saw Jesus coming to him, and said: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
30 This is He of whom I said: ‘After me comes a man; who is greater than I am: because He existed before me.’
31 And I did not know Him: but that He should be made known to Israel; because of this: I come baptizing with water.”
32 And John bore witness, saying: “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven as a dove, and it remained upon Him.
33 And I did not know Him: but He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said to me: ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the same is He which baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
34 And I saw, and bare witness, that this is the Son of God.”
35 ¶ Again the next day, John standing with two of his disciples;
36 And looking upon Jesus as He walked, said: “Behold the Lamb of God!”
37 And the two disciples heeded what he said: and they followed Jesus.
38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them: “What do you seek?” They said to Him: “Rabbi (which is to say, being translated: ‘Teacher’), where do you dwell?”
39 He said to them: “Come and see.” They came and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.
40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
41 He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him: “We have found ‘the Messiah'” (which being translated is: ‘the Christ’);
42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said: “You are Simon the son of Jona: you shall be called ‘Cephas'” (which by translation is: Peter, meaning a rock).
43 ¶ The day following, Jesus decided to go forth into Galilee, and found Philip, and said to him: “Follow me.”
44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip found Nathanael, and said to him: “We have found Him, of whom wrote Moses in the law; and the prophets: Jesus the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
46 And Nathanael said to him: “Can anyone good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him: “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him: “Behold a true Israelite, in whom is no deceit!”
48 Nathanael said to Him: “From where do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him: “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree; I saw you.”
49 Nathanael answered and said to Him: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
50 Jesus answered and said to him: “Because I said to you: ‘I saw you under the fig tree’, do you believe? you shall see greater things than these.”
51 And He said to him: “In truth, I say to you: Hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”