Solemnity of Christmas (During the Day, December 25)

1st Reading: Isaiah 52:7-10

The Messenger of Peace
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[7] How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings
good tidings, who publishes peace, who brings good tidings of good,
who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns." [8]
Hark, your watchmen lift up their voice, together they sing for joy;
for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion. [9] Break forth
together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord
has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. [10] The
Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and
all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

[11] Depart, depart, go out thence, touch no unclean thing; go out
from the midst of her, purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of
the Lord. [12] For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go
in flight, for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will
be your rear guard.

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Commentary:

52:7-12. Salvation is approaching; it has reached the gates of Zion, and
its herald is the messenger "who publishes salvation" (v. 7), proclaiming
that the Lord is returning to his holy city, like a victorious king coming
back with his men, having redeemed them from their captors (vv. 7-8).
This victory parade includes songs of joy extolling the salvation brought
about by the Lord, and also a pressing call to purification, to ensure
that those who welcome the Lord are worthy to form part of his holy
company (vv. 11-12). These verses form the famous poem of the "mes-
senger of peace" who "brings good tidings". The ideas of the first oracle
of this second part of the book (40:1-11) are repeated here very beauti-
fully. The messenger’s feet are praised--a symbol of his speed and
surefootedness when crossing the mountains, which is where impor-
tant news comes from (ci. 40:9). His message (v. 7) is described very
significantly as involving "peace", which in Isaiah means safety in Israel
after the hardships of exile; "good tidings" or, more literally, "news of
goodness and well-being", that is, genuine material and spiritual pros-
perity; and "salvation", which is permanent renewal on all levels. The
three words read together mean the highest degree of happiness ima-
ginable. The core of this message is the enthronement of God: "Your
God reigns," similar to 40:9: "Behold your God." What is new about this
poem is that it depicts God as the king of Zion (cf. 24:23). The kingdom
of God is sublime; and only analogically is it comparable to earthly king-
doms, as can be seen in the psalms of divine kingship (Ps 47:8; 93:1;
96:10; 97:1), and, much more fully; in the New Testament, which
records Jesus' preaching centered on the Kingdom of God.

As in a stage play, the arrival of the messenger, which is really the
same thing as the arrival of God as king on Zion, causes the watchmen
to raise shouts of joy that resound across the city (v. 8). Those whose
job it was to give warning of any threat now provoke unconfined joy
because of the "return of the Lord to Zion" (v. 8; Ezek 43:1-5).

In a beautiful personification, the "waste places of Jerusalem" are
called to join in the watchmen’s song (v. 9). The restoration has
come, and the credit must go to the Lord, for he has bared his holy
arm a symbol of vigorous action, as in the time of the exodus (v. 10;
ci. 40:10, 5 1:9; Ps 98:1).

The short hymn at the end (vv. 11-12) is an exhortation to be cleansed
from every trace of Babylonian idolatry and to follow the Lord's path,
who, in the early trek through the wilderness (cf. Ex 13:21-22), travels
at the head of the company and is also its rearguard.

St Paul quotes the words of v. 7 in Romans 10:15 when he is making
the point that preaching is necessary if the Gospel is to be spread. So,
they are an abiding call to apostolate.

The words of this oracle (especially v. 11) have also been applied by
Christian tradition to those who have pastoral responsibilities: "A pastor
should be a man whose thoughts are pure and purified. No stain should
mar the character of the man who holds the office of pastor; thus shall
he be able to cleanse the impurity of those in his care. The one whose
work it is to purify stains must have clean hands, to ensure that, when
he seeks to cleanse, he does not soil his charges more. The prophet
says: purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of the Lord. Those
who are entrusted with leading souls along the path of faith to their
eter nal home bear the vessels of the Lord. Considercarefully, then,
how pure they must be who have devoted themselves to the task of
bearing living vessels to the eternal Temple" (St Gregory the Great,
"Regula Pastoralis", 2, 2).

2nd Reading: Hebrews 1:1-6

The Greatness of the Incarnate Son of God
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[1] In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the
prophets; [2] but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son,
whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created
the world. [3] He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of
his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had
made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty
on high, [4] having become as much superior to angels as the name
he has obtained is more excellent than theirs.

Proof from Sacred Scripture
---------------------------
[5] For to what angel did God ever say, "Thou art my Son, today I have
begotten thee"? Or again, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to
me a son"? [6] And again, when he brings the first-born into the world,
he says, "Let all God's angels worship him."

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Commentary:

1-4. The first four verses are a kind of prologue to the letter, which
does not carry the greetings and words of thanksgiving to God normally
found in letters of St Paul. Like the prologue of St John's Gospel, the
letter moves immediately into its main subject--the divinity of Jesus
Christ, our Redeemer. It speaks of Christ as a Son whose sonship is
eternal, prior to the creation of the world and to his Incarnation; it
speaks also of Christ's mission to save all men, a mission appropriate
to the Word who created all things. This exposition culminates in the
affirmation of Christ's absolute superiority over angels, a theme
dealt with, in different ways, up to the end of the second chapter.

The entire epistle in fact develops the subject entered on in the
prologue--the sublimity of Christ, the natural and eternal Son of God,
the universal Mediator, the eternal Priest. This is why St Thomas
Aquinas says that the subject matter of this epistle is the
"excellence" of Christ. In this respect the Letter to the Hebrews is
different from the other letters in the Pauline corpus: in some letters
(the "Great Epistles" and the Captivity Letters) the Apostle deals with
the grace which imbues the entire mystical body of the Church; others
(the Pastoral Letters) deal with the grace bestowed on certain members
of the Church (such as Timothy and Titus); whereas the Letter to the
Hebrews looks at grace as it is found in the Head of the mystical body,
Christ. This "excellence" of Christ the Angelic Doctor adds, is exa-
mined by St Paul from four points of view: the first is that of Christ's
origin, which the sacred writer identifies by calling him the true (natural,
metaphysical) Son of God, when he says that God has spoken to us
by a Son; the second is that of his power, for he depicts him as being
made the heir of all things; the third is that of his activity, when he
affirms that he created the world; the fourth, his sublime dignity, when
he says that Christ reflects the glory of God (cf. "Commentary on
Heb.", Prologue and 1:1).

Christ is thus presented as the pinnacle and fullness of salvific
Revelation, as the Second Vatican Council reminds us: "After God had
spoken many times and in various ways through the prophets 'in these
last days he has spoken to us by a Son' (Heb 1:1-2). For he sent his
Son, the eternal Word who enlightens all men, to dwell among men and
to tell them about the inner life of God [...]. He did this by the total
fact of his presence and self-manifestation--by words and works, signs
and miracles, but above all by his death and glorious resurrection from
the dead, and finally by sending the Spirit of truth. He revealed that
God was with us, to deliver us from the darkness of sin and death, and
to raise us up to eternal life" ("Dei Verbum", 4).

1. Divine Revelation, which is rightly called "the Word of God", deve-
lops in stages in the course of the Old and New Testaments. "By
this Revelation," Vatican II teaches, 'the invisible God (cf. Col 1:15;
1 Tim 1:17), from the fullness of his love, addresses men as his
friends (cf. Ex 33:11; Jn 15:14-15), and moves among men (cf. Bar 3:
38), in order to invite and receive them into his own company. This
economy of Revelation is realized by deeds and words, which are
intrinsically bound up with each other. As a result, the works
performed by God in the history of salvation show forth and bear out
the doctrine and realities signified by the words; the words, for their
part, proclaim the works, and bring to light the mystery they contain"
("Dei Verbum", 3). Revelation is, then, a gradual opening up of God's
mysteries whereby little by little, like a wise teacher, it makes known
who he is and what his plans are concerning the salvation of all man-
kind. For, although there is only one God and one way of salvation,
man needs to be educated by means of many precepts and to pro-
gress by stages on his way to God and so advance in faith towards
complete salvation in Christ. God in his mercy reveals his mysteries
to man in this way in order that the whole world experiencing "this
saving proclamation, on hearing it should believe, on believing it hope,
on hoping in it love" (St Augustine, "De Catechizandis Rudibus", 4, 8).

When speaking of Revelation, the First Vatican Council recalled that
although 'God, the origin and end of all things, can be known with
certainty by the natural light of human reason from the things that he
created, [...] it was, nevertheless, the good pleasure of his wisdom
and goodness to reveal himself and the eternal decrees of his will to
the human race in another and supernatural way" ("Dei Filius", Chap.
2). This supernatural revelation, as it says (reaffirming the teaching
of the Council of Trent), is contained in books and in oral traditions
which the Apostles received from Christ or from the Holy Spirit and
passed on to us. Christ's Gospel had earlier been promised by the
prophets and, more generally, by the entire Old Testament. The
epistle refers to this when it says that God spoke in the past through
the mouth of the prophets "in many ways", that is, at various stages
in the history of the chosen people, and "in various ways", that is, by
means of visions, words, actions and historical events.

2. "The most intimate truth which this revelation gives us about God
and the salvation of man shines forth in Christ, who is himself both
the mediator and the sum total of Revelation" ("Dei Verbum", 2).

St John of the Cross comments on this passage in a very beautiful
and profound way: "And this is as if he had said: That which God spoke
of old in the prophets to our fathers in sundry ways and divers manners,
he has now, at last, in these days, spoken to us once and for all in
the Son. Herein the Apostle declares that God has become, as it were,
dumb, and has no more to say, since that which he spoke before, in
part, to the prophets, he has now spoken altogether in him, giving us
the All, which is his Son.

"And so he who would now enquire of God, or seek any vision or
revelation would not only be acting foolishly, but would be committing
an offense against God, by not setting his eyes altogether upon Christ,
and seeking no new thing or aught beside. And God might answer him
after this manner, saying: 'If I have spoken all things to you in my Word,
which is my Son, and I have no other word, what answer can I now
make to you, or what can I reveal to you which is greater than this?
Set your eyes on him alone, for in him I have spoken and revealed to
you all things"' ("Ascent of Mount Carmel", Book 2, Chap. 22).

The "last days" refer to the period of time between the first coming of
Christ and the second coming, or Parousia. These days have begun
because the definitive "Word" of God, Jesus Christ, can be seen and
heard. Mankind already finds itself in the "last age", in the "end of
the ages" (cf. 1 Cor 10:11; Gal 4:4; Eph 1:10).

By speaking to us through his Son, God reveals to us his saving will
from the moment of the Incarnation onwards, for the second person of
the Blessed Trinity has come into the world to redeem us by dying for
us and to open for us the way to heaven by his glorification. Therefore,
Jesus Christ is the "prophet" par excellence (cf. note on Jn 7:40-43),
for he perfects and completes God's merciful revelation. The Incarna-
tion and the subsequent events of our Lord's life are, like his teaching,
a source of salvation.

It was appropriate that the Son who perfectly revealed God the Father
should also be the divine Word, the Creator of the world (cf. Jn 1:3).
The creative action of the divine "Logos" or Word is not contradicted
by the statement that Creation is the work of God the Father, for every-
thing done by God outside himself ("ad extra") is an action common
to the three divine persons; nor is it correct to see the Word as merely
an instrument used by the Father, for he is one in substance with him.

"It is the good Father's own, unique Word who has ordered this uni-
verse. Being the good Word he has arranged the order of all things [...].
He was with God as Wisdom; as Word he contemplated the Father
and created the universe, giving it substance, order and beauty" (St
Athanasius, "Oratio Contra Gentes", 40 and 46). Not only did the Word
make the Father manifest by creation; he, together with the Father and
the Holy Spirit, acted in the revelation of the Old Testament: in fact,
many patristic writers attributed to the Son--as "angel" or "messenger
of Yahweh"--the divine epiphanies witnessed by Moses and the pro-
phets. St Irenaeus writes, for example, that Christ prefigured and pro-
claimed future events through his "Patriarchs and prophets", thereby
acting in his role as Teacher, promulgating the divine commandments
and rules andtraining his people to obey God the Father (cf. "Against
Heresies", XIV, 21). A profound harmony links God's revelation in Crea-
tion, in the Old Testament and in the New Testament: in each case it is
the same God who is manifesting himself and the Word is ever actively
involved. This activity of the Word is hidden and happens through the
prophets in the Old Testament; whereas in the New the Word becomes
flesh and acts directly. This passage in Hebrews combines the revelation
of Jesus Christ as Mediator and maker of the universe (cf. Col 1:15-18;
1 Cor 8:6) with the idea that God has at last spoken to us in his Son,
who "is in the bosom of the Father", and has made known to us the
invisible mysteries of the Godhead (cf. Jn 1:18).

3a. These words, which describe Christ's divinity and eternity, recall
the passage in the Book of Wisdom which reads, "For she is a reflec-
tion of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God" (Wis 7:26).
What the Old Testament described as an attribute of God is now re-
vealed as a personal being the second person of the Trinity, the incar-
nate Word, Jesus Christ.

Using three images, the text teaches that Jesus Christ is perfect God,
identical to the Father. By saying that he "reflects" the glory of the
Father it means that he and the Father share the same nature--which
is what we profess in the Creed when we say that Jesus Christ, the
only-begotten Son of God, is "light from light, true God from true God"
(Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed). "The author means", St John
Chrysostom writes, "that Christ has this glory in his own right; it can
suffer no eclipse nor can it either increase or diminish" ("Hom. on
Heb.", 2).

The Son is also "stamped" with the nature of the Father; "stamp" is a
translation of the Greek word "character", which means the mark left
by a tool used to engrave or seal (for example, the impression of a seal
on wax, or the seal affixed to a document, or the brand used to identify
livestock). This word indicates two things--first, the perfect equality be-
tween the mark and the seal which makes it, and second, the perma-
nence of the mark.

"Upholding the universe by his word of power": the Son, through whom
all things have been created, is also maintaining them in existence. God
the Father not only creates but, through the Son, maintains a continual,
direct influence on his creation; if he did not do so, as St Thomas Aqui-
nas explains, the world would revert into non-being: "If the divine power
ceased to operate, existence would cease, the being and subsistence
of every created thing would end: (the Word) therefore upholds all things
in respect of their existence, and he sustains them also by virtue of
being the first cause of everything he has created" ("Commentary on
Heb.", 1, 2). It makes sense that God the Father should wish to keep
the world in existence by means of the same Word by whom he created
it.

3b. This is the central message of the Epistle to the Hebrews: Christ,
the consubstantial Son of the Father, the perfect reflection of his sub-
stance, who created all things and maintains them in existence, by
becoming man brought about purification for sins and by his sacrifice
was glorified and put at the right hand of the Father, receiving "the
name which is above every name" (cf. Phil 2:6-11; Jn 1:1, 3, 14). The
actions of Jesus Christ are a continuum of mercy and salvation which
extends from the creation of the world and mankind to the point where
he is seated in heaven at the right hand of the Father. Creation and
Redemption are mysteries intimately linked to each other. The Son,
the divine Word, is both Creator and Redeemer. "It is appropriate to
speak in the first instance", St Athanasius writes, "of the creation of
the universe and of God its Creator, in order correctly to appreciate the
fact that the new creation of this universe has been brought about by
the Word who originally created it. For there is no contradiction in the
Father's effecting the salvation of creatures by him through whom they
were created" ("De Incarnatione Contra Arianos", 1). This is why the
tradition of the Church, echoing certain references in the New Testa-
ment (cf. Gal 6:15; 2 Cor 5:17; Eph 4:24; Col 3:10), describes the
Redemption as a "new creation".

To "sit down at the right hand of the Majesty" is equivalent to saying
"has the status of God": "Majesty" is a term of reverence used to refer
to God without naming him; thus, Jewish rabbis would refer to God as
"Lord", "the most High", "the Power", "Glory", etc. Sitting in the pre-
sence of God was a prerogative of the Davidic kings (cf.2 Sam 7:18;
Ezek 44:3), and the person at the right hand was seen as occupying
the place of honor (cf. Ps 45: 10). Psalm 110 proclaims that God will
have the Messiah sit at his right hand, and at various times Christ re-
ferred to that prophecy to assert that he was the Messiah and God (cf.
Mt 22: 44; 26:63-65; Jn 5:17-18; 10:30-33). The exaltation of the Son
to the right hand of the Father was a constant theme of apostolic prea-
ching (cf. Acts 2:33; Rom 8:34; 1 Pet 3:22; Rev 3:21; Eph 1:20). As St
John Chrysostom comments, when St Paul says that the Son sat down
at the right hand of the Majesty he means principally to refer to the sta-
tus of the Son as equal to that of the Father. And when he says that he
is on high, in heaven, far from meaning to confine God within spatial
limits, he wants us to see God the Son, as Lord of the universe, raised
up to the very throne of his Father (cf. "Hom. on Heb.", 2).

4. The prologue ends with a very important statement, which introduces
the theme of the rest of the first chapter: Christ is superior to the angels.
To understand this comparison of Christ with the angels, one needs to
bear in mind the outlook of the Jews at the time. The period immedia-
tely prior to the New Testament had seen a considerable development
of devotion to angels among the ordinary religious Jews; with the result
that this was the danger of Jesus, because he was a man, in some
way being seen as on a lower level than angels, who, created beings
though they are, are pure spirits. In the Acts of the Apostles (cf. Acts
23:9), we find the Pharisees in the Sanhedrin surmising that St Paul's
preaching may result from revelation given him y an angel; and belief in
the existence of angels was a point of contention between Pharisees
and Sadducees (cf. Acts 23:7). For this reason the author of Hebrews
wants to make it quite clear to Christians of Jewish origin that Jesus is
much more than an angelic being.

Christ is superior to angels, the inspired writer says, because he has
the title of Son, which is his by natural right. This name demonstrates
his divine nature, a nature superior to that of any visible or invisible
created being, whether material or spiritual, whether earthly or angelic:
something's name describes its essence and, particularly in Sacred
Scripture, name and essence are at times one and the same. Thus,
for example, the phrase "in the name of" (cf. Mt 28:19; Acts 3:6; 4:7;
4:12; etc.) refers not just to the authority or power of the person
named, but to the person himself. Jesus Christ, because he is the
very Son of God, is superior to angels by virtue of the glory due to his
eternal oneness with the Father. As eternal Son of God, to him be-
longed, by right of inheritance, the title of Son and Lord. Moreover,
after his passion and resurrection he has "become" superior to angels
by a new title through his exaltation on high (cf. 1 Cor 15:24-27; Phil
2:9-11). This passage refers primarily to Jesus' glorification as man;
for the words "having become as much superior to angels..." cannot
refer, St John Chrysostom points out, to his divine essence: by virtue
of his divinity the Son is equal to the Father and cannot be subject to
change, cannot "become" anything: he is eternally what he is by
generation from the Father: "Eternal Word by nature, he did not receive
his divine essence by way of inheritance. These words, which manifest
his superiority over the angels, can only refer to the human nature
with which he has been clothed: for it is that nature that is a created
one" ("Hom. on Heb.", 1).

On the essence of angels and what they are, see the note on Lk 1:11.

5. Ancient Hebrew exegesis of this verse of Psalm 2 took it in a mes-
sianic sense: the Messiah or Anointed would be king of Israel and
would enjoy God's special protection. Therefore he merited being
called "Son of God", in the same kind of way, though more eminently,
as other kings and just men of Israel deserved the title. But in Hebrews
1:5 the verse is given a much more profound interpretation: the Mes-
siah, Jesus Christ, is the eternal Son of God, begotten "today", that
is, in the continuous present of the eternal Godhead. It is affirming the
generation of the Son by the Father in the bosom of the Trinity, where-
by the Son proceeds eternally from the Father and is his mirror image.
This form of generation is radically different from physical generation,
whereby one living being physically begets another like unto himself;
and it is also quite different from Creation, whereby God makes every-
thing out of nothing. It is different from physical generation because,
in the Holy Trinity, Father and Son co-exist eternally and are one and
the same and only God, not two gods. It is different from Creation be-
cause the Son has not been made from nothing but proceeds eternally
from the Father.

God created angels in the context of time, as the Fourth Lateran Coun-
cil says in its profession of faith: "We firmly believe and profess without
qualification that there is only one true God [...], Creator of all things
visible and invisible, spiritual and corporeal, who, by his almighty power,
from the very beginning of time, has created both orders of creatures in
the same way out of nothing, the spiritual or angelic world and the cor-
poreal or visible universe. And afterwards he formed the creature man,
who in a way belongs to both orders, as he is composed of spirit and
matter" ("De Fide Catholica", Chap. 1).

The Son, on the other hand, proceeds from the Father eternally as light
rays come constantly from the sun or as water forms one single thing
with the spring from which it flows.

"These words have never been addressed to an angel," St Thomas
Aquinas comments, "but to Christ alone. In them three things may be
observed. First, the mode of origin, expressed in the word 'say'. It refers
to a type of generation which is not of the flesh but rather of a spiritual
and intellectual kind. Second, this generation has an altogether singular
character, for he says, 'Thou art my Son', as if saying that although
many others are called sons, being [God's] natural son is proper to Him
alone; others are called sons of God because they partake of the Word
of God. Third, this is not a temporal but an eternal generation" ("Com-
mentary on Heb.", 1, 3).

The quotation from Psalm 2 is completed by Nathan's prophecy to David
(2 Sam 7:14: "I will be his father, and he shall be my son"), which an-
nounces that a descendant of David will be the Messiah and will ever
enjoy God's favor. But the Hebrews text also makes it much clearer that
the Messiah is the Son of God in the proper sense of the word--a son by
nature, and not by adoption (cf. Lk 1:32-33). In Christ, therefore, two
things combine: he is the Son of God and he is the Messiah King.

6. Here the words of Deuteronomy 32:43, identical with those of Psalm
97:7 as given in the Septuagint, are used to convey, as a divine com-
mandment addressed to spiritual beings, a directive to adore the Son.
This is a further proof of Christ's superiority: the angels are to worship
him. "This adoration shows his absolute superiority over angels: it is
the superiority of the master over his servants and his slaves. When
Jesus Christ left the bosom of his Father to enter this world, God re-
quired his angels to worship him. This is what a monarch does when
he brings some great personage into his palace and wishes to have
him honored: he orders his dignitaries to bow in his presence " (Hom.
on Heb.", 3).

6. 여기서, 칠십인역에 주어져 있는 것으로서 시편 97,7의 단어들과 동일한, 
신명기 32,43의 단어들이, 영적인 있음(spiritual beings)들 쪽으로 말해진 
한 개의 신성적 명령(a divine commandment)으로서, 하느님의 아드님(the 
Son)을 흠숭하라는 한 개의 지령(a directive)을 전달하기 위하여, 사용되고 
있습니다. 이것은 다음과 같이 그리스도의 우월성에 대한 한 개의 더 나아간 
증명입니다: 천사들은 그분을 경배하여야 합니다. "바로 이러한 흠숭은 다음과 
같이 천사들에 대한 그분의 절대적인 우월성(superiority)을 보여줍니다: 이것은 
자신의 종들과 자신의 노예들에 대한 주인의 우월성입니다. 예수 그리스도께서 
바로 이 세상에 들어오기 위하여 당신의 아버지의 품을 떠날 때에, 하느님께서 
당신의 천사들에게 그분을 경배할 것을 요구하셨습니다. 바로 이것이 한 군주가, 
다음과 같이, 자신의 왕궁 안족으로 어떠한 훌륭한 명사(personage)를 그가 
데리고 들어오면서 그를 영예롭게 하고자 할 때에, 행하는 바 바로 그것입니다: 
그는 그자의 현존에서 자신의 고관들이 절을 할 것을 명령합니다" [성 요한 
크리소스토모 (St JohnChrysostom), Hom. on Heb.", 3].

This reference to "bringing the first-born into the world" is consistently
interpreted by the Fathers of the Church and by ancient writers as a
reference to the Incarnation. Some authors also see this verse as
referring to the second coming of Christ, when the world to come,
unlike the present world, will be totally subject to the Redeemer. This
interpretation connected with the end of time may explain why the text
of Deuteronomy 32:43 is used: that passage is followed by reference
to the last judgment by God.

"이 세상 안쪽으로 맏배를 데리고 들어옴"에 대한 바로 이러한 언급은 
교부들에 의하여 그리고 고대 저술가들에 의하여, 강생(Incarnation)에 대한 
한 개의 언급으로서, 시종일관하게(consistently) 해석되었습니다. 일부 
저자들은 바로 절을 그리스도의 두 번째 오심에 대한 언급 행위로서 또한 
보는데, 오개 될 세상은, 현재의 세상과 달리, 이 구속주에게 장차 전적으로 
종속하게 될 것입니다. 시간의 끝과 연결된 바로 이러한 해석은 신명기 
32,43의 본문이 왜 사용되고 있는지 그 이유를 설명할 수도 있습니다: 
바로 이 절은, 하느님에 의한 최후의 심판에 대한 언급에 의하여, 계속됩니다
(is followed).

Christ's human nature should be worshipped now and always by angels
and men alike, for by doing so they adore Jesus, who is one person --
which is divine--with two natures, one divine and one human; he is
worshipped as one: his divinity and his humanity are worshipped at
one and the same time.

This worship due to Christ over every created being is reminiscent of
what St Paul says in Philippians 2:10: "at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth", referring
to the glorified human nature of Christ. "It is fitting that the sacred hu-
manity of Christ should receive the homage, praise and adoration of
all the hierarchies of the angels and of all the legions of the blessed
in heaven" ([St] J. Escriva, "Holy Rosary", Second Glorious Mystery).

Gospel Reading: John 1:1-18

Prologue
--------
[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
word was God. [2] He was in the beginning with God; [3] all things were
made through him, and without him was not anything made that was
made. [4] In him was life, and the life was the light of men. [5] The light
shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

[6] There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. [7] He
came for testimony to bear witness to the light, that all might believe
through him. [8] He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the
light.

[9] The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the world.
[10] He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the
world knew him not. [11] He came to his own home, and his own people
received him not. [12] But to all who received him, who believed in his
name, he gave power to become children of God; [13] who 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, full of grace and
truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the father.
[15] (John bore witness to him, and cried, "This was he of whom I said,
'He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.'") [16]
And from his fullness have we all received, grace upon grace. [17] For
the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus
Christ. [18] No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bo-
som of the Father, he has made him known.

***********************************************************************
Commentary:

1-18. These verses form the prologue or introduction to the Fourth
Gospel; they are a poem prefacing the account of Jesus Christ's life on
earth, proclaiming and praising his divinity and eternity. Jesus is the
uncreated Word, God the Only-begotten, who takes on our human con-
dition and offers us the opportunity to become sons and daughters of
God, that is, to share in God's own life in a real and supernatural way.

1-18. 이들 절들은 네 번째 복음서의 서문 혹은 입문을 형성하며, 그들은, 
지상에서 예수 그리스도의 삶에 대한 이야기를 시작하는, 당신의 신성과 
영원성을 선포하고 찬양하는, 한 편의 시입니다. 예수님께서는, 우리 인간의 
상태(human condition)를 취하시어 그리하여 우리에게 하느님의 아들들과 
딸들이 될, 즉 실제의 그리고 초자연적인 방식으로 하느님 고유의 삶에 함께 
하는, 기회를 제공하시는,  창조되지 않은 거룩한 말씀(the uncreated Word)이신, 
독생 하느님(God the Only-begotten) 이십니다.
 
Right through his Gospel St John the Apostle lays special emphasis on
our Lord's divinity; his existence did not begin when he became man in
Mary's virginal womb: before that he existed in divine eternity as Word,
one in substance with the Father and the Holy Spirit. This luminous
truth helps us understand everything that Jesus says and does as
reported in the Fourth Gospel.

자신의 복음서 전반 통하여 성 요한 사도(St. John the Apostle)는 우리의 주님의 
신성(divinity)에 대한 특별한 강조를 다음과 같이 합니다: 당신의 존재는 
마리아의 동정 모태 안에서 당신께서 사람이 되실 때에 시작하였던 것이 아니라, 
그 이전에 당신께서는 영원한 신성 안에서 거룩한 말씀(Word)으로서, 성부 및 
성령과 본질에 있어(in substance) 한 분으로서, 존재하셨습니다. 바로 이러한 
빛을 발하는 진리(luminous truth)는 예수님께서 말씀하시고 그리고 행하신 
모든 것을 네 번째 복음서에 보고된 대로 우리가 이해하는 것을 도와줍니다.

St John's personal experience of Jesus' public ministry and his
appearances after the Resurrection were the material on which he drew
to contemplate God's divinity and express it as "the Word of God". By
placing this poem as a prologue to his Gospel, the Apostle is giving us
a key to understand the whole account which follows, in the same sort
of way as the first chapters of the Gospels of St Matthew and St Luke
initiate us into the contemplation of the life of Christ by telling us about
the virgin birth and other episodes to do with his infancy; in structure
and content, however, they are more akin to the opening passages of
other NT books, such as Col 1:15-20, Eph 1:13-14 and 1 Jn 1-4.

예수님의 공적 사목과 부활 이후의 당신의 출현들에 대한  성 요한의 개인적 
경험(personal experience)은, 그 위에 그가 하느님의 신성을 묵상하고
(contemplate) 그리고 이것을 "하느님의 거룩한 말씀(the Word of God)"으로서 
표현하도록 이끄는, 소재(素材, the material)였습니다. 이 시를 자신의 복음서의 
서문으로서 앉힘으로써, 이 사도는, 성 마태오(St. Matthew)와 성 루카(St. Luke)의 
복음서들의 첫 장들이 동정 출산(virgin birth)과 당신의 유아기(infancy)와 관련된 
다른 에피소드(episodes)들에 관하여 우리에게 말함으로써 그리스도의 삶에 대한 
묵상으로 우리를 입문시키는(initiate) 것과 같은 종류의 방식으로, 뒤따르는 전체 
이야기를 이해하기 위한 하나의 단서(a key)를 우리에게 제공하고 있는 중이나, 
그러나 구조 및 문맥에 있어 이들은 콜로새서 1,15-20; 에페소서 1,13-14 그리고 
1요한 1-4 등과 같이, 신약 성경의 다른 책들에 대한 시작의 절(the opening 
passages)들에 더 가깝습니다(more akin to).

The prologue is a magnificent hymn in praise of Christ. We do not know
whether St John composed it when writing his Gospel, or whether he
based it on some existing liturgical hymn; but there is no trace of any
such text in other early Christian documents.

이 서문은 그리스도에 대한 찬양에 있어 한 개의 격조 높은 찬미가(a 
magnificent hymn)입니다. 우리는 성 요한이 그가 자신의 복음서를 저술할 
때에 작곡하였는지, 혹은 그가 어떤 존재하는 전례용 찬미가(liturgical 
hymn)에 이것을 근거하였는지에 대하여 모르나, 그러나 초기의 그리스도교 
다른 문헌들에 있어 그러한 본문에 대한 어떠한 흔적(trace)도 없습니다.

The prologue is very reminiscent of the first chapter of Genesis, on a
number of scores: 1) the opening words are the same: "In the begin-
ning..."; in the Gospel they refer to absolute beginning, that is, eter-
nity, whereas in Genesis they mean the beginning of Creation and
time; 2) there is a parallelism in the role of the Word: in Genesis,
God creates things by his word ("And God said ..."); in the Gospel we
are told that they were made through the Word of God; 3) in Genesis,
God's work of creation reaches its peak when he creates man in his
own image and likeness; in the Gospel, the work of the Incarnate
Word culminates when man is raised--by a new creation, as it were
-- to the dignity of being a son of God.

이 서문은, 다음과 같은 몇 가지 범위들에 있어,  창세기 첫 번째 장을 
매우 생각나게 합니다: 1) 시작하는 표현들이 꼭 같음: "한 처음에 ...", 그리고 
이 복음서에 있어 이 표현들은 절대적인 시작(absolute begining)을, 즉 영원
(eternity)을 언급하나, 이에 반하여 창세기에서 이 표현들은 창조 및 시간의 
시작을 뜻하며; 2) 거룩하신 말씀(the Word)의 역할에 있어 다음과 같은 대비
(a parallelism)가 있음: 창세기에 있어 하느님께서는 당신의 말씀으로 
("하느님께서 말씀하셨다 ...") 사물들을 창조하시며, 그리고 이 복음서에 있어 
우리는 그들이 하느님의 거룩한 말씀을 통하여 만들어졌음을 듣게 되며; 
3)  창세기에 있어, 하느님의 창조 위업은 당신 고유의 모습과 비슷함으로 
당신께서 사람을 창조하셨을 때에 그 절정에 도달하였으며, 이 복음서에 있어, 
강생하신 거룩한 말씀의 위업은 사람이, 말하자면, 새로운 창조에 의하여, 
한 명의 하느님의 아들(a son of God)이라는 지위로까지 일으켜 세워질(is 
raised) 때에 절정에 이릅니다.

The main teachings in the prologue are: 1) the divinity and eternity of
the Word; 2) the Incarnation of the Word and his manifestation as man;
3) the part played by the Word in creation and in the salvation of man-
kind; 4) the different ways in which people react to the coming of the
Lord -- some accepting him with faith, others rejecting him; 5) finally,
John the Baptist bears witness to the presence of the Word in the
world.

이 서문의 주요 가르침들은 다음과 같습니다: 1) 거룩한 말씀의 신성 및 영원성; 
2) 말씀의 강생 그리고 사람으로서 당신의 드러내심; 3) 창조에 있어 그리고 
인류의 구원에 있어 거룩한 말씀에 의한 역할; 4) 주님의 오심에 사람들이 
반응함에 있어 서로 다른 방식들 - 어떤 이들은 믿음과 함께 받아들이나, 
다른 이들은 당신을 거부함; 5) 끝으로, 세례자 요한이 이 세상 안에 거룩하신 
말씀의 현존에 대하여 증거함.

The Church has always given special importance to this prologue; many
Fathers and ancient Christian writers wrote commentaries on it, and
for centuries it was always read at the end of Mass for instruction and
meditation.

교회는 이러한 서문에 다음과 같이 특별한 중요성을 항상 주어왔습니다: 
많은 교부들과 고대의 그리스도교 저술가들은 이 서문에 대하여 주석들을 
썼으며, 그리고 여러 세기 동안 이 서문은 가르침(instruction)과 명상
(meditation)을 위하여 미사의 마지막에 항상 읽혔습니다.

The prologue is poetic in style. Its teaching is given in verses, which
combine to make up stanzas (vv. 1-5; 6-8; 9-13; 14-18). Just as a stone
dropped in a pool produces ever widening ripples, so the idea expressed
in each stanza tends to be expanded in later verses while still
developing the original theme. This kind of exposition was much favored
in olden times because it makes it easier to get the meaning across--
and God used it to help us go deeper into the central mysteries of our
faith.

이 서문은 양식에 있어 시적입니다, 그 가르침이 절들로 주어져 있는데, 
이들은 연(聯, stanzas)들을 (제1-5절; 제6-8절; 제14-18절) 구성하기 위하여 
결합합니다. 연못에 떨어진 한 개의 돌멩이가  언제나 넓어지는 잔물결들을 
산출하는 것과 꼭 마찬가지로, 각 연에서 표현되는 개념은, 여전히 원래의 
주제를 발전시키면서도, 나중의 절들에서 확장되는 경향을 가지고 있습니다. 
이러한 종류의 설명은 옛 시대들에 있어 훨씬 더 선호되었는데 이는 이것이 
그 의미를 알게 하는 것을 쉽게 하기 때문이며, 그리고 우리가 우리의 믿음의 
핵심 신비들로 더 깊숙히 들어가는 것을 도와주기 위하여 하느님께서 이것을 
사용하셨습니다.

1. The sacred text calls the Son of God "the Word." The following
comparison may help us understand the notion of "Word": just as a
person becoming conscious of himself forms an image of himself in his
mind, in the same way God the Father on knowing himself begets the
eternal Word. This Word of God is singular, unique; no other can exist
because in him is expressed the entire essence of God. Therefore, the
Gospel does not call him simply "Word", but "the Word." Three truths
are affirmed regarding the Word--that he is eternal, that he is distinct
from the Father, and that he is God. ''Affirming that he existed in the
beginning is equivalent to saying that he existed before all things" (St
Augustine, "De Trinitate", 6, 2). Also, the text says that he was with
God, that is, with the Father, which means that the person of the Word
is distinct from that of the Father and yet the Word is so intimately
related to the Father that he even shares his divine nature: he is one in
substance with the Father (cf. "Nicean Creed").

1. 이 성스러운 본문은 하느님의 아드님(성자)을 ‘(유일하신) 말씀(the Word)’으로 
부르고 있습니다. 다음의 비교는 우리가 이 ‘(유일하신) 말씀’의 개념을 이해하는 
데에 도움이 될 것입니다: 마치 한 개인이 자신을 의식함에 따라 자신의 마음에 
자신에 대한 모습(image)을 형성하게 되듯이, 이와 꼭 같이 성부이신 
하느님께서는 당신 자신에 대하여 아시게 됨에 따라 이 영원한 말씀을 
낳으십니다(begets, 생기게 하십니다). 이 하느님의 말씀은 단수이며 유일하기에, 
다른 어떤 것으로는 존재할 수 없는데 이는 이 하느님의 말씀(즉, 성자) 안에서 
하느님의 전체 본질(entire essence)이 표현되기 때문입니다. 따라서 이 복음 
말씀은 이 하느님의 말씀을 단순히 ‘Word’가 아닌, ‘the Word[(유일하신) 말씀]’으로 
부르고 있습니다. "이 (유일하신) 말씀, 즉 하느님의 아드님(성자)에 관하여 다음의 
세 가지의 진리들이 확언되고 있습니다(affirmed): 성자께서는 영원하시고, 성자께서는 
성부로부터 구분되시며, 그리고 성자께서는 하느님이십니다. “성자께서 한 처음에 
존재하셨다는 것을 확언하는 것은 성자께서 모든 것들 이전에 존재하셨음을 
말하는 것과 동치입니다.” [히포의 성 아우구스티노, De Trinitate, 6,2]. 
또한, 이 본문은 성자께서는 하느님, 즉 성부와 함께 계셨다고 말하는데, 이것은 
이 (유일하신) 말씀의 위격이 성부의 위격과 구분됨을 뜻하며 그러나 여전히 
이 (유일하신) 말씀이 성부와 매우 친밀하게 관련되어 있기에 
이 (유일하신) 말씀(성자)은 심지어 성부의 거룩한 본성을 공유하고 계십니다
(shares): 당신께서는 본체(本體, sustance)에 있어 성부와 하나이십니다(he is one 
in substance with the Father) [cf. 니케아 신경(Nicean Creed)].

To mark the Year of Faith (1967-1968) Pope Paul VI summed up this
truth concerning the most Holy Trinity in what is called the "Creed of
the People of God" (n. 11) in these words: "We believe in our Lord Je-
sus Christ, who is the Son of God. He is the eternal Word, born of the
Father before time began, and one in substance with the Father,
"homoousios to Patri", and through him all things were made. He was
incarnate of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, and was
made man: equal therefore to the Father according to his divinity, and
inferior to the Father according to his humanity; and himself one, not
by some impossible confusion of his natures, but by the unity of his
person."

신앙의 해(the Year of Faith)(1967-1968)를 두드러지게(mark) 하고자 교황 
바오로 6세께서는  "하느님의 백성의 신앙 고백(Creed of the People of God)" 로 
불리는 바에서(no. 11) 가장 거룩하신 성삼위에 관한 이러한 진리를 다음의 
표현들로 요약하셨습니다: "하느님의 아드님이신 우리의 주님이신 예수 
그리스도를 우리는 믿나이다. 당신께서는 영원한 말씀이시며, 시간이 시작되기 
전에 성부로부터 태어나셨던 분이시며, 성부와 본질에 있어 하나이신, 즉 
"homoousios to Patri" 이시며, 그리고 당신을 통하여 모든 사물들이 
만들어졌습니다. 당신께서는 성경의 힘에 의하여 동정 마리아로부터 
강생하셨으며(incarnate of the Virgin Mary), 그리고 사람이 되셨나이다: 
그러므로, 당신의 신성에 따르면 성부와 동일하시나(equal to), 그러나  
당신의 인성에 따르면 성부보다 못하시며(inferior to), 그리고 당신의 본성들에 
대한 어떤 불가능한 혼란에 의하여서가 아니라, 당신 위격의 일치에 의하여,  
당신 자체이신 한 분이십니다." 

-----
번역자 주:
1. 다음은 교황청 홈페이지 제공의 자의 교서(Motu Proprio) 형식의 1968년 6월 
30일자 교황 바오로 6세의 교서(Apostolic Letter)인 "하느님 백성의 신앙고백
(Creed of the People of God)" 영문본 전문이다:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/vatican/hf_p-vi_mp_19680630_cr_en.htm 

그리고 위의 시작 단추를 클릭하면, 이 영문본 교서 전문을 들을 수 있다. 
2. 다음은 한국 천주교 중앙협의회에서 발간하는 경향잡지 1968년 8월호에 실린 
교황 바오로 6세 교서 "하느님 백성의 신앙고백" 우리말 전문이다:
http://zine.cbck.or.kr/gallery/view.asp?seq=57790&path=070509230230&page=8&flip=0    
-----

"In the beginning": "what this means is that he always was, and that
he is eternal. [...] For if he is God, as indeed he is, there is nothing
prior to him; if he is creator of all things, then he is the First; if he is
Lord of all, then everything comes after him--created things and time"
(St John Chrysostom, "Hom. on St John", 2, 4).

"한 처음에": "이것이 뜻하는 바는 당신께서는 항상 계셨으며, 그리고 당신께서는
영원하시다는 것입니다, [...] 이는 당신께서 하느님이시면, 실제로 당신께서 
그러하시듯이, 당신보다 앞선 것은 아무 것도 없기 때문이며, 그리고 당신께서 
모든 사물들의 창조주이시면, 당신께서는 거룩하신 첫 번째(the First)이시며, 
그리고 당신께서 전체(all)의 주님이시면, 창조된 사물들 및 시간, 모든 것
(everything)은 당신 이후에 오기 때문입니다. [성 요한 크리소스토모
(St John Chrysostom), "Hom. on St John", 2, 4].

3. After showing that the Word is in the bosom of the Father, the
prologue goes on to deal with his relationship to created things.
Already in the Old Testament the Word of God is shown as a creative
power (cf. Is 55:10-11), as Wisdom present at the creation of the world
(cf. Prov 8:22-26). Now Revelation is extended: we are shown that crea-
tion was caused by the Word; this does not mean that the Word is an
instrument subordinate and inferior to the Father: he is an active prin-
ciple along with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The work of creation
is an activity common to the three divine Persons of the Blessed Tri-
nity: "the Father generating, the Son being born, the Holy Spirit pro-
ceeding; consubstantial, co-equal, co-omnipotent and co-eternal; one
origin of all things: the creator of all things visible and invisible, spiritual
and corporal." (Fourth Lateran Council, "De Fide Catholica", Dz-Sch,
800). From this can be deduced, among other things, the hand of the
Trinity in the work of creation and, therefore, the fact that all created
things are basically good.

3. 거룩한 말씀(the Word)이 성부의 품 안에 있음을 보인 후에, 이 서문은 
창조된 사물들에 대한 당신의 관계를 다루는 것을 계속합니다. 이미 구약 
성경에 있어 하느님의 거룩한 말씀(the Word of God)은 창조의 힘으로서
(이사야 55,10-11을 참조하라), 이 세상의 창조에 현존하는 거룩한 지혜
(Wisdom)로서(잠언 8,22-26을 참조하라) 보여지고 있습니다. 이제 거룩한 
계시(Revelation)는 다음과 같이 확장됩니다: 창조가 거룩한 말씀에 의하여 
야기되었음을 우리는 보게 되며, 그리고 이것은 다음과 같이 거룩한 말씀이 
성부께 종속된 그리고 성부보다 못한 하나의 도구임을 뜻하는 것이 아닙니다: 
당신께서는 성부 및 성자와 협력하는 활발한 원리입니다. 창조 위업은 다음과 
같이 복되신 성삼위를 이루는 세 분의 거룩한 위격(the three divine Persons)
들에게 공통인 행위입니다: "성부께서 생성하시어(generating), 성자께서 나게 
되고(being born), 성령께서는 발하시며(proceeding), 그리고 한 본질
(consubstantial)이시고, 상호 동일하시며(co-equal), 상호 전능하시고
(co-omnipotent) 그리고 상호 영원하시며(co-eternal), 그리고 다음과 같이 
모든 사물들의 유일한 원천(one origin)이십니다: 가시적인 그리고 비가시적인
(visible and invisible), 영적인 그리고 육적인(spiritual and corporal) 모든 
사물들의  창조주" [Fourth Lateran Council, "De Fide Catholica", Dz-Sch, 800]. 
이것으로부터, 다른 것들 중에서, 창조 위업에 있어 성삼위(the Trinity)의 솜씨
(the hand)가, 그리하여, 그 결과로, 창조된 사물들 모두가, 기본적으로 선하다는
(good) 것이 도출될 수 있습니다.

4. The prologue now goes on to expound two basic truths about the
Word--that he is Life and that he is Light. The Life referred to here
is divine life, the primary source of all life, natural and supernatural.
And that Life is the light of men, for from God we receive the light of
reason, the light of truth and the light of glory, which are a participa-
tion in God's mind. Only a rational creature is capable of having
knowledge of God in this world and of later contemplating him joyfully
in heaven for all eternity. Also the Life (the Word) is the light of men
because he brings them out of the darkness of sin and error (cf. Is
8:23; 9:1-2; Mt 4:15-16; Lk 1:74). Later on Jesus will say: "I am the
light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but
will have the light of life" (Jn 8:12; cf. 12:46).

4. 이 서문은 이제 이 거룩한 말씀에 관한 두 가지, 즉 당신께서는 거룩한 생명
(Life)이라는 그리고 당신께서는 거룩한 빛(Light)이라는,  기본 진리들을 
계속하여 자세히 설명합니다(expound). 여기서 언급되는 거룩한 생명
(the Life)은, 자연적 그리고 초자연적, 모든 생명의 주된 원천인 하느님의 생명
(the divine life)을 말합니다. 그리고 바로 이 거룩한 생명은 사람들의 빛
(the light of men)인데, 이는 우리가 하느님으로부터, 하느님의  마음에의 참여를 
말하는, 이성의 빛(the light of reason), 진리의 빛(the light of truth) 그리고 
영광의 빛(the light of glory)을 받기 때문입니다. 오로지 이성을 가진 피조물
(a rational creature)만이 이 세상에서 하느님에 대한 지식을 가질 수 있으며 
그리하여 이후에 영원토록 하늘에서 기쁘게 당신을 묵상할 수 있습니다. 또한 
이 거룩한 생명(거룩한 말씀)은 사람들의 빛인데 이는 당신께서 죄와 오류로 
이루어진 어둠(the darkness of sin and error)으로부터 그들을 데리고 나오시기 
때문입니다 (이사야 8,23; 9,1-2; 마태오 복음서 4,15-16; 루카 복음서 1,74를 
참조하라). 나중에 예수님께서는 다음과 같이 말씀하실 것입니다: "나는 세상의 
빛이다. 나를 따르는 이는 어둠을 걷지 않고 생명의 빛을 얻을 것이다 " 
(요한 복음서 8,12; 12,46을 참조하라).

Vv. 3 and 4 can be read with another punctuation, now generally aban-
doned but which had its supporters in ancient times: "All things were
made through him, and without him nothing was made; in so far as
anything was made in him, he was the life and the life was the light
of men." This reading would suggest that everything that has been
created is life in the Word, that is, that all things receive their being
and activity, their life, through the Word: without him they cannot
possibly exist.

제3절 및 제4절은, 요즈음은 일반적으로  버려진 그러나 고대 시기들에 있어 
그 지지자들을 가졌던, 다음과 같은 다른 구두점 찍기와 함께 읽힐 수 있습니다: 
"모든 것이 그분을 통하여 생겨났고, 그분 없이 생겨난 것은 하나도 없었으며, 
그리고 어떠한 것이라도 그분 안에서 생겨난 이상, 그분은 생명이며 그리고 
그 빛은 사람들의 빛이었다." 이러한 읽음은 창조된 모든 것이 이 거룩한 말씀 
안에 있는 빛임을, 즉 모든 사물들은 거룩한 말씀을 통하여 자신들의 존재와 
활기(their being and activity), 자신들의 생명을 받음을 암시할 것입니다: 
그분 없이 그들은 도저히 존재할 수 없습니다.

5. "And the darkness has not overcome it": the original Greek verb,
given in Latin as "comprehenderunt", means to embrace or contain
as if putting one's arms around it--an action which can be done with
good dispositions (a friendly embrace) or with hostility (the action of
smothering or crushing someone). So there are two possible transla-
tions: the former is that given in the Navarre Spanish, the latter that
in the RSV. The RSV option would indicate that Christ and the Gos-
pel continue to shine among men despite the world's opposition, in-
deed overcoming "it", as Jesus later says: "Be of good cheer: I have
overcome the world" (Jn 16:33; cf. 12:31; 1 Jn 5:4). Either way, the
verse expresses the darkness' resistance to, repugnance for, the
light. As his Gospel proceeds, St John explains further about the
light and darkness: soon, in vv. 9-11, he refers to the struggle be-
tween them; later he will describe evil and the powers of the evil one,
as a darkness enveloping man's mind and preventing him from
knowing God (cf. Jn 12:15-46; 1 Jn 5:6).

5. "어둠은 그를 깨닫지 못하였다": 라틴어로 "comprehenderunt"로서 주어지고 
있는 원래의 그리스어 동사는, 선한 의향(with good disposition)과 함께 
(우정의 포옹) 행해질 수 있는 혹은 반감과 함께(with hostility) (어떤 이를 
질식시키거나 혹은 찌부러뜨리는 행위) 행해 질 수 있는 행동인, 마치 
그 둘레를 사람의 손들로 감싸는 것처럼, 포옹하거나 혹은 수용하는 것을 
뜻합니다. 따라서 다음과 같은 두 가지의 번역들이 가능합니다: 그 전자는 
스페인어 나바르 성경(the Navarre Spanish)에 주어져 있는 바로 그 번역을 
말하며, 그 후자는 RSV(the Revised Standard Version) 성경에 주어져 있는 
바로 그 번역을 말합니다. RSV 성경의 선택은 그리스도와 복음(the Gospel)이, 
이 세상의 반대에도 불구하고, 예수님께서 나중에 다음과 같이 말씀하셨듯이, 
실제로 "이것(it)"을 극복함으로써, 사람들 사이에서 계속하여 빛을 냄을 암시할 
것입니다: "용기를 내어라. 내가 세상을 이겼다" (요한 복음서 16,33; 12,31; 
1요한 5,4를 참조하라). 어느 쪽이든(either way), 이 절은 빛에 대한 어둠의 
저항을, 반감을 표현하고 있습니다. 그에 따른 복음(by his Gospel)이 진행함에 
따라, 성 요한(St. John)은 다음과 같이 빛과 어둠에 관하여 더욱 더 설명합니다: 
조만간, 제9-11절에서, 당신께서는 그들 사이의 투쟁에 대하여 언급하시며, 
그리고 그 이후에 당신께서는 악과 악한 자의 힘들을, 사람의 마음을 감싸서
(envoloping) 그리하여 그가 하느님을 알게 되는 것을 방해하는 어둠으로서, 
설명하실 것입니다 (요한 복음서 12,15-46; 1요한 5,6을 참조하라).

St Augustine ("In Ioann. Evang.", 1, 19) comments on this passage as
follows: "But, it may be, the dull hearts of some cannot yet receive
this light. Their sins weigh them down, and they cannot discern it. Let
them not think, however, that, because they cannot discern it, there-
fore it is not present with them. For they themselves, because of their
sins, are darkness. Just as if you place a blind person in the sunshine,
although the sun is present to him, yet he is absent from the sun; in
the same way, every foolish man, every unrighteous man, every un-
godly man, is blind in heart. [...] What course then ought such a one
to take? Let him cleanse the eyes of his heart, that he may be able
to see God. He will see Wisdom, for God is Wisdom itself, and it is
written: 'Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.'" There
is no doubt that sin obscures man's spiritual vision, rendering him un-
able to see and enjoy the things of God.

성 아우구스티노(St. Augustine)는 ["In Ioann. Evang.", 1, 19] 이 구절에 
대하여 다음과 같이 주석합니다: "그러나 일부 사람들의 둔한 마음들은 
여전히 이 빛을 받아들이지 못할 것입니다. 그들의 죄들이  자신들을 짓눌러, 
그리하여 그들은 이것을 알아차릴 수 없습니다. 그러나, 그들이 이것을 
알아차릴 수 없기 때문에, 그 결과 이것이 그들과 함께 있지 않음을 그들이 
생각하지 않도록 합시다. 이는 그들 자신들이, 자신들의 죄들 때문에, 
어둠이기 때문입니다. 마치 그대가 눈이 먼 자를 햇빛에 앉히었을 때에, 
비록 태양이 그를 향하고 있음에도(is present to) 불구하고, 여전히 그는 
태양으로부터 멀리 있는(be absent from) 것과 꼭 마찬가지로, 꼭 같은 
방식으로, 어리석은(foolish) 사람 각자는, 불의한(unrighteous) 사람 각자는, 
신을 두려워 하지 않는(ungodly) 사람 각자는 본심에 있어(in heart) 눈이 먼 
상태이기 때문입니다. [...] 그러면 그러한 자는 어떤 과정을 택하여야 
할까요? 그가 하느님을 볼 수 있도록 하기 위하여, 그로 하여금 자신의 
본심의 눈들을 씻도록 합시다. 그는 거룩한 지혜(Wisdom)를 볼 것인데, 
이는 하느님께서는 거룩한 지혜 그 자체이며, 그리고 다음과 같이 기록되어 
있기 때문입니다: '행복하여라, 마음이 깨끗한 사람들! 그들은 하느님을 
볼 것이다.'(마태오 복음서 5,8)" 죄가 사람의 영적 시야를 모호하게 하여, 
그 결과로 하느님의 것들을 보고 즐길 수 없도록 만드는 데에는 의심의 
여지가 없습니다.

6-8. After considering the divinity of the Lord, the text moves on to deal
with his incarnation, and begins by speaking of John the Baptist, who
makes his appearance at a precise point in history to bear direct wit-
ness before man to Jesus Christ (Jn 1:15, 19-36; 3:22ff). As St Augus-
tine comments: "For as much as he [the Word Incarnate] was man and
his Godhead was concealed, there was sent before him a great man,
through whose testimony He might be found to be more than man" ("In
Ioann. Evang.", 2, 5).

6-8. 주님의 신성에 대하여 숙고한 후에, 본문은 당신의 강생을 다루기 
위하여 이동하며, 그리고 세례자 요한(John the Baptist)에 대하여 말함으로써 
시작하는데, 그는 역사에 있어 사람 앞에서 예수님에 대한 직접적인 증언을 
하기 위한 정확한 지점에서 등장합니다(요한 복음서 1,15; 19-36; 3,22 및 
이어지는 몇 개의 절들). 성 아우구스티노(St. Augustine)가 다음과 같이 
주석하였듯이: "당신[강생하신 거룩한 말씀(the Word Incarnate)]께서는 
사람이었으며 그리고 당신의 신성(Godhead)은 감추어져 있었기 때문에, 
그를 통하여 당신께서는 사람 이상의 분이심이 알게 될 수 있도록, 당신 
이전에 위대한 사람이 보내어졌습니다"  ["In Ioann. Evang.", 2, 5].

All of the Old Testament was a preparation for the coming of Christ.
Thus, the patriarchs and prophets announced, in different ways, the
salvation the Messiah would bring. But John the Baptist, the greatest
of those born of woman (cf. Mt 11:11), was actually able to point out
the Messiah himself; his testimony marked the culmination of all the
previous prophecies.

구약 성경 전부는 그리스도의 오심에 대한 준비였습니다. 따라서, 이스라엘 
민족의 조상(the patriarchs)들과 예언자들은, 다른 방식으로, 메시아께서 
가져오실 구원을 선언하였습니다. 그러나 여자에게서 태어난 이들 가운데 
가장 큰 인물(마태오 복음서 11,1)인 세례자 요한은 메시아 당신 자신을 
실제로 지적할(point out) 수 있었으며, 그리고 그의 증언은 이전의 예언들 
모두의 절정을 눈에 띄게 하였습니다(marked).

So important is John the Baptist's mission to bear witness to Jesus
Christ that the Synoptic Gospels stage their account of the public
ministry with John's testimony. The discourses of St Peter and St Paul
recorded in the Acts of the Apostles also refer to this testimony (Acts
1:22; 10:37; 12:24). The Fourth Gospel mentions it as many as seven
times (1:6, 15, 19, 29, 35; 3:27; 5:33). We know, of course, that St
John the Apostle was a disciple of the Baptist before becoming a
disciple of Jesus, and that it was precisely the Baptist who showed
him the way to Christ (cf. 1 :37ff).

예수 그리스도에 대하여 증언하는 세례자 요한의 임무는 대단히 중요하기에 
공관 복음서들은 예수님의 공적 사목을 요한의 증언과 함께 제시합니다
(stage). 사도행전에 기록된 성 베드로(St. Peter)와 성 바오로(St. Paul)의 
설교들도 또한 이 증언에 대하여 언급합니다(사도행전 1,22; 10,37; 12,24). 
네 번째 복음서는 일곱 번만큼이나 많이(1,6.15.19.29.35; 3,27; 5,33) 이것을 
말합니다. 우리는 사도 성 요한(St. John the Apostle)이 예수님의 제자가 
되기 전에 이 세례자(the Baptist)의 제자였음을 당연히 알고 있으며, 그리고 
그에게 그리스도에게로의 길을 제시한 자가 정확하게 바로 이 세례자였음을 
당연히 알고 있습니다.

The New Testament, then, shows us the importance of the Baptist's
mission, as also his own awareness that he is merely the immediate
Precursor of the Messiah, whose sandals he is unworthy to untie (cf.
Mk 1:7): the Baptist stresses his role as witness to Christ and his
mission as preparer of the way for the Messiah (cf. Lk 1:15-17; Mt 3:
3-12). John the Baptist's testimony is undiminished by time: he invites
people in every generation to have faith in Jesus, the true Light.

그러고 나서, 신약 성경은 이 세례자의 임무의 중요성을, 그가 단지, 당신의 
신발 끈을 풀만한 가치도 없는, 메시아 바로 직전의 선구자일뿐이라는 또한 
자신 고유의 알아 차림으로서, 우리에게 보여줍니다(마르코 복음서 1,7을 
참조하라): 이 세례자는 자신의 역할을 그리스도에 대한 목격자로서 그리고 
자신의 임무를 메시아를 위한 길을 준비하는 자로서(루카 복음서 1,15-17; 
마태오 복음서 3,3-12를 참조하라) 강조합니다. 세례자 요한의 증언은 다음과 
같이 시간에 의하여 줄어들지 않습니다: 그는 모든 세대에 있어 사람들이, 
참빛이신(the true Light), 예수님에 대한 믿음(faith)을 가지도록 초대합니다.

9. "The true light..." [The Spanish translation of this verse is along
these lines: "It was the true light that enlightens every man who comes
into the world."] The Fathers, early translations and most modern com-
mentators see "the Word" as being the subject of this sentence, which
could therefore be translated as "the Word was the true light that en-
lightens every man who comes into the world...". Another interpretation
favored by many modern scholars makes "the light" the subject, in
which case it would read "the true light existed, which enlightens...".
Either way, the meaning is much the same.

9. "참빛이 ...": [이 절에 대한 스페인어 번역본은 다음의 행(lines)들과 함께 
있습니다: "이 세상에 태어나는 모든 사람을 비추는 것은 바로 이 참빛
이었다(It was the true light that enlightens every man who comes into 
the world."] 교부들, 초기 번역자들 그리고 대부분의 근대의 주석자들은 
"거룩한 말씀"을 이 문장의 주어로서 이해하는데, 따라서 이 문장은  
"거룩한 말씀은 이 세상에 태어나는 모든 사람을 비추는 ... 참빛이었다"로 
번역될 수 있습니다. 근대의 많은 학자들에 의하여 선호되는 다른 해석은 
"빛(the light)"을 주어로 만드는데, 이 경우에 있어 이 문장은 "참빛이 
존재하였는데,  이것은 ... 를 비추었다(the true light existed, which 
enlightens ...)" 라고 읽힐 수 있을 것입니다. 어느 쪽이든(either way), 
그 의미는 거의 같습니다.

"Coming into the world": it is not clear in the Greek whether these
words refer to "the light", or to "every man". In the first case it is
the Light (the Word) that is coming into this world to enlighten all
men; in the second it is the men who, on coming into this world, on
being born, are enlightened by the Word; the RSV and the new Vul-
gate opt for the first interpretation.

The Word is called "the true light" because he is the original light
from which every other light or revelation of God derives. By the
Word's coming, the world is fully lit up by the authentic Light. The
prophets and all the other messengers of God, including John the
Baptist, were not the true light but his reflection, attesting to the
Light of the Word.

A propos the fullness of light which the Word is, St John Chrysostom
asks: "If he enlightens every man who comes into the world, how is it
that so many have remained unenlightened? For not all, to be sure,
have recognized the high dignity of Christ. How, then, does he en-
lighten every man? As much as he is permitted to do so. But if some,
deliberately closing the eyes of their minds, do not wish to receive
the beams of this light, darkness is theirs. This is not because of the
nature of the light, but is a result of the wickedness of men who
deliberately deprive themselves of the gift of grace (Hom. on St.
John, 8, 1).

10. The Word is in this world as the maker who controls what he has
made (cf. St Augustine, "In Ioann. Evang.", 2, 10). In St John's Gospel
the term "world" means "all creation, all created things (including all
mankind)": thus, Christ came to save all mankind: "For God so loved
the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should
not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not
to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him"
(Jn 3:16-17). But insofar as many people have rejected the Light, that
is, rejected Christ, "world" also means everything opposed to God (cf.
Jn 17:14-15). Blinded by their sins, men do not recognize in the world
the hand of the Creator (cf. Rom 1:18-20; Wis 13:1-15): "they become
attached to the world and relish only the things that are of the world"
(St John Chrysostom, "Hom. on St John", 7). But the Word, "the true
light", comes to show us the truth about the world (cf. Jn 1:3; 18:37)
and to save us.

11. "his own home, his own people": this means, in the first place, the
Jewish people, who were chosen by God as his own personal "property",
to be the people from whom Christ would be born. It can also mean all
mankind, for mankind is also his: he created it and his work of redemp-
tion extends to everyone. So the reproach that they did not receive the
Word made man should be understood as addressed not only to the
Jews but to all those who rejected God despite his calling them to be
his friends: "Christ came; but by a mysterious and terrible misfortune,
not everyone accepted him. [...] It is the picture of humanity before us
today, after twenty centuries of Christianity. How did this happen?
What shall we say? We do not claim to fathom a reality immersed in
mysteries that transcend us--the mystery of good and evil. But we can
recall that the economy of Christ, for its light to spread, requires a sub-
ordinate but necessary cooperation on the part of man--the cooperation
of evangelization, of the apostolic and missionary Church. If there is
still work to be done, it is all the more necessary for everyone to help
her" (Paul VI, General Audience, 4 December 1974).

12. Receiving the Word means accepting him through faith, for it is
through faith that Christ dwells in our hearts (cf. Eph 3:17). Believing
in his name means believing in his Person, in Jesus as the Christ, the
Son of God. In other words, "those who believe in his name are those
who fully hold the name of Christ, not in any way lessening his divinity
or his humanity" (St Thomas Aquinas, "Commentary on St John, in
loc.").

"He gave power [to them]" is the same as saying "he gave them a
free gift"--sanctifying grace--"because it is not in our power to make
ourselves sons of God" ("ibid."). This gift is extended through Baptism
to everyone, whatever his race, age, education etc. (cf. Acts 10:45;
Gal 3:28). The only condition is that we have faith.

"The Son of God became man", St Athanasius explains, "in order that
the sons of men, the sons of Adam, might become sons of God. [...]
He is the Son of God by nature; we, by grace" ("De Incarnatione Contra
Arrianos"). What is referred to here is birth to supernatural life: in which
"Whether they be slaves or freemen, whether Greeks or barbarians or
Scythians, foolish or wise, female or male, children or old men, hono-
rable or without honor, rich or poor, rulers or private citizens, all, he
meant, would merit the same honor. [...] Such is the power of faith in
him; such the greatness of his grace" (St John Chrysostom, "Hom.
on St John", 10, 2).

"Christ's union with man is power and the source of power, as St John
stated so incisively in the prologue of his Gospel: '(The Word) gave
power to become children of God.' Man is transformed inwardly by this
power as the source of a new life that does not disappear and pass
away but lasts to eternal life (cf. Jn 4:14)" (John Paul II, "Redemptor
Hominis", 18).

13. The birth spoken about here is a real, spiritual type of generation
which is effected in Baptism (cf. 3:6ff). Instead of the plural adopted
here, referring to the supernatural birth of men, some Fathers and early
translations read it in the singular: "who was born, not of blood...but of
God", in which case the text would refer to the eternal generation of the
Word and to Jesus' generation through the Holy Spirit in the pure womb
of the Virgin Mary. Although the second reading is very attractive, the
documents (Greek manuscripts, early translations, references in the
works of ecclesiastical writers, etc.) show the plural text to be the more
usual, and the one that prevailed from the fourth century forward. Be-
sides, in St John's writings we frequently find reference to believers as
being born of God (cf. Jn 3:3-6; 1 Jn 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18).

13. 여기서 그것에 관하여 말해지고 있는 출생은 세례(Baptism)에서 효능을 
가지게 되는 생성(generation)의 한 실제적, 영적 형태(a real, spritual type)
입니다(요한 복음서 3,6 및 이어지는 몇 개의 절들을 참조하라). 사람들의 
초자연적 탄생(supernatural birth)에 대하여 언급됩으로써, 여기서 
적용되고 있는 복수 대신에, 일부 교부들과 초기 번역문들은 다음과 같이 
단수로 이 문장을 이해하는데(read): "그는 혈(blood, 혈기)로부터가 아니라 ...
하느님으로부터, 태어난 것입니다", 이 경우에 있어 이 본문은 거룩한 말씀
(the Word)의 영원한 생성에 관한 그리고 동정 마리아의 순수한 태 안에 
성령을 통하여 예수님의 생성(Jesus' generation)에 관한 언급일 것입니다. 
비록 이 두 번째 이해 행위(reading)가 매우 매력적이기는 하나, (그리스어 
사본들, 초기 번역문들, 교회의 저술가들의 저술들에 있는 언급들 등) 문헌들은 
복수의 본문이 더 통상적이며, 그리고 4세기 및 그때부터 지금까지 널리 
보급된 바로 이 본문을 보여줍니다. 이 이외에, 성 요한의 저술들에서 
하느님으로부터 난 자들로서 믿는 이(believers)들에 대한 언급을 우리는 
자주 발견합니다 (요한 복음서 3,3-6; 1요한 2,29; 3,9; 4,7; 5,1.4.18).

The contrast between man's natural birth (by blood and the will of man)
and his supernatural birth (which comes from God) shows that those
who believe in Jesus Christ are made children of God not only by their
creation but above all by the free gift of faith and grace.

[혈(blood, 혈기)에 의한 그리고 사람의 의지(the will of man)에 의한] 
사람의 자연적 출생(man's natural birth)과 하느님으로부터 오는 
초자연적 출생(supernatural birth) 사이의 대조는 예수 그리스도 
쪽으로(in) 믿는 자들이 그들이 창조됨(creation)에 의하여서 뿐만이 
아니라 또한 특히(above all) 믿음/신앙(faith)과 은총(grace)으로 
구성된 무상의 선물(the free gift)에 의하여 하느님의 자녀들로 
만들어짐을 보여줍니다.

14. This is a text central to the mystery of Christ. It expresses in a
very condensed form the unfathomable fact of the incarnation of the
Son of God. "When the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son,
born of woman" (Gal 4:4).

The word "flesh" means man in his totality (cf. Jn 3:6; 17:2; Gen 6:3;
Ps 56:5); so the sentence "the Word became flesh" means the same
as "the Word became man." The theological term "incarnation" arose
mainly out of this text. The noun "flesh" carries a great deal of force
against heresies which deny that Christ is truly man. The word also
accentuates that our Savior, who dwelt among us and shared our na-
ture, was capable of suffering and dying, and it evokes the "Book of
the Consolation of Israel" (Is 40:1-11), where the fragility of the flesh
is contrasted with the permanence of the Word of God: "The grass
withers, the flower fades; but the Word of our God will stand for ever"
(Is 40:8). This does not mean that the Word's taking on human nature
is something precarious and temporary.

"And dwelt among us": the Greek verb which St John uses originally
means "to pitch one's tent", hence, to live in a place. The careful reader
of Scripture will immediately think of the tabernacle, or tent, in the pe-
riod of the exodus from Egypt, where God showed his presence before
all the people of Israel through certain sights of his glory such as the
cloud covering the tent (cf., for example, Ex 25:8; 40:34-35). In many
passages of the Old Testament it is announced that God "will dwell in
the midst of the people" (cf., for example, Jer 7:3; Ezek 43:9; Sir 24:8).
These signs of God's presence, first in the pilgrim tent of the Ark in the
desert and then in the temple of Jerusalem, are followed by the most
wonderful form of God's presence among us--Jesus Christ, perfect God
and perfect Man, in whom the ancient promise is fulfilled in a way that
far exceeded men's greatest expectations. Also the promise made
through Isaiah about the "Immanuel" or "God-with-us" (Is 7:14; cf. Mt
1:23) is completely fulfilled through this dwelling of the Incarnate Son
of God among us. Therefore, when we devoutly read these words of the
Gospel "and dwelt among us" or pray them during the Angelus, we have
a good opportunity to make an act of deep faith and gratitude and to
adore our Lord's most holy human nature.

"Remembering that 'the Word became flesh', that is, that the Son of
God became man, we must become conscious of how great each man
has become through this mystery, through the Incarnation of the Son
of God! Christ, in fact, was conceived in the womb of Mary and became
man to reveal the eternal love of the Creator and Father and to make
known the dignity of each one of us" (John Paul II, "Angelus Address"
at Jasna Gora Shrine, 5 June 1979).

Although the Word's self-emptying by assuming a human nature con-
cealed in some way his divine nature, of which he never divested him-
self, the Apostles did see the glory of his divinity through his human
nature: it was revealed in the transfiguration (Lk 9:32-35), in his mira-
cles (Jn 2:11; 11:40), and especially in his resurrection (cf. Jn 3:11;
1 Jn 1:1) The glory of God, which shone out in the early tabernacle
in the desert and in the temple at Jerusalem, was nothing but an im-
perfect anticipation of the reality of God's glory revealed through the
holy human nature of the Only-begotten of the Father. St John the
Apostle speaks in a very formal way in the first person plural: "we
have beheld his glory", because he counts himself among the wit-
nesses who lived with Christ and, in particular, were present at his
transfiguration and saw the glory of his resurrection.

The words "only Son" ("Only-begotten") convey very well the eternal
and unique generation of the Word by the Father. The first three Gos-
pels stressed Christ's birth in time; St John complements this by
emphasizing his eternal generation.

The words "grace and truth" are synonyms of "goodness and fidelity",
two attributes which, in the Old Testament, are constantly applied to
Yahweh (cf., e.g., Ex 34:6; Ps 117; Ps 136; Osee 2:16-22): so, grace
is the _expression of God's love for men, the way he expresses his
goodness and mercy. Truth implies permanence, loyalty, constancy,
fidelity. Jesus, who is the Word of God made man, that is, God him-
self, is therefore "the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth";
he is the "merciful and faithful high priest" (Heb 2:17). These two
qualities, being good and faithful, are a kind of compendium or sum-
mary of Christ's greatness. And they also parallel, though on an
infinitely lower level, the quality essential to every Christian, as stated
expressly by our Lord when he praised the "good and faithful servant"
(Mt 25:21).

As Chrysostom explains: "Having declared that they who received him
were 'born of God' and 'become sons of God,' he then set forth the
cause and reason for this ineffable honor. It is that 'the Word became
flesh' and the Master took on the form of a slave. He became the Son
of Man, though he was the true Son of God, in order that he might
make the sons of men children of God. ("Hom. on St John", 11,1).

The profound mystery of Christ was solemnly defined by the Church's
Magisterium in the famous text of the ecumenical council of Chalce-
don (in the year 451): "Following the holy Fathers, therefore, we all
with one accord teach the profession of faith in the one identical Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ. We declare that he is perfect both in his divinity
and in his humanity, truly God and truly man, composed of body and
rational soul; that he is consubstantial with the Father in his divinity,
consubstantial with us in his humanity, like us in every respect except
for sin (cf. Heb 4:15). we declare that in his divinity he was begotten in
this last age of Mary the Virgin, the Mother of God, for us and for our
salvation" (Dz-Sch, n. 301).

15. Further on (On Jn 1:19-36) the Gospel tells us more about John the
Baptist's mission as a witness to the messiahship and divinity of Jesus.
Just as God planned that the Apostles should bear witness to Jesus
after the resurrection, so he planned that the Baptist would be the wit--
ness chosen to proclaim Jesus at the very outset of his public ministry
(cf. note on Jn 1:6-8).

16 "Grace upon grace": this can be understood, as it was by Chrysos-
tom and other Fathers, as "grace for grace", the Old Testament economy
of salvation giving way to the new economy of grace brought by Christ. It
can also mean (as the-RSV suggests) that Jesus brings a superabun-
dance of gifts, adding on, to existing graces, others--all of which pour
out of the one inexhaustible source, Christ, who is for ever full of grace.
"Not by sharing with us, says the Evangelist, does Christ possess the
gift, but he himself is both fountain and root of all virtues. He himself is
life, and light, and truth, not keeping within himself the wealth of these
blessings, but pouring it forth upon all others, and even after the out-
pouring still remaining full. He suffers loss in no way by giving his
wealth to others, but, while always pouring out and sharing these vir-
tues with all men, he remains in the same state of perfection" (St John
Chrysostom, "Hom. on St John", 14, 1).

17. Here, for the first time in St John's Gospel, the name of Jesus Christ
appears, identified with the Word of whom John has been speaking.

Whereas the Law given by Moses went no further than indicate the way
man ought follow (cf. Rom 8:7-10), the grace brought by Jesus has the
power to save those who receive it (cf. Rom 7:25). Through grace "we
have become dear to God, no longer merely as servants, but as sons
and friends" (Chrysostom, "Hom. on St John", 14, 2).

On "grace and truth" see note on Jn 1:14.

18. "No one has ever seen God": in this world men have never seen
God other than indirectly: all that they could contemplate was God's
"glory", that is the aura of his greatness: for example, Moses saw
the burning bush (Ex 3:6); Elijah felt the breeze on Mount Horeb--the
"still small voice" (RSV)--(1 Kings 19:11-13). But in the fullness of
time God comes much closer to man and reveals himself almost di-
rectly, for Jesus Christ is the visible image of the invisible God (cf.
Col 1:15), the maximum revelation of God in this world, to such an
extent that he assures us that "he who has seen me has seen the
Father" (Jn 14:9). "The most intimate truth which this revelation gives
us about God and the salvation of man shines forth in Christ, who is
himself both the mediator and the sum total of Revelation" (Vatican II,
"Dei Verbum", 2).

There is no greater revelation God could make of himself than the
incarnation of his eternal Word. As St John of the Cross puts it so
well: "In giving to us, as he has done, his Son, who is his only Word,
he has spoken to us once and for all by his own and only Word, and
has nothing further to reveal" ("Ascent of Mount Carmel", Book II,
chap. 22).

"The only Son": the RSV note says that "other ancient authorities read
"God" (for Son); the Navarre Spanish has "the Only-begotten God" and
comments as follows: some Greek manuscripts and some translations
give "the Only-begotten Son" or "the Only-begotten". "The Only-begot-
ten God" is preferable because it finds best support in the codexes. Be-
sides, although the meaning does not change substantially, this trans-
lation has a richer content because it again explicitly reveals Christ's
divinity.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.


[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 
출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다. 그리고 우리말 번역에 대한 
저작권은 엮은이에게 있으며, 본문 중의 우리말 번역문들을 복사하여 가져가는 것을
허락하지 않습니다.]