Almost everyone recognizes the highly stylized format of the introduction to the Gospel according to John.  There are those that suggest that this is an insertion of an early Xian hymn.  There are detractors to be sure, but in a recent article in the Journal of Biblical Literature[1] Gordley suggests that John 1:1-17 is one hymn with seven stanzas, with the insertion of an aside about John the Baptist as a way of honoring the Baptist by “showing his important role in the redemptive history of the Logos, while at the same time making a distinction between the two figures.”[2]

For the most part, Gordley is convincing.  The material looks and acts like a hymn and the didactic hymnody does seem to mesh well with the instructional strategies of the hymn.  While it does not seem liturgical, but instructional, the discoveries of instructional hymns at Qumran, such as the Hodayot, are convincing.

One of the best features of the article is its treatment of John the Baptist.  Few people realize the problem John the Baptist posed for the early Christian community and this is evidenced by the fact that the Gospels work hard to bring John in line with and supportive of Jesus (and yet, no where do they become of the same movement).

If you have access to the Journal of Biblical Literature, I highly suggest checking out the article.

Notes:
  1. vol 128, no. 4 2009 [↩]
  2. The Johannine Prologue and Jewish Didactic Hymn Traditions: A New Case for Reading the Prologue as a Hymn [↩]
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