In the beginning was the Logos

Elaine Miles writes about the words of John’s Gospel in the light of her understanding of ancient Greek

by Elaine Miles 19th January 2018

What was the Logos? Logos was a very common word in Greek, with a vast range of meanings, and is not an exact equivalent of our English ‘word’. Basically logos meant ‘something which is stated or can be stated’ (from the verb lego – I say).  So, it can mean: a narrative; a report, whether of money spent or a historical account; an argument, reason, or ground; a first principle; a formula or ratio; a phrase or sentence (but not usually a single word).