The Logos Is Asha: How John 1:1 Traces Through Greece Back to Persia
"In the Beginning Was the Word" The opening of the Gospel of John is perhaps the most philosophically significant passage in the New Testament: "In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God." (John 1:1) Christians interpret this as a statement about Christ's divine nature. Greek philosophers recognized it as Stoic terminology. Scholars note its Hellenistic context. But almost no one asks the obvious question: Where did the Greeks get the Logos concept?
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"In the Beginning Was the Word" The opening of the Gospel of John is perhaps the most philosophically significant passage in the New Testament: "In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with God, and the Logos was God." (John 1:1) Christians interpret this as a statement about Christ's divine nature. Greek philosophers recognized it as Stoic terminology. Scholars note its Hellenistic context. But almost no one asks the obvious question: Where did the Greeks get the Logos concept? The answer traces back through Pythagoras, through the Magi, to the original: Asha. John 1:1 is Zoroastrian theology, filtered through Greek philosophy, returned to its religious context. The Chain of Transmission Step 1: Asha in the Gathas (1700-1000 BCE) Zarathustra revealed Asha — the fundamental principle of truth, righteousness, and cosmic order.
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Yasna · Gathas · Avesta · New Testament