Eternity and Time in the Gospel of John

Abstract

The relationship between eternity and time has been a perennial issue in Johannine studies. Consider that the pre-existent Word of God enters in time and within concrete human history, thus bridging eternity and time. The evangelist describes both Jesus’ divinity as the Logos, existing in an eternal, timeless “beginning” (1:1), and Jesus’ true humanity as the historical person who was made “flesh” (1:14), taking on the human condition in all its fragility, in its temporality, suffering and death. His earthly mission was fulfilled “in time” – in a concrete “hour”. Reading the Fourth Gospel in this light may help us appreciate the Johannine understanding of eternity and time. This survey presents the various interpretations of the expression “in the beginning” and also of the time-related noun “hour”, used by the evangelist on certain occasions with detailed precision: “it was about the tenth hour” (1:39); “it was about the sixth hour” (4:6; 19:14); and “at the seventh hour” (4:52), referring always to a particular chronological point in time. However, this article does not place undue emphasis on the numbers recounting the particular hour, but rather tries to identify the links of each hour with the accompanying words and deeds of Jesus.