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A Non-Genesis-Creation Interpretation of John 1:3-4

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Almost all deity-of-Christ and Arian readers of the Bible understand John 1:3-4 to be a statement about the involvement of the Logos of John 1:1 in the Genesis creation of the physical universe. [1] The Logos of John 1:1 is taken to be a pre-incarnate divine person or being distinct from the God of John 1:1b [2] , either one member of a co-equal “godhead” (Trinitarianism), or a subordinate god/angel (Arianism) who eventually became incarnated as Jesus. Some Biblical Unitarians also interpret John 1:3-4 in a Genesis creation context, but maintain that the Logos of John 1:1 is not a literal person, only a personification of God’s Wisdom or Plan involved in the Genesis creation. [3]   In contrast, this paper interprets the Prologue of John, focusing on verses 3-4, as introducing a new beginning in the Gospel of Jesus of Nazareth, and not directly describing the Genesis creation of the physical universe. While intentionally re-using some Genesis language, John 1:3-4 introduces othe