Meaning

• A word or words
• Statement
• Message
• Speech
• Account
• Used in John to mean God the Son

Masculine noun. Related to the verb λέγω.

Before the New Testament, λόγος already had deep philosophical use. In Greek philosophy, λόγος was the rational principle that ordered the universe, the divine reason that structured all things. In Heraclitus, λόγος referred to the unifying rational principle behind the constant change in the world.

In Philo of Alexandria (a Hellenistic Jewish thinker), λόγος was the mediator between God and the world, the expression of God’s mind, a bridge between the transcendent God and creation.

This philosophical background shaped how early readers understood the word, especially in John’s Gospel.

The most famous use is John 1:1–3, 14:

• Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν, καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος
• (In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God)

Here, λόγος is personal (not merely speech or reason). The λόγος is with God (distinct from the Father). The λόγος is God (sharing divine nature). He is the pre-existent Son of God. And in verse 14, “The Word became flesh” - identifying Jesus Christ as the incarnate Word.

In John, therefore, λόγος expresses Jesus as:

• The full self-expression of God
• The agent of creation (“All things were made through Him”)
• The revealer of God to humanity

So λόγος can refer to God’s speech (His revealed word), the gospel message, or Christ Himself, the living embodiment of that word.