John 1:1 Regarding "Was" and Eternity

The following is an excerpt from James White’s dissertation on “John 1:1 - Meaning and Translation”. While we are not associated with the JWs, we have had this quote from James Whtie presented to us:

Some refer the “beginning” here to that of Genesis 1.1, and this may be so, but the verb “was” (Gr: en, imperfect of eimi) takes us before whatever “beginning” we may wish to choose. The continuous action in the past of the imperfect tense of the verb indicates to us that whenever the “beginning” was, the Word was already in existence. In other words, the Word is eternal – timeless – without a “beginning.”

James White claims the Greek word transliterated as EN (Strong's #2258: Imperfect Indicative Active, a form of Strong's #1510), in effect, would mean eternity, at least in John 1:1. It is evidently being assumed that “beginning” refers to absolutely everything in the created universe, and thus, since the Word “was” before such, then the Word was never created, and thus, has always been.

White claims that John 1:3 means that "there is simply nothing that is existent anywhere that was not created by the Word. He created everything." He claims that the context supports this conclusion. Actually, the context indicates that the "all" that God made through Jesus is everything pertaining to the world (KOSMOS - Strong's Greek #2889) that God made through Jesus, and into which Jesus came. (John 1:9,10; 17:5) John 1:10 tells us that this world that was made through him did not recognize Jesus. If this world includes absolutely everything that is existent anywhere, that would include the angels who are always able to the face of God. Did the world (KOSMOS) that Jesus came into include the invisible realm of heavenly spirit beings (angels)? Did he the world he came into include those angels so that those angels did not recognize him? Obviously, it is referring to what God made pertaining to the earthly world of mankind. Thus, we believe that the “all” of John 1:3 refers to -- not the whole created universe -- but rather to the world of mankind that was created through the Word. Jesus “was” (Strong's #2258, Imperfect Indicative Active), indeed, in existence before the beginning of the world of mankind that was made through him. — John 1:10; 17:5.

See some of our related studies: Jesus and Creation

Nevertheless, White places a lot of emphasis on the word “was”, and labors to make it mean eternity. Trinitarians often use the word "eternity' to mean never having a beginning and never having an end. If the Greek word rendered as "was" itself designates such an eternity, then in John 1:10 where we find the same verb form  (Imperfect Indicative Active) used,  one should conclude that Jesus is eternally in the world of mankind which did not recognize him. Likewise, in John 1:28, we find EN again in the phrase "where John was [EN] baptizing." Was John baptizing from all eternity past to all eternity future "beyond Jordon"? We could cite many more scriptures throughout the New Testament where the same verb form is used, but it is obviously not being used to designate eternity. In actuality, there is no reason to add to the scriptures that only in John 1:1 should the word *en* be understood to denote eternity, except that one has a preconceived idea that the Logos has always existed. In other words, the argument becomes circular, in effect, saying: “Since we believe that Jesus is uncreated, then *en* in John 1:1,2 means that Jesus always existed in all eternity past, and thus this gives proof that Jesus has always existed.” The word EN can, of course, in all the realms of possibilities, be used of one who has had no beginning, even as our English word “was” can, in all the realms of possibilities, be also used in such a way. This is not, however, an inherent meaning of either word. Comparing spiritual revealing with spiritual revealing, the usage of *en* all throughout the NT provides an abundance of testimony that such an idea is not inherent in the word.

http://bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi?number=2258

Nevertheless, we believe that it would be a mistake to assume that Jesus was created exactly at the beginning of the world of mankind. We do believe that Jesus was already existing with his God and Father before the beginning of the world of mankind. (John 1:10, 17:1,3,5) The idea that Jesus was eternally existing before the world of mankind was made, however, has to be added to and read into the scriptures.

However, there is nothing at all in John 1:1 that states that Jesus had always existed from all eternity past; that idea has to read into what is actually stated.

See: Studies Related to John 1:1