only one — is what is

18 Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακεν πώποτε· μονογενὴς θεὸς ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο.

18 No one has ever seen God. The only one, (45) himself God, who is in closest fellowship with (46) the Father, has made God (47) known. (48)

The Testimony of John the Baptist

19 Now (49) this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaderssent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed—he did not deny but confessed—“I am not the Christ!” 21 So they asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not!” “Are you the Prophet?”He answered, “No!” 22 Then they said to him, “Who are you? Tell us so that we can give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

Notes:

(45) tc The textual problem μονογενὴς θεός (monogenēs theos, “the only God”) versus ὁ μονογενὴς υἱός (ho monogenēs huios, “the only son”) is a notoriously difficult one. Only one letter would have differentiated the readings in the mss, since both words would have been contracted as nomina sacra: thus qMs or uMs. Externally, there are several variants, but they can be grouped essentially by whether they read θεός or υἱός. The majority of mss, especially the later ones (A C Θ Ψ ƒ M lat), read ὁ μονογενὴς υἱός. P א 33 have ὁ μονογενὴς θεός, while the anarthrous μονογενὴς θεός is found in P א* B C* L. The articular θεός is almost certainly a scribal emendation to the anarthrous θεός, for θεός without the article is a much harder reading. The external evidence thus strongly supports μονογενὴς θεός. Internally, although υἱός fits the immediate context more readily, θεός is much more difficult. As well, θεός also explains the origin of the other reading (υἱός), because it is difficult to see why a scribe who found υἱός in the text he was copying would alter it to θεός. Scribes would naturally change the wording to υἱός however, since μονογενὴς υἱός is a uniquely Johannine christological title (cf. John 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9). But θεός as the older and more difficult reading is preferred. As for translation, it makes the most sense to see the word θεός as in apposition to μονογενής, and the participle ὁ ὤν (ho ōn) as in apposition to θεός, giving in effect three descriptions of Jesus rather than only two. (B. D. Ehrman, The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture, 81, suggests that it is nearly impossible and completely unattested in the NT for an adjective followed immediately by a noun that agrees in gender, number, and case, to be a substantival adjective: “when is an adjective ever used substantivally when it immediately precedes a noun of the same inflection?” This, however, is an overstatement. First, as Ehrman admits, μονογενής in John 1:14 is substantival. And since it is an established usage for the adjective in this context, one might well expect that the author would continue to use the adjective substantivally four verses later. Indeed, μονογενής is already moving toward a crystallized substantival adjective in the NT [cf. Luke 9:38; Heb 11:17]; in patristic Greek, the process continued [cf. PGL 881 s.v. 7]. Second, there are several instances in the NT in which a substantivaladjective is followed by a noun with which it has complete concord: cf., e.g., Rom 1:30; Gal 3:9; 1 Tim 1:9; 2 Pet 2:5.) The modern translations which best express this are the NEB (margin) and TEV. Several things should be noted: μονογενής alone, without υἱός, can mean “only son,” “unique son,” “unique one,” etc. (see 1:14). Furthermore, θεός is anarthrous. As such it carries qualitative force much like it does in 1:1c, where θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος (theos ēn ho logos) means “the Word was fully God” or “the Word was fully of the essence of deity.” Finally, ὁ ὤν occurs in Rev 1:4, 8; 4:8; 11:17; and 16:5, but even more significantly in the LXX of Exod 3:14. Putting all of this together leads to the translation given in the text.

tn Or “The unique one.” For the meaning of μονογενής(monogenēs) see the note on “one and only” in 1:14. 

(46) tn  Grk “in the bosom of” (an idiom for closeness or nearness; cf. L&N 34.18; BDAG 556 s.v. κόλπος 1).

(47) tn  Grk “him”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

(48) sn  Has made God known. In this final verse of the prologue, the climactic and ultimate statement of the earthly career of the Logos, Jesus of Nazareth, is reached. The unique One (John 1:14), the One who has taken on human form and nature by becoming incarnate (became flesh, 1:14), who is himself fully God (the Word was God, 1:1c) and is to be identified with the ever-living One of the Old Testament revelation (Exod 3:14), who is in intimate relationship with the Father, this One and no other has fully revealed what God is like. As Jesus said to Philip in John 14:9, “The one who has seen me has seen the Father.”

(49) tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.

(—from, NET Bible)

...   ...   ...

1.

Christmas Morning Haiku

Unseen — revealed,

Community, only one,

Is what is — ground view

2.

CMH-2

Now, Kai, now

This is what is given —

Kai  — now, only now

3.

CMH-3

Who are you? (They are 

asking) What do you say about

Yourself? (Look — say nothing)

                           (wfh, 25dec19)

each one, everyone — can we hear this

Puer natus est nobis

Ein Kind ist uns geboren

Un niño nos ha nacido

Un enfant nous est né,

Een kind is ons geboren

A child is born for us

since her dory-mate died

...she rows alone.

who will rid me of these meddlesome thoughts

There are these words: "His Twitter feed alone—with its habitual string of mischaracterizations, lies, and slanders—is a near perfect example of a human being who is morally lost and confused."

Then, these:

To the many evangelicals who continue to support Mr. Trump in spite of his blackened moral record, we might say this: Remember who you are and whom you serve. Consider how your justification of Mr. Trump influences your witness to your Lord and Savior. Consider what an unbelieving world will say if you continue to brush off Mr. Trump’s immoral words and behavior in the cause of political expediency. If we don’t reverse course now, will anyone take anything we say about justice and righteousness with any seriousness for decades to come? Can we say with a straight face that abortion is a great evil that cannot be tolerated and, with the same straight face, say that the bent and broken character of our nation’s leader doesn’t really matter in the end?

We have reserved judgment on Mr. Trump for years now. Some have criticized us for our reserve. But when it comes to condemning the behavior of another, patient charity must come first. So we have done our best to give evangelical Trump supporters their due, to try to understand their point of view, to see the prudential nature of so many political decisions they have made regarding Mr. Trump. To use an old cliché, it’s time to call a spade a spade, to say that no matter how many hands we win in this political poker game, we are playing with a stacked deck of gross immorality and ethical incompetence. And just when we think it’s time to push all our chips to the center of the table, that’s when the whole game will come crashing down. It will crash down on the reputation of evangelical religion and on the world’s understanding of the gospel. And it will come crashing down on a nation of men and women whose welfare is also our concern.

(--Christianity Today, Dec. 19, 2019 

Editorial, Trump Should Be Removed from Office,  Mark Galli is editor in chief of Christianity Today.)

It is with bemused concern I look upon the mixed reactions of Christian evangelicals to the obscene and insulting manner this man operates as role model and leader of the United States. He has become inspiration and permission giver to the racist, the angry white people, and the uncouth frenzied who would like to eliminate people of color, different nationality, and other religious persuations.

I'm lingering between an amorphous hope this will pass -- and the more likely apprehension this will ignite more violent and murderous activity.

I take only minimal consolation we are about to celebrate the invitation to emulate the incarnation of the prince of peace.

in

For me, these days, there is nothing outside itself.

Aseitas—the English equivalent is a transliteration: aseity—simply means the power of a being to exist absolutely in virtue of itself, not as caused by itself, but as requiring no cause, no other justification for its existence except that its very nature is to exist. There can be only one such Being: that is God. And to say that God exists a se, of and by and by reason of Himself, is merely to say that God is Being Itself. Ego sum qui sum. And this means that God must enjoy “complete independence not only as regards everything outside but also as regards everything within Himself”
(—Excerpt from: "The Seven Storey Mountain" by Thomas Merton. Scribd.
Read this book on Scribd: https://www.scribd.com/book/249309404)

In the metaphor of the Christmas narrative, the phrase is written:

“And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7). 

If we drop the final “n” from the final word, we read “no place for them in the in.”

“In” — or within, is where God is.

In everything. In every place. In each instant and all time. In itself.

Throughout history people look for Jesus, look for God, in the obvious outside. The obvious outside is the radiating reflection of the emerging and expanding reality which is God-Itself.

The invisible inner is the eternal dwelling place of what we call God.

THE MANIFESTATION  

Many arrivals make us live: the tree becoming
Green, a bird tipping the topmost bough,
A seed pushing itself beyond itself,
The mole making its way through darkest ground,
The worm, intrepid scholar of the soil—
Do these analogies perplex? A sky with clouds,
The motion of the moon, and waves at play,
A sea-wind pausing in a summer tree.  

What does what it should do needs nothing more.
The body moves, though slowly, toward desire.
We come to something without knowing why.

(—Poem, The Manifestation, by Theodore Roethke) 

Today, they say, we come to see what is within itself.

What is

Within --

Itself.

connecting with everyone

Walking mountain

Max-manjushri looks back

a billion years, ten billion family members

returning light

First night of Hanukkah

First night of winter solstice

Returning light

Diminishing night

you are coming to be

“If you want to change the world, you have to change the metaphor.”   (-- Joseph Campbell) 

        room one, hospice house, Saturday evening 

He holds my hand for over an hour
His wife dancing love at other side of bed holds his
“I’ve never sat with someone dying,” he said
He says some scripture, he calls me pastor
He closes his eyes to rest, squeezes my hand,
At door his wife takes my hands, gives me
Her dancing eyes, full of what is silent said --
 I leave, going nowhere
                                             (—wfh)

“Division is the opposite of God” (—Greg Boyle, Homeboy Industries)

out of darkness

It is that time of Advent. It is that time of darkness pausing to allow return of light to shake itself and step into this coordinate of an infinite and indefinite cosmos.

In 1980, on a meditation retreat with a Carthusian monk and a priest from England, we were taught a mantra-ditty that began with the strains of a Tchaikovsky Vogel :

Out of darkness lead us to your light 

From illusion free us for your truth

Still our stormy mind

And calm all our striving

Present to us

With life 

Make us one

 It was a Buddhist--Christian Vipassana Liturgical intensive which culminated with an on-cushion sit from 4AM to noon with no getting up from cushion for any reason. So, reason gave up and something broke within, and time disappeared, and a piece of grapefruit like the eucharist itself was received into an uncomprehending mouth.

Today, darkness and light bow to each other, turn arm in arm, and dance through the room of vast unknowing in homage to what is arriving into an uncomprehending humanity in a perfectly balanced universe.