The Gospel of John begins with the words “In the beginning was the Word.” This opening echoes Genesis and presents Jesus as the eternal Word, or Logos, who was with God and was God.
John’s prologue continues by saying that the Word became flesh and lived among humanity. This theological introduction differs from the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke and from Mark’s opening at Jesus’s baptism.
The phrase is sometimes confused with the opening of Genesis, which says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” John deliberately uses similar language to connect Jesus with creation and divine activity.
The Gospel of John is traditionally associated with John the apostle, although modern scholarship discusses its authorship and development. Its distinctive style and themes make it easy to distinguish from the Synoptic Gospels.