The “Word of Life” in 1 John

The opening verses of 1 John seem to deliberately echo, or at least share common traditions with, the prologue of the Fourth Gospel in John 1:1-18. In a previous post, I discussed whether the language of autopsy suggests that the “we” were actual eyewitnesses or authoritative interpreters of the Johannine tradition. The “word of life” in 1 John 1:1 could be equated with the incarnate Jesus as a visible and tangible human being. Alternatively, it may be equivalent to the proclaimed message whose acceptance leads to eternal life. The term logos is used in this way in the epistle in 1:10, 2:5, 2:7, and 2:14.