138 Jan van der Watt & Chrys Caragounis nite does not arise for a Greek in this context, because Θεός as predicate denotes property or essence, not an individual. Thus, no question arises as to whether the Logos is the only God or one of many. As for the qua- litative use, apart from its liability to varying interpretations, it should be rejected both because the existing θεῖος is not used, and because God is a ‘person’ not an attribute. From the theological point, too, we see that John’s use of Θεός (instead of ὁ Θεός) was not only grammatically correct, but also reflected his theological conception. At the beginning, when the Logos was, God was already there. John does not confuse the Two. The Logos was God and yet he was not the God (which he reserves for the Father). But that does not make him a whit less God than the Father, for later in his Gospel he is going to use the dialectic statements that “I and the Father are One” and “The Father is greater than I”. The third clause shows a beautiful balance between the two and is the result of mature reflection on the problem of Godhead. The three clauses are beautifully structured. In the first clause John asserts the eternity of the Word. In the second clause he asserts the re- lationship of the Word to God (= the Father) and in the third clause he asserts the fact that the Word was God. The three clauses are climactical- ly structured. The fact that the third clause not merely asserts but also emphasizes the Godhead of the Word indicates how John conceives of the Triune God (to this point only two persons are introduced). We have seen above that the anarthrous predicate in Jn 1,1c καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος was determined by Greek grammar. At the same time it ought to be observed that this grammatically determined structure coin- cided with the theological nuance that John wanted to express. The Word cannot be identified with the Θεός of Jn 1,1b, because in his Gospel John intends to distinguish Θεός (= the Father) from Λόγος (the Son). Again the Λόγος is not Θεός τις , because he is not “a God”, but “one with the Father” (cf. Jn 10,30: ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πάτὴρ ἓν ἐσμεν). But it is grammar that determines theology, not theology that determines grammar. Jan Van der WATT Faculty of Theology and Science of Religion Radboud University Nijmegen (THE NEDERLANDS) Chrys C. CARAGOUNIS Lund University Rapslagarevägen 6 SE-245 35 Staffanstorp (SWEDEN)