A Comparative Study on the Prologue of John and the Preface of 1 John in Terms of Their Parallel Features

This type of comparative studies on the Prologue of John and the Preface of 1 John in terms of stylistic and structural analysis has not been properly paid attention to. Scholars have paid heed just to the surface level of comparison such as vocabularies and theological terms (or ideas), although not so few Johannine scholars have put much their focuses on studies of the Prologue’s structure. The value of the comparative study of both structures and styles of the Prologue and the Preface lies in 1) probably providing certain solution to the issue of authorship, 2) giving certain light upon the other part of study interactively or inter-relationally, if we can discern the specific authorial type of linguistic pattern in use, such as complex parallelism, based on the close connectivity between the Prologue and the Preface, 3)promoting the further continuous studies of the other Johannine texts besides the Prologue and the preface, grounded on the detected, specific patterns of structure or style. In this comparative study, the Prologue is determined to have certain resembled phenomena, in style and structure, with the Preface that shows the Johannine complex parallelisms, designing a stunning,poetic style of structure. Its complex chiastic structure of the Prologue,A(1-2)-B1(3-5)-C(6-8)-B2(9-11)-X(12-13)-B´2(14)-C´(15)-B´1(16-17)-A´(18), demonstrates convincingly that the text should not be interpreted simply in logical or successive order, but in complex-chiastic or interrelational order. V. 1 needs to be interpreted in relation to v. 18,while vs. 3-5 in relation both to vs. 9-11 and vs. 16-17, v. 6-8 in relation to v. 15, and v. 14 in relation both to vs. 16-17 (or including v. 18) and to vs. 9-11, simultaneously.