Affirms traditional reading: the Word is divine, coequal with God the Father
Hutterites affirm the traditional reading of John 1:1 that Jesus Christ, as the eternal Word (Logos), is truly God and coequal with the Father. This reading is foundational to their classical Trinitarian theology, expressed in their confessional documents and consistent with early Christian consensus. The Word's divinity and preexistence are central to Hutterite Christology and the doctrine of the atonement.
In their interpretation, John 1:1 establishes Christ's full deity before his incarnation—'the Word was with God' (intimate fellowship) and 'the Word was God' (identical in nature and power). This reading is upheld in Hutterite preaching, teaching, and pastoral practice.
Scripture References
Sources
- Peter Riedemann, Rechenschaft (1542)
- Hutterite Five Articles of the Greatest Strife (1547)
- Hutterite confessional writings on Christology