John 1:1 — "The Word Was God"

The Maronite Catholic Church, as part of the Roman Catholic communion, affirms the traditional reading of John 1:1 that identifies the Logos with God (theos). The Fourth Lateran Council (1215) and subsequent Catholic magisterium teach that Christ is 'true God from true God' (Nicene Creed). The Maronite theological tradition, rooted in the Syriac fathers and in union with Rome, receives this doctrine as part of the universal Catholic faith.

In Maronite liturgy and catechesis, John 1:1 is understood as asserting the full deity and eternal nature of the Word made flesh. The incarnation presupposes the eternal divinity of the Word; the Maronite tradition emphasizes both Christ's full divinity and full humanity as the foundation of Christian redemption and mystical union.