Vat.sir.369

that he is

that he is from the beginning, and he was
with God, and God
was that Word.
This one was from the beginning
with God. All things through him
came to be, and without him not
even one thing was [that which] came to be.
In him was life, and the life is the
light of men. And that light
shines in the darkness, and the darkness
did not grasp it. There was a man
who was sent from God, whose name
[was] John. This one came for testimony,
to testify about the light,
that everyone might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but [came] to testify about the light. He was
the light of truth, the one who illuminates
every man who comes into the world.
He was in the world, and the world through him
came to be, and the world did not know him.
To his own he came, and his own did not
receive him. Those, however, who received him,
he gave them the power that children
of God they should be, to those who believe
in his name, those who not from blood,
and not from the will of the flesh, and not
from the will of man, but from
God were born. And the Word
became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw
his glory, glory as of the Only-Begotten
from the Father, who is full of grace
and truth. John testified about him,
and cried out and said: "This is he of whom I said,
'After me comes, and has become
before me, because he was before
me.'" And from his fullness we all
have received, and grace for the sake of
grace, because the law
was given through the hands of Moses;
but grace and truth came through the hands
of Jesus Christ. God
no man has ever seen.
The Only-Begotten God, who is
in the bosom of his Father, he has declared [him].

And this is the testimony of John,
when the Jews sent to him
from Jerusalem, priests and Levites,
to ask him, "Who are you?"
And he confessed and did not deny, and he confessed that "I am
not the Christ." And they asked him
again, "What then? Are you Elijah?"
And he said, "No." "Are you the prophet?"
And he said, "No." And they said to him,
"Who are you?
That we may give an answer to those who sent us.
What do you say about yourself?"
He said, "I am the voice crying in the wilderness,
'Make straight the path of the Lord,'" as
Isaiah the prophet said. Those
who were sent from the Pharisees
were [there], and they asked him and said to him,
"Why then do you baptize, if
you are not the Christ, and not
Elijah, and not the prophet?" John answered
and said to them, "I baptize
with water, but among you stands
he whom you do not know.
This is he who after me comes,
and has become before me, he of whom I
am not worthy to loosen the strap
of his sandals." These things in Bethany
happened, across the Jordan,
where John was baptizing. And the day
after, John saw Jesus
coming to him, and he said, "Behold the Lamb
of God, who takes away the sin
of the world. This is he of whom I
said, 'After me comes a man,
and has become before me, because he was before
me.' And I did not know
him, but that he might be known to Israel.
Because of this I have come, that with water
I may baptize." And John testified and said,
"That I saw the Spirit descending from
heaven like a dove, and it remained
upon him. And I did not know
him, but he who sent me to baptize
with water, he said to me, 'The one
on whom you see the Spirit descending
and remaining upon him, this is he who baptizes
with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen
and testified that this is the Son of God."
And on the next day was standing
John and two of his disciples,
and he gazed at Jesus as he walked, and said,
"Behold the Lamb of God." And heard
both his disciples when he spoke,
and they went after Jesus.
And Jesus turned and saw them
that they were coming after him, and said to them,
"What do you seek?" They said to him,
"Rabbi, where do you stay?" He said to them,
"Come and see." And they came and saw where
he was, and with him they remained that
day. And it was about the tenth hour.
One, however, of those who heard
from John and went after Jesus,
was Andrew, the brother
of Simon. This one saw first
Simon his brother, and said to him,
"We have found the Christ." And he brought him
to Jesus. And Jesus gazed at him
and said, "You are Simon, the son
of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas."