In the beginning (phrase): Difference between revisions

[[File:Genesis on egg cropped.jpg |thumb|The first chapter of B'reshitBereshit, or Genesis, written on an egg, in the Jerusalem museum]]

'''"In the beginningof"''' (''bereshith''{{transliteration|hbo|bereshit}} in [[Biblical Hebrew]]) is the opening-phrase or [[incipit]] used in the [[Bible]] in [[Genesis 1:1]]. In [[John 1:1]] of the New Testament, the word ''{{transliteration|grc|[[Arche|Archē]]''}} is translated into English with the same phrase.

The translated word in the [[Hebrew Bible]] is ''Bereshith''{{transliteration|hbo|bereshit}} ({{lang|hbo|{{Script/Hebrew|[[:wikt:בראשית|בְּרֵאשִׁית]]}}}}): "'In beginning"'. The [[Article (grammar)#Definite article|definite article]] (the) is missing, but implied.{{sfn|Blenkinsopp|2011|pp=30–31}}

''{{transliteration|grc|[[Arche|Archē]]''}} ({{lang-grc|[[:wikt:ἀρχή|ἀρχή]]}}) is the original word used in [[John 1:1]].

The [[Book of Genesis]] as a whole has the title of Bereshith{{transliteration|hbo|Bereshit}} ( {{lang|hbo|בְּרֵאשִׁית‎}}) by its [[Incipit#Hebrew|incipit in Hebrew]], as with other books of the Hebrew Bible. The first word, and thus God's role as Creator, is recited in the ''{{transliteration|he|[[Aleinu]]''}} prayer near the end of each of the three daily [[Jewish services|prayer-services]].

[[File:John 1.jpg|thumb|John 1:1 in [[King James Bible]]]]

[[Genesis 1:1]] is commonly paralleled by Christian theologians with [[John 1:1]] as something that [[JohnGospel of John#Authorship|the Apostleauthor]] alluded to.{{sfn|Jobes| 2014|pp=}} Theologian [[Charles Ellicott]] wrote:

<{{blockquote>"|The reference to the opening words of the Old Testament is obvious, and is the more striking when we remember that a Jew would constantly speak of and quote from the book of Genesis as『[[Bereishit (disambiguation)|Berēshîth]]』("in the beginning"). It is quite in harmony with the Hebrew tone of this Gospel to do so, and it can hardly be that St. John wrote his Berēshîth without having that of [[Moses]] present to his mind, and without being guided by its meaning.<ref>[http://biblehub.com/commentaries/ellicott/john/1.htm Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers] on John 1, accessed 22 January 2016</ref></blockquote>}}

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