Logos & Rhema

Greek term for “word.” The term is significant because in John’s writings it refers to Jesus. The prologue of John’s Gospel (1:1, 14) and the beginning of 1 John (1:1) use logos to show how Jesus can be God and yet be an expression of God in the world. The divine Word took on human form and became a historical personage. Logos is also the title of Christ in the vision of his divine glory (Rv 19:13).

ῥῆμα (rhēma). n. neut. word. A word; something that is said.

This word is the second most frequent translation of Hebrew דָּבָר (dābār, “word”) in the Septuagint. The word rhēma primarily refers to things spoken, including words (e.g., Acts 16:38) and the content of what is said (e.g., Acts 11:14). It is especially relevant to the topic of divine revelation when it occurs in the phrases ῥῆμα θεοῦ (rhēma theou, “word of God”) and ῥήματα τοῦ θεοῦ (rhēmata tou theou, “words of God”). Luke 3:2 says that the word of God (rhēma theou) came to John the Baptist in the wilderness; this harks back to the ot depiction of a prophet as one who hears the word of God (1 Kgs 17:2). In the Gospel of John, the phrase rhēmata tou theou refers to the message from God that Jesus speaks (John 3:34; 8:47).