John 1:5

And the light shineth in darkness,.... Which, through sin, came upon the minds of men; who are naturally in the dark about the nature and perfections of God; about sin, and the consequences of it;…

The light shineth in darkness - Darkness, in the Bible, commonly denotes ignorance, guilt, or misery. See Isa 9:1-2; Mat 4:16; Act 26:18; Eph 5:8, Eph 5:11; Rom 13:12. It refers here to a wicked and…

And the light shineth in darkness - By darkness here may be understood:

1. The heathen world, Eph 5:8.

2. The Jewish people.

3. The fallen spirit of man.

Comprehended it not - Αυτο ου κατελαβεν,…

Austin says (de Civitate Dei, lib. 10, cap. 29) that his friend Simplicius told him he had heard a Platonic philosopher say that these first verses of St. John's gospel were worthy to be written in…

shineth Note the present tense; the only one in the section. It brings us down to the Apostle's own day: now, as of old, the Light shines in reason, in creation, in conscience, and shines in vain.…