Truth & Logos
Bible — ‘John 1:1 — In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.’
The word in this verse refers to the concept of ‘Logos’. Greek scripture of John 1:1 is:
En arkhêi ên ho lógos, kaì ho lógos ên pròs tòn theón, kaì theòs ên ho lógos.
The Greek version is crucial due to the importance and use of the Greek language in philosophical teachings as it is the ‘language’ that’s widely used amongst believers and practitioners of various different belief systems.
One of those is Stoicism…
The term Logos is widely used in the Stoic teachings. In ‘Meditations’, Marcus Aurelius starts his writings with ‘In the name of Logos’. By Stoic definition, Logos means:
The generative principle of the Universe.
The core pillar in Stoicism is to be at an equilibrium state with the ‘generative principle’, the ‘energy’ that keeps the Universe together and runs it. For human beings, as a member of this system, the only way to exist in it is to accept and embrace this principle, the natural order of things, rather than fighting it.
The meaning of Logos has slightly changed during the translation to different languages, especially Latin. The current use of the word ‘word’ in the Bible doesn’t exactly carry the meaning of Logos but a simplified version.
Different practices use different words to describe the concept of Logos. Great Breath is one terminology used in Theosophy to describe the ‘Absolute abstract motion’, which is to say ‘Eternally present principle of Life’.
Old Turkish belief system Tengrism, which is similar to Shamanism, uses the concept of Tengri, which is not a deity in the traditional sense, but a personification of the universe. The purpose of life in this system is to be in harmony with the Universe.
Conventional ‘God’ today could be interpreted as a simplified version of the concept of Logos.
The definition of ‘Truth’ in the esoteric sense, on the other hand, carries the same meaning. It’s considered to be ‘The Absolute’, that which accords with the Universal and Divine principles. This principle is eternal and has always existed.
The word Sat, meaning ‘Absolute Truth’ in Sanskrit explains it as:
The core element of the soul that is permanent and eternal
This concept of eternity, divinity, and universal attributes are also part of our conventional religion and definition of God.
Therefore, one might be able to connect the word Logos in Greek scriptures to the ‘Absolute Truth’ of Esoteric Teachings. With that, the meaning of the word God becomes clearer and universal:
The Truth itself!
