Adding to the provocative nature of John’s opening, Ernst Haenchen (1984) adds John’s parallel structure to Genesis 1 is no coincidence and “tells of something that was in existence already in time primeval” which is in fact the “Logos”—whatever this ‘Logos’ is—as it defies definition in most any modern language. This “elevated” state of “Logos” reaches such “heights that it almost becomes offensive.”

Additionally, Raymond Brown (1966) offers that that hymn like structure of John’s opening can be divided into three strophes where the first strophe is verses 1-2; the second strophe is verses 3-9; the third strophe is verses 10-12; and the fourth strophe consists of verses 14-18. While the poetic nature (hymn-like quality) maintains its obvious parallel to Genesis 1, it “does not necessarily give us the original meaning intended by the author of Genesis.”