In the beginning was the Word 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (Joh 1,1)

When I was a student at the Semitic Institute of the University of Oslo, my professor one day said in a discussion we were into:  “We do a serious mistake if we suggest that people living in ancient times were less intelligent than modern people from the twentieth century.  In fact they often showed wisdom that modern people have lost”.  Today I agree with him.

Some ancient ideas have showed to be immortal and will still have a strong impact on people and populations.  Christian believers find power and life in the words of Jesus and the prophets from the Old Testament, Muslims will repeat the words of the Qur’an again and again and there are numerous Holy Scriptures from all over the world being studied by their followers.

Looking back towards the origin of our cultures we will find philosophers, storytellers, authors and politicians who have been inspired to give speeches and write documents that belong to the treasures of the humans.

One of the characteristics of humans is to construct words and to combine words into sentences.  Probably this ability has belonged to the human race from the very beginning. Or did the words, at least the abstract ideas behind the words, exist before Homo sapiens were walking on this globe. Did the words come first?

During history numerous famous persons have imparted the experience of words and ideas coming to them from outside. Again and again the prophets of the Old Testament tell:  “The word of the LORD came to me”.  Inspired people from other religions will tell similar things. And philosophers as well.  Through all history of man wisdom has been illuminating people.  The wisdom of the ancient words should not be forgotten, but   constantly be repeated and transformed for modern man.

Ancient words for modern man.

 2013, February 2