Raymond Brown on John 1:14a

Reading a bit of Raymond Brown's classic commentary on John's Gospel, The Gospel According to John, I-XII, I ran into this neat quote on John 1.14a: "The Word became flesh."

Raymond E. Brown

The title, "the Word," was appropriate in vs.1 because the divine being described there was destined to speak to men. When the title is used for the second time in vs.14, this divine being has taken on the human form and has thus found the most effective way in which to express himself to men. Thus, in becoming flesh the word does not cease to be the Word, but exercises his function as Word to the full (32, italics mine).