# 1 John 1.3 **Book:** [1 John](/codex/1-john/) · NASB95 ## Immediate context (±2 verses) **ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/)) > 1. That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life 2. (and the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare unto you the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us); > > **3. that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you also, that ye also may have fellowship with us: yea, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ:** > > 4. and these things we write, that our joy may be made full. 5. And this is the message which we have heard from him and announce unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:1-5, ASV) **WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/)) > 1. That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we saw, and our hands touched, concerning the Word of life 2. (and the life was revealed, and we have seen, and testify, and declare to you the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was revealed to us); > > **3. that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us. Yes, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ.** > > 4. And we write these things to you, that our joy may be fulfilled. 5. This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:1-5, WEB) **KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/)) > 1. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2. (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) > > **3. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.** > > 4. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. 5. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:1-5, KJV) **YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/)) > 1. That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we did behold, and our hands did handle, concerning the Word of the Life 2. and the Life was manifested, and we have seen, and do testify, and declare to you the Life, the age-during, which was with the Father, and was manifested to us > > **3. that which we have seen and heard declare we to you, that ye also may have fellowship with us, and our fellowship [is] with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ;** > > 4. and these things we write to you, that your joy may be full. 5. And this is the message that we have heard from Him, and announce to you, that God is light, and darkness in Him is not at all; (1 John 1:1-5, YLT) ## Setting - **Speaker:** the author of 1 John, traditionally the Apostle John - **Audience:** the Asia-Minor churches, against secessionist teachers denying the bodily incarnation - **Location:** traditionally Ephesus - **Time period:** c. AD 85 to 95 ## Theological reading **The verse that states what the eyewitness claim is *for*.** "What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." After the four stacked sense verbs of [1 John 1:1](/codex/1-john-1-1/), this verse names the purpose. The perception is not reported for its own sake, and not to establish the writer's credentials over his readers. It is reported so that the readers may share in something the writer already has. **The structure is a chain, and it runs in one direction.** Perceived, then proclaimed, then shared. *Heōrakamen kai akēkoamen*, both perfect tense (completed acts whose results stand), feed *apangellomen*, present tense, an ongoing announcing. What the apostles have as perception, the readers receive as testimony, and the outcome asserted is the same *koinōnia*, not a lesser one. That last point is the theologically significant one and it is easy to miss. The verse does not say the readers get a second-class participation because they were not there. It says they get fellowship "with us," and then immediately identifies that fellowship as being with the Father and the Son. Testimony is treated as an adequate bridge. **Why this matters to the chain-of-custody objection.** The charge that the Bible is "just second-hand sources" assumes that receiving something by testimony is receiving a degraded version of it. This verse assumes the opposite, and the New Testament is consistent on the point: [John 20:29](/codex/john-20-29/) pronounces those who have not seen blessed, and [Luke 1:2](/codex/luke-1-2/) describes the deliberate handing-over that makes it possible. See [The Bible Is Just Second-Hand Sources Objection Defeater](/codex/the-bible-is-just-second-hand-sources-objection-defeater/). **Anti-docetic edge.** The whole prologue's insistence on the physical modalities, and especially on touch, is aimed at teachers who held that Christ only seemed to have a body. The fellowship offered is with someone the writers say they handled. See [G5584 - pselaphao](/codex/g5584-pselaphao/). ## Key words - ***horaō*** (G3708), to see; the perfect *heōrakamen*. See [G3708 - horao](/codex/g3708-horao/). - ***akouō*** (G0191), to hear; the perfect *akēkoamen*. See [G0191 - akouo](/codex/g0191-akouo/). - ***apangellō*** (G0518), to announce, report back; the verb of proclamation. - ***koinōnia*** (G2842), fellowship, participation, sharing in common. _Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word._ ## Quoted in **Arguments and defeaters:** - [Anonymous Gospels Objection Defeater](/codex/anonymous-gospels-objection-defeater/), via [1 John 1.1-3](/codex/1-john-1-1-3/) - [Argument from Religious Experience](/codex/argument-from-religious-experience/), via [1 John 1.1-3](/codex/1-john-1-1-3/) - [Christ Before Jesus Thesis Defeater](/codex/christ-before-jesus-thesis-defeater/), via [1 John 1.1-3](/codex/1-john-1-1-3/) - [Christian God is the Only True God](/codex/christian-god-is-the-only-true-god/), via [1 John 1.1-3](/codex/1-john-1-1-3/) - [Divine Hiddenness Objection Defeater](/codex/divine-hiddenness-objection-defeater/), via [1 John 1.1-3](/codex/1-john-1-1-3/) - [Johannine Authorship of the Fourth Gospel](/codex/johannine-authorship-of-the-fourth-gospel/), via [1 John 1.1-3](/codex/1-john-1-1-3/) - [Resurrection-Centric Growth Argument](/codex/resurrection-centric-growth-argument/), via [1 John 1.1-3](/codex/1-john-1-1-3/) - [The Bible Is Just Second-Hand Sources Objection Defeater](/codex/the-bible-is-just-second-hand-sources-objection-defeater/), via [1 John 1.1-3](/codex/1-john-1-1-3/) **Concepts:** - [NT Authorship and Eyewitness Apologetics](/codex/nt-authorship-and-eyewitness-apologetics/), via [1 John 1.1-3](/codex/1-john-1-1-3/) **Lexicon:** - [G0191 - akouo](/codex/g0191-akouo/) - [G3708 - horao](/codex/g3708-horao/), via [1 John 1.1-3](/codex/1-john-1-1-3/) **Passages:** - [John 3.11](/codex/john-3-11/) ## Notes _Your annotations._ ## Cross-references - **[1 John 1:1](/codex/1-john-1-1/)**, the four stacked sense verbs this verse follows - **[John 20:29](/codex/john-20-29/)**, the blessing on those who receive by testimony - **[Luke 1:2](/codex/luke-1-2/)**, the deliberate handing-over of eyewitness material - **[John 3:11](/codex/john-3-11/)**, testifying to what has been seen - **[The Bible Is Just Second-Hand Sources Objection Defeater](/codex/the-bible-is-just-second-hand-sources-objection-defeater/)**, the objection this answers - **[G5584 - pselaphao](/codex/g5584-pselaphao/)**, the handling verb of the prologue --- ## Why these four translations ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance. The four: - **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition. - **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English. - **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base. - **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff. See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.