Synopsis "The Magical Message According to Ioannes (in English)"
This work is a literal translation of the fourth Gospel, preserving its philosophical and mystical terminology, and, as far as possible, the peculiarities of its literary form. The modern English style is followed in this translation, not only for the sake of clearness, but also because it fairly represents the simple, homely, and halting Greek of the Gospel. The lack of English equivalents for many of the Greek words and phrases makes it impossible to render these satisfactorily in some passages, but in all such cases explanatory footnotes are added, giving definitions and more adequate renderings than could be observed in the close and literal translation. These notes, being indexed, form a glossary of all the important words in the Gospel, thus enabling the reader, even if unacquainted with the Greek language, to follow the terminology as closely in the translation as could be done in the Greek text itself, and affording him almost every advantage to be had from a study of the original. The, introductory essays and other explanatory matter deal with the philosophical basis and mystical sense of the Gospel, without entering needlessly into controversial subjects. That the teaching of Jesus was largely allegorical is clearly apparent from the subject matter of the four Gospels, as well as from such express statements as that in Matthew xiii 34: "All these things Jesus spoke to the people in parables, and without a parable he did not speak (anything) to them." That the teaching had an inner and concealed meaning, divulged only to the few who were worthy to receive it, is evident from many passages in the New Testament; and it was so held by all the early Christian sects, and plainly admitted by the patristic writers.
