The Word And The Beginning

Ἐπιζητεῖ δὲ ἡμῶν ἡ διάνοια, τίς ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ; Ὁ Λόγος, φησί. Ποῖος λόγος; ὁ ἀνθρώπος λόγος; ἀλλ' ὁ τῶν ἀγγέλων λὸγος; Και γὰρ ἠνίξατο ἡμῖν ὁ Ἀπὸστολος, ὡς καὶ ῶν ἀγγέλων ἰδίαν ἐχόντων γλῶσσαν, εἰπών· Ἐὰν ταῖς γλώσσαις τῶν ἀνθρώπων λαλῶ καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων, Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοϋ λόγον διπλῆ τίς φωνῆς προφερόμενος, οὗτος ὁ μετὰ τὸ προενεχθῆναι τῷ ἀέρι ἐναπολλύμενος· ὁ δέ τίς ἐστιν ὁ ἐνδιάθετος, ἐνυπᾴρχων ἡμῶν ταῖς καρδίας· ὁ ἐννοηματικός. Καὶ ἄλλος, ὁ τεχνικὸς λόγος. Ὅρα μήποτε σε παρακρούσηται τὸ ὁμώνυμον τῆς φωνῆς. Πῶς γὰρ ᾔν ἐν ἀρχῇ ὁ ἀνθρώπινος λόγος, τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κάτω που λαβόντος τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς γενέσεως; Πρὸ ἀνθρώπου θηρία· πρὸ ἀνωρώπου κτήνη, τὰ ἑρμετα πάντα· ὅσα χερσαῖα, καὶ ὅσα ἔνυδρα, πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανου, ἀστερες, ἥλιος, σελήνη, βοτάναι, σπέρματα, γῆ, θάλαταα, οὐρανός. Οὐ τοίνυν ἐν ἀρχῇ ἧν ὁ ἀνθρώπινος λόγος, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ὁ τῶν αγγέλλων. Πᾶσα γὰρ ἡ κτίσις κατωτέρα τῶν αἰώνων ἐστὶ, τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ εἰναι λαβοῦσα παρὰ τοῦ κτίσαντος. Ὁ δὲ ἐν καρδίᾳ λόγος, καὶ αὐτος ἐκάστου τῶν νοηθέντων ἐστὶ νεώτερος. Ἀλλ' ἄκουε τοῦ λόγου θεοπρεπῶς. Περὶ γὰρ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς διαλεγόμενος σοι, Λόγον εἴπεν αὐτόν. Ὥωπερ οὖν καὶ φῶς μετ' ὀλιγον ἐρεῖ, κὰ ζωὴν, καὶ ἀνάστασιν, καὶ οὔτε φῶς ἀκούσας, ἐπὶ τὸ αἰσθητὸν τοῦτο καὶ ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁρατὸν καταφέρη, οὔτε ζωὴν ἀκούσας, τήν κοινὴν ταύτην νοεϊς, ἤν καὶ τὰ ἄλογα ζῇ· οὕτω καὶ Λόγον ἀκούων, φύλαξαι μὴποτε τῇ σῃ ἀσθενείᾳ τῆς διανοίας πρὸς χαμαιζήλους καὶ ταπεινὰς διανοίας ὑπενεχθῇς. Ἀλλ' ἐρεύνα τὴν διάνοιαν τοῦ ῥήματος. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλια ΙϚ, Εἰς τὸ, Ἐν ἁρχῇ ἧν ὁ Λόγος, Source: Migne PG 31.476c-477b

Now seek with your mind: what was in the beginning? A word, it says. 1 What word? A human word? A word of angels? For the Apostle tells us that even angels have tongues, when he says: 'If I speak with the tongues of men or angels...' 2 Now there is a twofold understanding of 'word', for there is one thing that is given forth by the voice, and that after it is brought forth perishes in the air, and another which is within, situated in our hearts, the mental word. And there is yet another word, written speech. Take care lest you are deceived by the amibiguity of the meaning. For how in the beginning was there a human word when man received his beginning and origin after that? Before men there were beasts, before men there were cattle, and reptiles of the land and of the sea, and birds of heaven and stars and sun and moon and plants and seeds and earth and sea and heaven. Thus in the beginning there was no human word, and no angelic one either. For every created thing had its time after, receiving from the Creator the beginning of its existence. Before is the word that is set in the soul and is the first of each thing of the intellect. Attend to the word as is worthy of God. For when it is spoken to you about the Unbegotten, the Word tells it. As then it is told a little after of light and life and resurrection, yet do not hear light as that sensible visible light on which the eye is dependant for vision, nor when you hear life understand the common life, which beasts and animals possess, and thus when you hear 'The Word', beware lest because of weakness of mind you fall into thoughts which are worldly and base, but seek the meaning of what is said. Saint Basil of Caesarea, from Homily 16, On 'In The Beginning was the Word' 1 Jn 1.1 2 1 Cor 13.1