Just as the Gospel of John begins with a prologue (John 1:1–18), so do the letters. In both, the Word (logos) is the central theme. Here too the Elder introduces some of his principal concerns: the reality of the incarnation, eternal life, and fellowship with the community of believers.

The tone of the prologue is authoritative: the author speaks with the first generation of Christians (“we”), emphasizing his solidarity with apostolic “orthodoxy,” and he repeatedly uses verbs of personal experience (v. 1: “heard,” “seen,” “looked at,” “touched”; v. 2: “seen,” “testify”; v. 3: “seen,” “heard”) to underscore his direct connection with the incarnation of the Word. Thus, it is evident from the beginning of the epistles that such an emphasis is necessary because of the crisis situation of the…