For years, perhaps decades, I have asked Logos for a structures dataset … and built a haphazard one for myself via notes. Here is what I am building via a chatbot. I am asking two questions:
- Do you find it useful? Would you use it as a personal book or must it be a Logos resource?
- What modifications would you make in order for it to be the most helpful to you?
Example of 1 John:
Structural analysis of 1 John
Macro analysis
Scholars have proposed a wide variety of structural analyses for the First Epistle of John, since the text does not have the clear argumentative or narrative markers of a Pauline letter. Instead, 1 John often repeats themes in cyclical or patterned ways. Here are the main types of structures suggested:
1. Chiasm (Inverted Parallelism)
Some interpreters see 1 John organized as a large chiasm, with mirrored sections that emphasize themes of light, love, and life:
- A – God is light (1:5–2:17)
- B – Antichrists and abiding in the anointing (2:18–27)
- C – Children of God and righteousness (2:28–3:10)
- B′ – Love one another vs. hatred (3:11–4:21)
- A′ – God gives eternal life (5:1–21)
This view highlights how ideas recur in reverse order, stressing the theological “center” of the text.
2. Stair-Step / Cyclical Progression
Others argue that 1 John develops like a stair-step or spiral: themes repeat, but each time at a slightly deeper level. For example:
- Cycle 1 (1:5–2:27): Walking in light, obeying commandments, loving others.
- Cycle 2 (2:28–4:6): Children of God vs. children of the devil; testing spirits.
- Cycle 3 (4:7–5:21): Love perfected, victory through faith, assurance of eternal life.
This model emphasizes developmental repetition rather than symmetry.
3. Parallelism
Some scholars see loose parallel units rather than strict chiasm or spiral:
- Prologue (1:1–4) parallels the Conclusion (5:13–21).
- Light and Darkness (1:5–2:11) parallels Love and Hate (3:11–24).
- Truth and Error (2:18–27; 4:1–6) frame the center of the letter.
This suggests 1 John is structured like a set of theological meditations, each with parallels to another section.
4. Rhetorical or Thematic Blocks
Another approach divides 1 John into three tests of true Christianity, repeated in different orders:
- Theological test – right belief about Jesus.
- Moral test – obedience/righteousness.
- Social test – love for fellow believers.
Each section of the epistle reintroduces one or more of these tests, creating a mosaic rather than a linear argument.
📌 Summary
- Chiasm: Sees symmetry, with light–love–life themes mirrored.
- Stair-step/Cyclical: Sees repetition with development, spiraling deeper.
- Parallelism: Pairs sections across the text, highlighting echoes.
- Rhetorical/Thematic: Organizes around three recurring “tests” of genuine faith.
Microanalysis
By structure type:
Scholars have observed a number of literary/rhetorical devices at the section and verse level in 1 John:
1. Chiasm (small units)
- 1 John 1:6–7:
- If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light…we have fellowship…and the blood of Jesus…cleanses us.
- Structure: claim–reality–reversal (darkness/lie vs. light/truth).
- 1 John 3:9–10:
- “No one born of God practices sin…because he has been born of God” mirrored with “By this it is evident who are the children of God.”
- A chiastic pairing of “born of God / children of God.”
2. Stair-Step / Climactic Parallelism
- 1 John 2:12–14:
- “I write to you, little children… I write to you, fathers… I write to you, young men…” repeated in rising sequence.
- Functions as a stair-step affirmation of different groups within the community.
- 1 John 3:1–2:
- “See what kind of love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are… Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared…”
- Builds each clause upward, revealing identity, present status, and future hope.
3. Synonymous and Antithetic Parallelism
- Synonymous (restating with variation):
- 1 John 2:21 – “I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.”
- Antithetic (contrasting pairs):
- 1 John 3:6 – “No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.”
- The parallel halves invert one another for emphasis.
4. Ring Structure (Inclusio)
- 1 John 1:1–4 opens with proclamation of the Word of life and ends with fellowship and joy.
- 1 John 5:13–21 closes by echoing themes of knowledge, eternal life, and avoiding idols — circling back to the prologue’s concerns.
- Smaller inclusios:
- “This is the message” in 1:5 and again in 3:11.
5. Rhetorical Questions
- 1 John 3:17 – “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart… how does God’s love abide in him?”
- Functions structurally like a mini-unit — statement, test case, rhetorical punchline.
Summary:Within the text of 1 John, scholars have identified micro-structures such as:
- Chiasms (1:6–7; 3:9–10).
- Stair-step/climactic parallelism (2:12–14; 3:1–2).
- Synonymous/antithetic parallelism (e.g., 2:21; 3:6).
- Ring/inclusio structures (1:1–4 and 5:13–21; 1:5 and 3:11).
- Rhetorical question units (3:17).
These devices give 1 John its distinctive style — not linear argument, but cyclical, poetic, and meditative repetition that both reinforces memory and deepens reflection.
By Bible reference:
Here’s a reference index of structural patterns in 1 John broken down by chapter/verse. This will let you see where chiasm, stair-step, parallelism, inclusio, and rhetorical devices are found in the text:
📋 Structural Index for 1 John
1 John 1
- 1:1–4 – Inclusio (Word of Life → fellowship → joy; mirrored at 5:13–21).
- 1:6–7 – Chiastic inversion (claim of fellowship vs. walking in darkness // walking in light vs. fellowship & cleansing).
- 1:8–10 – Antithetic parallelism (“If we say we have no sin…” // “If we confess our sins…”).
1 John 2
- 2:3–6 – Synonymous/antithetic parallelism (knowing God = keeping commandments; failure to obey = falsehood).
- 2:12–14 – Stair-step/climactic structure (children → fathers → young men, repeated with intensification).
- 2:18–19 – Inclusio-like frame (“antichrists have come” // “they went out from us”).
- 2:21 – Synonymous parallelism (“I write… not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it”).
1 John 3
- 3:1–2 – Stair-step development (see what love → we are God’s children now → what we will be).
- 3:6 – Antithetic parallelism (abiding vs. sinning).
- 3:9–10 – Chiastic pairing (born of God → not sinning → seed abides → children of God evident).
- 3:11 – Inclusio marker (“this is the message…”) echoing 1:5.
- 3:17 – Rhetorical question unit (love of God vs. refusing brother in need).
1 John 4
- 4:7–10 – Synonymous parallelism (love one another = from God; God’s love manifested in sending Son).
- 4:16–18 – Stair-step progression (knowing God → abiding in love → perfected love → casting out fear).
1 John 5
- 5:1–5 – Chiastic arrangement (belief in Christ → love God → keep commandments → victory of faith).
- 5:6–8 – Triadic parallelism (“Spirit, water, blood” repeated twice, affirming testimony).
- 5:13–21 – Inclusio with 1:1–4 (knowledge, eternal life, fellowship; ending with warning against idols).
Summary
1 John is full of micro-structures:
- Chiasms: 1:6–7; 3:9–10; 5:1–5.
- Stair-step/climactic parallelism: 2:12–14; 3:1–2; 4:16–18.
- Synonymous/antithetic parallelism: 2:3–6; 2:21; 3:6.
- Inclusios/ring structures: 1:1–4 // 5:13–21; “this is the message” (1:5 // 3:11).
- Rhetorical questions: 3:17.
