The doctrine of the incarnation, that God became man, is an essential teaching of Christianity. Beyond affirming the fact that Jesus is God made flesh, two questions are worth asking. First, is there an Old Testament basis for such a teaching or is this a truly new doctrine in the New Testament for Christians? In answering this, we should focus on what the New Testament authors said. Did they believe that Jesus’ incarnation was ‘Biblical’ (Old Testament)? Second, relatedly, what theological significance is there to the doctrine of the incarnation? I would like to explore John’s answers to these questions in his Gospel, focussing on John’s prologue (1.1-18) and Jesus prayer in chapter 17. John affirms the preexistence of Jesus by declaring the divine identity of Jesus such that, in the beginning when all things were created, He was present and active (1.1-2). In various other statements and ways, this Gospel continues to present Jesus as ‘one with the Father.’ To sta