Ioannen 3:16 Ring (Relief)

May 2014
Sterling silver

John 3:16 is one of the most well known and widely quoted verses in the Christian Bible. This single verse so succinctly sums up the message of the greater text within which it is found that it is sometimes called "the Gospel in a single verse." Get closer to the text than ever with this beautiful ring that portrays the first half of the verse in the original Koine Greek, the language in which the Christian Bible was first transcribed.

The two lines decorating the circumference of the ring read Οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε τὸν Υἱὸν τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν (Houtōs gar ēgapēsen ho Theos ton kosmon, hōste ton Huion ton monogenē edōken, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son"). A pastor friend of ours explains that the first half of the verse implies the second half ("...that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life"), and that the first half is frequently quoted by itself. The beginnings and ends of the lines are separated by a triquetra—and while this is a symbol frequently associated with Celtic knots, the triquetra is extremely ancient and was an early Christian symbol for the Holy Trinity. The text and symbol are represented in relief (raised letters) with a border above and below the text, and a patina is applied to the background so that the scripture is more legible.

In keeping with the Greek text of John 3:16, this piece is named using "Ioannen," the Greek form of "John" (as used in the title of the Gospel of John).