{That which} (ho). Strictly speaking, the neuter relative
here is not personal, but the message "concerning the Word of
life" (peri tou logou t(8873) z(9388)s), a phrase that reminds one at
once of the Word (Logos) in  Joh 1:1,14  Re 19:14  (an
incidental argument for identity of authorship for all these
books). For discussion of the Logos see on 浥oh 1:1-18|. Here
the Logos is described by 	(8873) z(9388)s (of life), while in  Joh
1:4  he is called h(8820)z(9388) (the Life) as here in verse  2  and as
Jesus calls himself ( Joh 11:25  14:6 ), an advance on the phrase
here, and in  Re 19:14  he is termed ho logos tou theou (the
Word of God), though in  Joh 1:1  the Logos is flatly named ho
theos (God). John does use ho in a collective personal sense
in  Joh 6:37,39 . See also pan ho in  1Jo 5:4 . {From the
beginning} (ap' arch(8873)). Anarthrous as in  Joh 1:1  6:64  16:4 . See same phrase in  2:7 . The reference goes beyond the
Christian dispensation, beyond the Incarnation, to the eternal
purpose of God in Christ ( Joh 3:16 ), "coeval in some sense with
creation" (Westcott). {That which we have heard} (ho
ak(886b)oamen). Note fourfold repetition of ho (that which)
without connectives (asyndeton). The perfect tense (active
indicative of akou(935c)) stresses John's equipment to speak on this
subject so slowly revealed. It is the literary plural unless John
associates the elders of Ephesus with himself (Lightfoot) the men
who certified the authenticity of the Gospel ( Joh 21:24 ). {That
which we have seen} (ho he(9372)akamen). Perfect active, again, of
hora(935c), with the same emphasis on the possession of knowledge by
John. {With our eyes} (	ois ophthalmois h(886d)(936e)). Instrumental
case and showing it was not imagination on John's part, not an
optical illusion as the Docetists claimed, for Jesus had an
actual human body. He could be heard and seen. {That which we
beheld} (ho etheasametha). Repetition with the aorist middle
indicative of 	heaomai (the very form in  Joh 1:14 ), "a
spectacle which broke on our astonished vision" (D. Smith).
{Handled} (eps(886c)aph(8873)an). First aorist active indicative of
ps(886c)apha(935c), old and graphic verb (from psa(935c), to touch), the
very verb used by Jesus to prove that he was not a mere spirit
( Lu 24:39 ). Three senses are here appealed to (hearing, sight,
touch) as combining to show the reality of Christ's humanity
against the Docetic Gnostics and the qualification of John by
experience to speak. But he is also "the Word of life" and so God
Incarnate.