Moloney Johannine Theology

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JOHANNINE THEOLOGY

Francis J. Moloney, S.D.B.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

For commentaries, - - John, 61: 1; - 1-3 John, 62:1. Ashton, J (ed.), The Interpretation of John (London, 1986). Barrett, C. K., Essays on John (London, 1982). Beutler,J., "LiterarischeGattungen im Johannesevangelium. Ein Forschungsbericht," ANRW II/25.3, 2506-68. Borgen, P.,

Logos was the True Light and Other Essays on the Gospel of John (Relieff 9; Trondheim, 1983).Brown, R. E., The Community of the Beloved Disciple (NY, 1979). Bultmann, TNT 2.3-92.Culpepper, R. A., Anatomy of the Fourth Gospel (Phi. 1983). De Jonge, M., Jesus: Stranger from

Heaven and Son of God (SBLSBS 11; Missoula, 1977). De la Potterie, I., La Vrit dans Saint Jean (2 vols.; AnBib 73-74; Rome. 1977). Dodd. C. H., The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel (Cambridge, 1953). Hartman, L. and B. Olsson (eds.), Aspects on the Johannine Literature (ConBNT 18; Uppsala, 1987). Ksemann. E., The Testament of Jesus (Phi, 1968). Kysar, R. TheFourth Evangelist and His Gospel (Minneapolis, 1975); "The Fourth Gospel: A Report onRecent Research," ANRW II/25.3, 2389-2480. Martyn, J. L., History and Theology in the FourthGospel (2d ed.; Nash, 1979). Meeks, W. A., The Prophet-King (NovTSup 14; Leiden, 1967).Moloney, F. J., The Johannine Son of Man (Biblioteca di Scienze Religiose 14; Rome, 1978).Painter, J., John: Witness and Theologian (London, 1975). Pancaro, S., The Law in the FourthGospel (NovTSup 42; Leiden, 1975). Schillebeeckx. E., Christ (London, 1980) 305-432.Smalley, S. S., John: Evangelist and Interpreter (London, 1986). Smith, D. M., JohannineChristianity (Univ. of S. Carolina, 1984). Thusing, W., Die Erhhung und Verherrlichung Jesuim Johannesevangeliurn (NT Abh 21/1-2; Munster. 1970).

OUTLINE

Components in Johannine Theology ( 3-17)(I) The Structure of John

(A) Overall Structure ( 5-6)(B) Problems ( 7-8)

(II) The Johannine Communiry

(A) HistOry of the Communiry ( 9-14)(B) Theological Significance ( 15-17)

God and Jesus ( 18-54)(I) Theology

(A) Telling God's StOry ( 19)(B) What Sort of God? ( 20-23)

(II) Christology


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(A) Jesus the Glory of God ( 25-26)(B) The Cross and the Glory of God ( 27-30)(C) Dualism ( 31-34)(D) Son of God ( 35-37)(E) Son of Man ( 38-40)

(F) "I Am He" ( 41-49)(G) Eschatology and the Spirit ( 50-54)The Believers' Response ( 55-62)

(I) Signs and Faith ( 55-57)(II) Sacraments ( 58-61)(III) Conclusion ( 62)

COMPONENTS IN JOHANNINE THEOLOGY

3The Fourth Gospel (henceforth John) fell into disfavor as the 19th-cent. search for the"real Jesus" (--> NT Criticism, 70:6, 33) discovered Mark as the "historical" Gospel. Thecontemporary interest in the theologies of the earliest church, however, has restored John tocenter stage. (E. Haenchen, John [Herm; PhI, 1984] 1.20-39.) Already in the 2d cent. Clement ofAlexandria was able to call John the Spiritual Gospel" (Eusebius, HE 6.14.7), and the 4th-cent.Fathers spoke of "John the Theologian." The uniqueness of its theological viewpoint is a majorfeature of John.

4(I) The Structure of John .The saying that John is like a magic pool in which an infant can paddle and an elephant

can swim is verifiable in so many ways. The language of John is generally uncomplicated; thevocabulary and syntax are simple; and yet it presents one of the most profound and moving

portraits of Jesus of Nazareth and his message found in the NT. (C. K. Barrett, The Gospelaccording to St John [2d ed.; London, 1978] 5-15.)

5 (A) Overall Structure. The issue of simplicity and profundity affects thecomprehension of the structure of John. Whatever debates there may be about the structure of theSynoptic Gospels, there is wide agreement that John can be divided into a clearly designedtheological prologue (1:1-18), followed by two long sections. The first (1:19-12:50) is devoted tothe public life of Jesus until he withdraws from the crowds (12:36b)-a section John closessolemnly with concluding reflections (12:37-50). The second (13:1-20:31) is devoted entirely toJesus' presence with his "own" disciples, leading up to his glorification through the hour of thecross, resurrection, and return to the Father. The final chap. (21) is seemingly an addendum,which apparently originated in the same Johannine background as the Gospel proper, buT was

added at a final stage (no ancient ms. lacks it) to deal with further issues of concern to theJohannine church (- John, 61:4; for a contrary view, see P. S. Minear, JBL 102 [1983] 85-98).

6 There is less agreement among scholars as to the care and deliberation given by theevangelist to more detailed internal structures. On the positive side, the narratives of the man

born blind (John 9), the raising of Lazarus (John 11), and the passion (esp. 18:28-19:16) indicatean author who wrote with considerable skill. Detailed analyses have shown beyond reasonabledoubt that John is the end product of considerable literary and theological activity.


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7 (B) Problems . One might believe that clear overall structure and careful literary

shaping, conditioned by an obviously theological point of view, should make the identificationand description of Johannine theology an easy task. Yet there are structural and literary problemsthat have puzzled interpreters for centuries, centered on difficult sequences in John's logic,

geography, and time line. E.g., the solemn conclusion of Jesus' discourse to his disciples in 14:31("Rise, let us go hence'') leads beautifully into 18:1, the opening verse of the passion narrative("When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples across the Kidronvalley''). However, without any explanatory indication of time or space, these two affirmationsare separated by chaps. 15-17! Chaps. 5 and 6 of John seem to many scholars to have beenreversed. Moreover, passages like 3:31-36 and 12:44-50 are strangely situated; there is someconfusion over Caiaphas and Annas in chap. 18; etc.

8 Such illogicalities in an otherwise well structured Gospel have led to different theories,e.g., that the Gospel as we have it is "unfinished" (D. M. Smith, The Composition and Order ofthe Fourth Gospel [New Haven, 1965] 238-40) or that it has come down to us out of sequence,

and we must attempt to reconstruct its original order (R. Bultmann; - ;. NT Criticism, 70:52).The most popular approach to this problem, however, has been the attempt to recognize thevarious "layers" of tradition in the Gospel from a tradition-history point of view (expertly donein the commentaries of R. Schnackenburg and R. E. Brown). Recent Johannine scholarship isasking a further important question: Is it possible to trace (behind this blending of ancient, morerecent, and exclusively Johannine elements) the experience of the Johannine community; Anattempt to answer that question positively stands at the center of a great deal of Johanninescholarship today (surveyed by F. J. Moloney, "Revisiting John;' ScrB 11 [Summer 1980] 9-15; -- John, 61:13-15).

9 (II) The Johannine Community . The rediscovery of the faith journey of the Johanninecommunity is of great importance for a proper appreciation of the Gospel's theology (- John,61:9-11).

(A) History of the Community . In John the first days of Jesus are marked by a series ofquestions framed in terms of Jewish messianic expectations. Religious authorities come fromJerusalem and ask whether JBap is the Messiah, Elijah, or the Prophet (1:19-28). JBap, the one"who came for testimony, to bear witness to the light" (1:7), points away from himself towardJesus: the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the Son of God (1:29, 34-35).Eventually he sends two of his disciples to "follow" Jesus (v 37). They call Jesus Rabbi andspend some time with him (vv 38-39). Eventually they bring other disciples, announcing: "Wehave found" the Messiah, the Christ, the one of whom Moses in the law and also the prophetswrote (vv 41 and 45). These confessions finally lead Nathanael to proclaim: "Rabbi, you are theSon of God! The King of Israel!" (v 49). This procession of christological titles is seen by manycommentators as gradually leading to a final, fully Johannine confession of faith from Nathanael.However, difficulties appear in v 50, where Jesus himself is unhappy with this profession offaith, which is inspired by the mere miracle of Jesus' knowledge that Nathanael had been under afig tree. Jesus promises the sight of "greater things": the opening of the heavens and the ascentand descent of the angels of God upon the Son of Man (vv 50-51).


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10 This passage (and many similar passages throughout John) uses a whole gamut ofchristological categories, which can be traced back to various stages in the faith journey of theearly church (- NT Thought, 81:12-24). We find references to a messianic precursor (Elijah orthe Prophet), and to Jesus as an authoritative teacher (Rabbi), as Christ (Messiah), and the onewho fulfills the Scriptures, arriving finally at Nathanael's belief that Jesus is the Son of God (in

Jewish messianic terms, interpreting 2 Sam 7: 14 and Ps 2:7) and the King of Israel. There is a progression from the earliest and simplest terms for the messianic precursor through to the mostelevated Jewish expectations of a messianic King of Israel. But then there are three furtherconfessions that cannot be contained within those categories: the Lamb of God, the Son of God(in the full Johannine sense), and the Son of Man (also in the Johannine sense). Is this confusion?Is it a juxtaposition of traditions that are not well matched? Perhaps the apparent multiplicity ofchristological categories found in 1: 19-51 reflects a christological journey within the communityitself.

11 This community had its beginnings in the earliest days of Christianity. It has had closecontacts with a primitive Jewish-Christian understanding of Jesus as the Mosaic Prophet and the

fulfillment of the Scriptures. Dialogue with Judaism would have eventually led to the moredeveloped, fully Jewish confessions of Jesus as Messiah, King of Israel, and Son of God. Theearliest years of the community would have been lived in close contact with Judaism and itstraditions. Gradually, this closeness to Judaism seems to have broken down, and the first step inthis breakdown would probably have come with the introduction of non-Jewish and even anti-Temple elements into the Johannine community. The concentration on the mission to theSamaritan; in chap. 4 is a strong indication of this direction (esp. the implications of 4:20-24).Certainly the introduction of non-Jewish elements caused much of the theological developmentof the early church. (One need only think of elements in Paul and Matthew.) There can be littledoubt that Samaritans, Hellenists, etc. would have caused the Johannine community to lookagain at their understanding and their preaching of the person of Jesus of Nazareth. A shift inmeaning of the term "Son of God" may have been unacceptable to an original Jewish audience,and the use of the "I am" expression to refer to Jesus would meet similar opposition.

12 A mounting tension between the Johannine community and the synagogue seems tohave led eventually to the complete expulsion of the community from the synagogue. Theevidence for this final rift is found in the description of the experience of the man born blind inchap. 9, where his growing faith in Jesus (9: 11: "the man called Jesus"; v 17: "He is a prophet";v 33: "If this man were not from God"; vv 35-38: confession of Jesus as the Son of Man) finallyleads to his being "cast out" (v 34). Already John has used the parents of the man born blind toexplain the background for such a dismissal. They refused to speak for their son because "theyfeared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess him to be theChrist, he was to be put out of the synagogue" (9:22; see also 12:42; 16:2). It appears that thisfinal rift between church and synagogue, reflected in John, is to be linked with the decisiongradually taken by Judaism (sometime after AD 85) to exclude from the synagogue sectarians,including those who believed that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ (see W. D. Davies, TheSetting of the Sermon on the Mount [Cambridge, 1966] 256-315; R. Kimelman, in Jewish andChristian Self-Definition 2 [ed. E. P. Sanders, et al.; Phi, 1981] 226-44; ----> Early Church,80:24).


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13 Once the Johannine community had been forcibly cut away from its Jewish roots,further modifications of Johannine theology seem to have taken place. An originally Jewish-Christian community now had a developing hostility to official Judaism (the reason for thenegative use of the term "the Jews" throughout the Gospel) and a growing openness to thestrange world within which it now had both to live and to preach its unique form of Christianity.

Contact with the syncretistic Hellenistic religions and some early form of what eventually became gnosticism (----> Early Church, 80:64-82) would have been part of this new world. Thecommunity made it clear that true Johannine Christians could not possibly remain in thesynagogue (see 12:43-44). Gradually they developed an independent understanding of a primacyof love rather than of authority (the reason for the continual "upstaging" of Peter by the BelovedDisciple: see esp. 13:21-26 and 20:2-10). The Johannine community became more aggressive inits gradual development of a new and higher christology Jesus as the Logos, the Son of God,"sent" by the Father from "above" to "below" in a way quite unknown to the Synoptic Gospels),a unique Paraclete pneumatology, and an ethic based on a law of love, without emphasizing therestrictions of a final, end-of-time judgment on behavior (there is no Johannine scene to parallelMatt 25:31-46).

14 That this was a risky process is indicated by the Johannine letters. There we havetraces of the further history of a Johannine community irrevocably divided into at least twofactions. There the group who "went out from us" (1 John 2: 19) - to go by the author'sdescription of their heresies (and we unfortunately are not able to hear their defense) - seemed to

be moving into a more gnostic form of Christianity through their understanding of the Jesus ofthe Gospel. The community portrayed by the letters themselves seems to be drawing back into amore "controllable" Christianity, where the importance of the person of Jesus of Nazareth and ofthe historical, physical experience of his suffering and his death is spelled out without anyambiguity (1 John 4:2-3; 5:6; 2 John 7). Similarly, the quality of life that should be lived by hisfollowers is given a more practical treatment than in the Gospel itself (see, e.g., 1 John 1:6;2:4,6,9). Yet both groups - those represented by the letters and those attacked by them-could

justifiably claim to be basing their christology, ecclesiology, pneumatology, and ethics on thetraditions and theological heritage of the Beloved Disciple and his Gospel. The community

behind the letters appears to have taken the Gospel message with them into a form of church thateventually became the "greater church," while the teachings of the ex-members of thecommunity attacked by the letters are in many ways close to 2d-cent. gnosticism.

(Brown, R. E., BEJ 47-115: Community . Langbrandtner, W., Weltferner Gott oder Gott der Liebe [BBET 6;Frankfurt, 1977]. Martyn, J. L., The Gospel of John in Christian History [NY, 1978]. Meeks, W. A., "'Am I aJew?'Johannine Christianity and Judaism;' Christianity, Judaism and Other Greco-Roman Cults [Fest. M. Smith; ed.J. Neusner; SJLA 12; Leiden, 1975] 1. 163-86. Mller, U. B., Die Geschichte der Christologie in der johanneischenGemeinde [SBS 77; Stuttgart, 1975]. Richter, G., "Zum gemeindebildenden Element in den johanneischenSchriften;' Kirche im Werden [Fest. G. Richter; ed. J. Hainz; Munich, 1976] 252-92.)

15(B) Theological Significance .Our rapid sketch is of necessity speculative, a synthesis based on the work of contemporary Johannine scholarship. It is proposed, however, to indicatethat contemporary Johannine studies, rather than being limited to a variety of redactional theoriesto explain the internal tensions ofthe Gospel, now look to the growth of a particular early Christian community for such anexplanation (----> NT Criticism, 70:79). Behind this growing tradition stands the figure of the


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Beloved Disciple (whether he was John the son of Zebedee or not need not be decided here). Hischarismatic and sensitive appreciation of Jesus of Nazareth stands at the beginnings of theJohannine tradition. His ability to reread and reteach that tradition, without ever betraying thefundamental elements of the Christian message, also stands behind the growth already outlined.He challenged his community in his own time. After the death of the Beloved Disciple (see

21:21-23), that same community was prepared to face their new situation and go on looking attheir faith in Jesus and its expression.

16 The tensions in the text of John are obviously present; yet both the overall organization andmuch of the internal structure show a clear and well-organized mind. This phenomenon indicatesthe skill of an evangelist who produced a theological unity as he worked creatively in the real-life situation of his community. John is an attempt to preserve and to instruct by making the oldertraditions understandable to a new Christian generation. The evangelist was telling an "old story"in a new way. It was inevitable that many of the experiences of the community, in which he hadheard the story told and retold it him'self, would shape the way in which it was narrated. Thereare important theological issues at stake here. As J. L. Martyn has written: "The Evangelist has

extended the einmalig [actual events from his tradition concerning the historical life of Jesus],not because he discovered additional information about what the earth! v Jesus did on this [ orthat] occasion, but rather becau~e he wishes to show how the Risen Lord continues his earthlyminisrry in the work of his servant, the Christian preacher" (History and Theology 29-30).

17 In a study of Johannine theology such reflections are of real theological importance. The"story of Jesus" as we now have it told in John is the result of the journey of faith of a particularChristian community in the second half of the 1st cent. The experience of the Johanninecommunity and the rich theological vision it has produced indicate that this particular earlyChristian community committed itself seriously to "the problem of relating the givenness of the

past with the exhilarating experience of the present" (M. D. Hooker, "In His own Image," Whatabout the New Testament? [Fest. C. Evans; ed. M. D. Hooker, et al.; London, 1975] 41). John isnot just a hotchpotch of contradicting traditions.

GOD AND JESUS

18 (I) Theology . John is the story of Jesus of Nazareth, written to communicate belief in him andin his saving life, death, and resurrection. One could come to that conclusion by reading thechristological prologue (1:1-18) and then the concluding words: "These things are written thatyou may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life inhis name" (20:31). Yet, despite appearances, John really is not a story about Jesus but a storyabout what God has done in Jesus (---; 1-3 John, 62:5).19 (A) Telling God's Story. The Prologue

is a christological confession but also more than that. The Logos exists from all time, turned inloving union toward God (1:1-2); and the significance of this is not only christological. The restof the Prologue tells of the inbreak of the Logos as "life" and "light" (vv 3-5,9), "flesh" (v 14),"the fullness of a gift which is truth" (vv 14, 16-17), "the only Son" (vv 14, 18), 'Jesus Christ" (v17). The evangelist begins from a presupposition shared by many of his contemporaries that "theworld" is caught in darkness (1:5), unable to "see" or "know" the mystery of God. Of old, Godwas made known in a limited bur fundamentally important way through the law given to Moses.

Now that "gift" has been replaced by the fullness of the gift of God, i.e., the Truth revealed


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through Jesus Christ (1:16-17). No one has ever seen God, but Jesus Christ, the unique Son ofthat God, has told the story of God in his life (v 18). Thus, this hymn tells the reader agreat deal abourJesus but docs more. The purpose of the "enfleshing" of the Logos in Jesus is totell the story of God; and the Gospel's account of that story will reflect the Johannineunderstanding of God and his relationship to Jesus, to the world, and to those in the world (-->

John, 61: 16-17).

(De la Potterie, I.. "Structure du Prologue de Saint Jean," NTS 30 [1984] 354-81. Kaseman. ,\,TQT 138-67. Moloney, F.]., '''In the Bosom of' or 'Turned towards' the Father," AusBR 31[1983J 63-71. Panimolle, S. A., II dono della Legge e la Grazia della Verita [Rome, 1973].)

20 (B) What Sort of God? 1 John 4:8 affirms "God is love" (see also 4:16). Coming at the endof decades of reflection, this expression attempts to encapsulate God's caring, saving action inthe gift of his Son. It was drawn from the experience of Jesus. Nevertheless, it is the closest the

NT comes to telling us about the "being" of God, and it provides a starting point for aconsideration of Johannine theology (see R. Schnackenburg, Die Johannesbriefe [HTKNT 13/3;

Freiburg, 1979] 231-39; also BE) 542-67).21 The section of John (3:16-17) that contains the first use of the vb. "to love"(agapao) has beencalled "a miniature Gospel." We learn there that the earthly presence of the Son flows from thefact that God loved the world so much that he gave his Son so that the world might be saved, andthat those who arc in the world might have a chance for eternal life. The Son has been loved byGod, his Father, from before all time (17:24). The love that has existed between the Father andthe Son from all time has broken into history, as the Father, who loves the Son, has given allthings into his hands (3:35; 5:19-30). Without use of love terminology, the opening verses of thePrologue have the same message, telling of a unique union between the Logos and God whichreaches out into the darkness to bring an invincible light (1: 1-5). A logical conclusion to this"story of God" is that the presence of the Son in the world is a challenge to recognize in him theFather who has loved in this way (8:42; 14:9-10,23; 15:9). To reveal a God of love to the worldcan be seen as the purpose of Jesus' presence. In his final prayer to the Father, the Son prays thatthe love which initiated and infused his mission be repeated in the lives of "his own" (17: 11) andin the lives of all those who would come to believe in the Son through the preaching of hisdisciples (17:20,23,26). Thus a God who is love will continue to be proclaimed in the world, asthose who believe in Jesus are sent into the world, just as Jesus was sent into the world (17:17-19).

22 At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, as the disciples wonder about Jesus' presence to theSamaritan woman, he announces: "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and toaccomplish his work" (4:34). This constitutes a major statement: Jesus is to fulfill the purpose ofthe one who sent him (the vb. pempo here, whereas in other places apostello is used), to bring to

perfection ( teleioo ) the work ( to ergon ) entrusted to him. As the public ministry unfolds, Jesusagain proclaims the centrality of the will of his Father: "I seek not my own will, but the will ofhim who sent me" (5:30), repeating that this can only be done by performing the "works whichthe Father has granted me to accomplish; these very works which I am doing, bear witness thatthe Father has sent me" (5:36). These themes run through the Gospel: Jesus is the "sent one" ofthe Father ( pempo : 4:34; 5:23-24,30,36-37; 6:38,39,44; 7:/6-18,28-29,33; 8:16, 18,26,28-29; 9:4;


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12:44-45,49-50; 13:20; 14:24; 15:21; 16:5; apostello 3:17,34; 5:36; 6:29,57; 7:29; 8:42; 9:7;10:36; 17:3,8,18,21,23,25), accomplishing, "bringing to perfection" ( telioo : 4:34; 5:36; 17:4;19:28; teleo : 19:28,30) the "work" which the Father gave him to do ( to ergon : 4:34; 6:29; 17:4).

23 John is, in some ways, a story of what Jesus has done for God. This is made particularly clear

in Jesus' final prayer to his Father and his final cry from the cross. He opens his prayer with theclaim: "[ glorified you on earth. having accomplished the work ( to ergon teleiosas ) which yougave me to do" (17:4). "Lifted up" on the cross, he proclaims in his moment of death: "[t has

been accomplished" ( tetelestai, 19:30). It is in the moment of death [hat Jesus himself can proclaim that he has brought to perfection the task which the Father gave him to do. In someway, the life (where Jesus docs the "works" of the Father: 5:20.36: 6:28; 7:3; 9:3,4;10:25,32,37,38; 14:10-12) and the death of Jesus are the realization of the work of God. In thislife and death God is made known.

(Barrett. "Christocentric or Theocentic'" Ess"ys 1-18. Borgen, "God's Agent in the FounhGospel," Logos 121-32. Buhner.J. A., Der Gesandte und sein Weg im 4. Evangelium WUNT

2/2: Tbingen, 1977), Haenchen, E.. "Der Vater der mich gesandt hat.NTS 9 [1962-63J 208-16.Loader, W. R. G.. "The Central Structure of Johannine Christology;' NTS 30 [1984] 188-216.Miranda, J. P., Der Vater, der mich gesandt hat [EHS 2317; Frankfurt, 1972]; Die Sendung Jesuim vierten Evangelium [SBS 87; Stuttgart, 1977].)

24(II) Christology. John's story about God, then, is inextricably bound up with the life, death,resurrection, and return to the Father of Jesus the Son. If the revelation of a God who lovesmakes this Gospel "theological," such a theology is made possible through a "christology" (->John, 61:16-17).

25(A) Jesus the Glory of God. In 1:43-51, the first disciples come to a belief that they havefound one "of whom Moses and the prophets wrote" (v 45), "Rabbi, Son of God and King ofIsrael" (v 49). Jesus warns them that they have come to this belief merely on the basis of hisknowledge that Nathanael had been under a fig tree. This is only a beginning. They will see"greater things" as they will see the revelation of the heavenly in the Son of Man (1:50-51)

beginning in the first miracle at Cana where Jesus "manifested his glory" (2:11). The reader hasmet the term "glory" ( doxa ) in the Prologue: 1: 14 claims that the enfleshing of the preexistentWord produces a situation where "we" (the members of the community) can "behold" the glory,a unique glory because it is the glory of the only begotten Son of God who dwells among us.This theme is essential to the Johannine story of Jesus, who tells the story of God.

26 In the OT, various authors used a term to speak of the felt presence of a loving, saving, andguiding God among his people. Whether it was the opening of the Reed Sea, the pillar of fire, themanna from heaven, the ark of the covenant, the Temple, or (among the poets) the beauty of theheavens, the biblical authors used the same term: kebod YHWH , the glory of Yahweh (see Exod16:7-10; 24:16-17; Lev 9:26; Num 14:21; 2 Chr 5:14; Ps 19:2; Isa 40:5). Strangely, the LXXrendered this as doxa tou theou; for the normal Gk meaning of doxa was not "glory;' but"esteem;' "honor;' "earthly success;' covering a range of ideas connected with achievementshumanly measured by culture and history (LSJ 444). Once this odd translation choice was made,the word doxa passed into the biblical vocabulary, rendering an important OT concept expressed


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through Hebr kabod. (See G. Kittel and G. von Rad, TDNT 2. 232-55; W. Grossouw, inLEvangile de Jean [RechBib 3; Bruges, 1958] 131-33.)

27(B) The Cross and the Glory of God. More fully, then, 1:14, "We have beheld his glory ( ten doxan autou ), glory as of the only Son from the Father:' implies that in the enfleshed Logos, the

loving, saving presence of God himself is made visible. We must look at the story of Jesus to seehow this glory is made visible, how Jesus is glorified, and how God is glorified in him. Johnindicates on three occasions that the activity of Jesus reflects the glory of God: at Cana (2:11)and twice within the context of the raising of Lazarus (11:4,40). Already in 11:4 there are strongindications that the ultimate moment of glorification lies elsewhere: "This illness is not untodeath; it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by means of it."

28 There are two issues here: the revelation of the glory of God in the raising of Lazarus to life(see also 11:40), and then the further glorification of the Son generated by this event. The hourof Jesus" is set in motion by the Lazarus event. The presence of the power of God in the miracleitself is a revelation of the "glory" of God (see 11:21-27), but there is more to it. In John's story

line this miracle leads to the decision that Jesus must die for the nation - and nor for the nationonly, but to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad (see 11:49-52). To this point in John, the death of Jesus has never been explicitly mentioned. It has been referred tothrough the use of the important Johannine themes of the "lifting up" (3:14; 8:28) and "the hour"(2:4; 4:21,23; 7:30; 8:20), but the fIrst reference to Jesus' destiny in explicit terms of "death"(using the vb. apothtlesko) is found in 11:16. In chaps. 11-12, as Jesus moves from his publicministry into his "hour of glory" (chaps. 13-20), such references abound (11:16,50,51; 12:24,33).

29 The link between the raising of Lazarusin itself an event that reveals "the glory of God"(11:40) and the further moment of the glorification of the Son (11:4) becomes important. Thesister of Lazarus anoints Jesus for death (12:1-8). Jesus enters Jerusalem (12:12-16), surrounded

by people who come to see Lazarus and by "the chief priests" who are planning the death of bothJesus and Lazarus (12:9-11,17-19). The Pharisees declare, "Look, the world has gone after him"(12:19). The prophecy of Caiaphas and John's explanation of it as a death not only for the nation

but also to gather into one the children of God scattered abroad, are being fulfilled (11:49-52).As some Greeks come to see Jesus (12:20-22), he can announce the arrival of a turning point inhis story: "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified" (12:23).

30 Thus far in the Gospel "the hour" has not yet come (2:4; 7:6,30; 8:20); but now we find that ithas come (12:23; see further 13:1; 17:1; 19:27) and that in it the Son of Man will be glorified.There is a connection between the hour, the glorification, and the death of Jesus in 12:31-32:"Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out; and I, when Iam lifted up from the earth, will draw all to myself' The theme of the "gathering" of all peoplearound a Jesus who dies, "lifted up" on a cross, begun in 11:49-52 and carried further in 12: 19,is now fully explained: the cross of Jesus is the place where the glory of God will shine forth,drawing all to himself. This is made abundantly clear in the redactional 12:33: "He said this toshow by what death he was to die" (see also 18:32). John presents the cross as the climacticmoment in the revealing activity of Jesus. Jesus makes this clear during his ministry: "When youhave lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that 1 do nothing on my ownauthority, but speak thus as the Father taught me" (8:28). The evangelist spells it out again in his


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final comment on the death of Jesus: "They shall look on him whom they have pierced" (19:37).(BG] 1. 503-4. DeJonge, M., 'Jesus as Prophet and King in the Fourth Gospel;' ETL 49 [1973]160-79. Forestell, J. T., The Word of the Cross [AnBib 57; Rome, 1974]. Meeks, Prophet-King61-81. Muller, U. B., "Die Bedeutung des Kreuzestodes Jesu im Johannesevangelium;' KD 21[1975] 49-71.)

31 (C) Dualism. John did not invent this message of a loving God, revealed through the gift ofhis Son (3:16-17) in a supreme act of love (13:1; 15:13), for the life and death of Jesusconstituted the foundational story of Christianity. Yet there are unique elements in John's form ofthe story, e.g., its dualistic world View, which have no parallel in the Synoptic tradition. !"- formof dualism was part of 1st-cent. Judaism, steeped III Ideas of a sovereign Lord of creation and aworld trapped by forces opposing the divine way only to be finally overcome in the messianicappearance (see C. Rowland, Christian Origins [London, 1985] 87-97). This dualism of the

present evil age resolved by the rule of God III the age to come is replaced in John with anotherform of dualism. A traditional temporal dualism has been (partly) replaced by a cosmic dualism.Underlying the Gospel story are a series of contrasts: e.g., I1ght and darkness (1:5), above and

below (8:23), spirit and flesh (3:6), life and death (3:36), truth and falsehood (8:44-45), heavenand earth (3:31), God and Satan (13:27). These opposing forces do not simply coexist but arelocked in conflict: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (1:5);"Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out" (12:31);John61:6.

32 The origin of this dualism is difficult to define. Bultmann has regarded John as achristianization of early gnostic schemes (TNT 2. 15-32). Kasemann argued that a drift into anaive, incipient docetism is evident (Testament 4-26). There are indications that this form ofdualism was not foreign to 1st-cent. Jewish thinking (see J. H. Charlesworth, John and Qumran[London, 1972] 76-106) or to the syncretistic religions that flowered in the latter part of the 1stcent. It was central to gnosticism in the 2d cent. Is John a product of the Hellenistic or the Jewishworld? The answer is probably that it is neither, but both. John built bridges out of the Judaismof its birth into the new world of Hellenistic syncretism.

(Barrett, "Paradox and Dualism," Essays 98-115. Baumbach, G., "Gemeinde und Welt imJohannes-evangeliurn;' Kairos 14 [1972] 121-36. Bcher, O., Der johanneische Dualismus imZusammenhang des nachbiblischen Judentums [Gttersloh, 1965]. Onuki, T., Gemeinde undWelt im Johannesevangelium [WMANT 56; Neukirchen, 1984]. Schil1ebeeckx, Christ 331-49.Schottroff, L., Der Glaubende und die feindliche Welt [WMANT 37; Neukirchen, 1970].Sternberger, G., La symbolique du bien et du mal selon saint Jean [Paris, 1970].)

33 Against this background the categories of Johannine christology can be understood.Fundamental to the whole of the Gospel is the origin of Jesus : the fact that the preexistent Logos(1:1-2) has become flesh and dwelt among us in the person of Jesus (1:14-18). Throughout theGospel the question of "origins" is raised: at Cana (2:9), with the Samaritan woman (4: 11), by"the Jews" (9:29), by the crowd at the feast of Tabernacles (7:27; 8:14) and even by Pilate (19:9).If the origin of Jesus is turned toward God as the Logos (1:1), then his presence in history will bethe result of his being the "sent one" of the Father.


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34 The evangelist believes that no one has ever seen God, but that there is one person who is ableto reveal him to us: the. one who comes from the Father (1:18; 6:46). Given, however, thedualistic presentation of God and "the world;' of "above" and "below," such a mission involvesthe descent of the revealer from above (3:13) and his subsequent ascent to where he was before(6:62; 17:5; 20:17). The Johannine Jesus comes from the Father, reveals him in a unique way as.

his Son, and returns to the Father, to have again the glory that was his before the world was made(17:1-5). Again we find ourselves in touch with categories of revelation and redemption that can be found at both poles of the Johannine experience: Judaism and Hellenistic syncretism. (SeeSchillebeeckx, Christ 321-31; C. H. Talbert, NTS 22 [1975-76] 418-40.)

35 (D) Son of God . Central to the revealing task of Jesus is his being the Son of God. John is notthe first to use this term to speak of Jesus. It can be found in one of the earliest christologicalconfessions in the NT (Rom 1:3-4) and in the earliest of the Gospels (see Mark 1:1,11; 9:7;15:39). There is .every indication that the concept, so important to the NT as a whole, had itsorigins in the relationship which existed between Jesus of Nazareth and the God of Israel, arelationship which Jesus summed up by his use of the term "abba" (Jesus, 78:30-31, 35-37). Yet

the Johannine use of "the Son" is bolder than its earlier uses to interpret the person andsignificance of Jesus. Again we find the evangelist leading his community on their journey fromthe earlier use of christological terminology into a new vision which could be grasped (even ifnot accepted) by the world the community was leaving. In the new world, both evangelist andcommunity would live and preach Jesus of Nazareth, the unique once-for-all revelation of hisGod, whom he claimed was his Father (see 5:17-18).

36 The absolute use of the term "the Son" appears only 3 times in the Synoptic Gospels (Matt11:27, par. Luke 10:22; Mark 13:32, par. Matt 24:36; Matt 28:19); once in Paul (1 Cor 15:28);and 5 times in Hebrews (Heb 1:2,8; 3:6; 5:8; 7:28). In John, Jesus speaks of his sonship 20 times(3:16,17,18; 5:18 [twice], 20,21,22,23 [twice], 25,26; 6:40; 8:35-36; 10:36; 11:4; 14:13; 17:1[twice]); additionally, it appears 4 times as a Johannine Comment (3:35,36 [twice], 20:31), oncein the Prologue (1:18), and 4 times on the lips of others (1:34:JBap; 1:49: Nathanael; 11:27:Martha; 19:7: "the Jews"). There is also a series of "sons hip" passages where Jesus refers to Godas his Father (see R. Schnackenburg, The Gospel according to St John [3 vols.; NY, 1968-82] 2.174-77). These sayings almost always express a relationship between God and; Jesus (e.g., 1:18,34; 3:16; 5:19-26; 6:40; 14:13). This title of honor is not ultimately about Jesus, but about Godand God's relationship to the world and those who dwell in the world but are not of the world(3:16-17; 17:14-16). "The Johannine Son-Christology is essentially the doctrine of salvation for

believers, i.e., not a doctrine about Jesus Christ in isolation but taking in the human race, withJesus as God's emissary revealing and mediating salvation" (Schnackenburg, St John 2. 185).This is made clear in 3:16-21,34-36, passages that argue fundamental Johannine themes. Jesus'mission is explained in terms of God's having so loved the world that he sent his only son (v 16)in order that the world may have the opportunity to accept or refuse the light and truth (vv 19-21,35-36) found in him (vv 18,36). Salvation or condemnation is already made possible throughthe acceptance or refusal of that life available in the revelation of God in the Son (vv 17,36; seeesp. 5:24-25).

37 The close link that exists between the glorification of the Son and the event of the cross isexpressed in 11:4,40 (see also 14:13). The glory spoken of in 11:4 is the glory that the Son will


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have when he returns to the presence of his Father (14:13; 17:1,5), but this glory will be his as aresult of the cross. Although the glory of God shines through all the words and deeds of Jesus, itis on the cross where he reveals love (13:1; 15:13); there is the place where God's savingrevelation in his Son shines forth. Jesus claims that he is the Son of God and that because of hisSonship he has authority to reveal what he has seen with his Father and thus bring eternal life to

those who believe in him. The preexistent Word of God has become flesh, dwelling among us asGod's Son, revealing the truth or (as John would say) making visible the glory as of the only Sonof the Father (1:14). The evangelist has written a Gospel so that his readers may come to an ever-deeper belief in this revelation, confess Jesus as the Son, and thus come to eternal life (20:31).(Dodd. Interpretation, 250-62. Moloney. F. J.. "The Johannine Son of God," Salesianum 38[1976] 71-86. Schillebeeckx. Christ 427-32.)

38(E) Son of Man . This Son-of-God christology is dominant as a God who loves is revealed tothe world in an act of love as the Son freely lays down his life (10:11,17-18; 12:27; 13:1; 15:13).However, John has its own view of the cross, not as a moment of humiliation (see Phil 2:5-11;Mark 15:33-39) bur as Jesus' consummation of his life's journey and purpose, the place where he

returns to the glory that was his and where he glorifies his Father by bringing to perfection thetask given to him (4:34; 11:4; 13:31-32; 17:4; 19:30). One of the techniques used by theevangelist to make this point is the Gk vb. hypsothenai , which has a double meaning: "to lift up

physically;' and "to exalt" (3:14). It is clear that the event of the cross is simultaneously thelifting up of Jesus on a cross and the exaltation of Jesus (Thsing, Erhhung 3-49; cf. G. C.

Nicholson, Death as Departure [SBLDS 63; Chico, 1983]). It is important to notice further thatthis very important Johannine play on words is always associated with another title which had

been used of Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels (Jesus, 78:38-41), and which is developed here: theSon of Man (3:13-14; 8:28; 12:23,32-34).

39 In part John reaches back into early Christian tradition. After the initial promise that the believer will see the revelation of the heavenly in the Son of Man (1:51), the same title isconsistently used in association with the "lifting up" on the cross, reflecting the Marcan use ofthe title "the Son of Man" in the passion predictions (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33-34). However,again John has gone his own way. The Synoptic tradition also used this term to speak of Jesus asa human figure who has a unique authority and who will eventually return as universal judge(Mark 2:10,27-28; 8:38; 13:26; 14:21,40; Matt 13:37; 16:13,28; 24:29-30,39; Luke 6:22; 9:58;11:30; 17:22,24,26,30; 21:36). Because, for John, the presence of Jesus is the revelation of Godamong men and women, this presence also brings judgment (3:1621,31-36; 5:24-25; 12:44-50).Thus, we can say that John is able to fuse the two Synoptic uses, drawing the judgment theme

back into the historical encounter with Jesus (John 5:27; 9:35-39; 12:24-36). It should also benoticed that a future judgment is not totally excluded in John; this is most clear in 5:28-29 in thecontext of the Johannine presentation of Jesus, the Son of Man, as judge (5:27).

40 Further Son-of-Man sayings in John indicate that Jesus is the unique giver of life (6:27,53).These sayings also seem to be linked to the cross, the fulfillment of the "work of God" (see 6:28-29). It appears that John uses a traditional term to present the earthly ministry ofJesus - and especially the "lifting up" on the cross - as "the place" where the man Jesus, the Sonof Man, reveals God and thus brings life and judgment. However, in perfect agreement with therest of Johannine Christology, such an understanding of Jesus, the Son of Man, is possible only


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because he comes from the Father and will return to the Father (3: 13; 6:62). The cross, the focal point of the human revelation of God in the Johannine scheme of things, is never very far fromthe Son-of-Man sayings. It is not surprising that the final Son-of-Man passage (placed in thecontext of the hour that has come) points to the imminent revelation of the glory of the Fatherand the subsequent glorification of the Son. But here the language used is not Father/Son, but

God/Son of Man: "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and in him God is glorified; if God isglorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once" (13:3132). Thelanguage used differs, as the evangelist wishes to throw the human event of the cross into greaterrelief; but the underlying theology is the same.

(Coppens, j., "Le fils de l'homme dans l'evangile johannique," ETL 52 [1976] 28-81. Lindars. B.Jesus Son of Man [London, 1983] 145-57. Maddox, R. "The Function of rhe Son of Man in theGospel of John:' Reconciliation and Hope [Fest. L. L. Morris: ed. R. J. Banks: Exeter, 1974] 186-204. Meeks, W. A., "The Man from Heaven in Johannine Sectarianism," JBL 91 [1972] 44-72.Moloney, Son of Man. Smalley, S.S., "The Johannine Son of Man Sayings:' NTS 15 [1968-69]278-301.)

41(F) "I Am He." Another unique feature of John's presentation of the person and function ofJesus of Nazareth is the "I am" (Gk ego eimi ) sayings. These sayings are generally grouped intothree forms exhibiting different grammatical structures.

(i) No Predicate Complement or absolute use . 8:24: "You will die in your sins unless you believe that I am [he)"; 8:28: "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know thatI am [he]"; 8:58: "Before Abraham was, I am"; 13:19: "So that when it does take place you may

believe that I am [he]:' Although there are many examples of the use of "I am" in the syncretisticreligions of antiquity (e.g., mystery religions, Hermetic literature and Mithraic liturgies), acomparison shows that the Johannine use of the absolute ego eimi has no parallel in suchliterature.

42 There is now widespread agreement that the most likely background for the Johanninesayings is the OT. Many have looked to Exod 3:14, where the name YHWH is revealed as "I amwho I am" (Hebr 'ehyeh 'aser 'ehyeh), but this is not very helpful; the LXX does not translate the

passage with a finite verb but with the participle ho on , "the existing one." A more likely back-ground is the prophetic literature, and esp. Dt-Isa. One of the main concerns of this prophet wasto assert the authoritative word of the unique God of Israel, YHWH, against the claims of the"other Gods." He did this through the use of two Hebr expressions ('ani hu' and 'ani yhwh): Isa43: 10: "You are my witnesses. , , and my servant whom I have chosen that you may know and

believe that I am He ['ani hu']; 45: 18: "I am the Lord ['ani yhwh] and there is no other." In theseand other passages (Isa 41:4; 43:13; 46:4; 48:12; Deut 32:39), the Hebrew for "I am He" and "Iam the Lord" is translated in the LXX by ego eimi .

43 As in Dt-Isa YHWH revealed himself through these formulas, so also with John: Jesus revealshis uniqueness not by speaking of his divine "being" but by taking over a formula used byYHWH, through his prophet, to reveal himself to his people. Thus, the Johannine Jesus carrieson the task of revelation: he reveals God, his Father, and identifies his task with God's will (see17:3-4).


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If a translation of ego rimi in these verses (8:24,28) is sought I should be inclined to offer thecolloquial English, "I'm the one," that is, "It is at me, to me, that you must look, it is I whom youmust hear:' This corresponds well with John's view of the person of Jesus, and harmonizes wellwith such passages as Isaiah 45:18-25. The sense would be not, "Look at me because I amidentical with the Father," but "Look at me for I am the one by looking at whom you will see theFather (14:9), since I make him known" (1:18).(Barrett, Essays 13)

44 (ii) Understood Predicate Complement . An example of this form of "I am" saying is John6:20: the frightened disciples see someone coming to them across the waters, but Jesus assuresthem, " Ego eimi , do not be afraid." This may simply mean, "It is only I, so you need not worry."A similar use is found in 18:5, where Jesus presents himself to the arresting party who havecome for him, saying, " Ego eimi ." Once again, this may mean only, "I am the one you arelooking for:' In these cases, however, contexts are important. After the bread miracle and theattempts of the crowd to make him King, Jesus escapes (6:15), only to reveal himself assomething more than a messianic pretender who has come to bring the second manna (see 2Apoc. Bar. 29:8-30:1). Similarly, the collapse of the arresting party before the word of Jesus(18:6) shows that something more than "Jesus of Nazareth" is present.

45 These passages should be understood in the light of the OT use of "I am YHWH" intheophanies. Sometimes such revelations are used to reassure men and women and are oftenaccompanied by an exhortation not to fear (Gen 26:24; Isa 51:12). On other occasions thisrevelatory statement is given as an indication of the authority of God's revelation (Exod 6:6;20:1,5; Lev 18:6; Isa 52:6). There is a revelation of God in these two Johannine encounters withJesus: one is to comfort and strengthen (6:20) and the other is a revelation that leaves all

prostrate with fear before the revealer (18:5-6).

46 (iii) Expressed Predicate Complement . While the above forms of "I am" sayings areclosely linked to the revelation of God in and through Jesus, this final form is more closelyassociated with Jesus' function: 6:51: "I am the bread of life"; 8:12; 9:5: "I am the light of theworld"; 10:7,9: "I am the door (of the sheep)"; 10:11,14: "I am the good shepherd"; 11:25: "I amthe resurrection and the life"; 14:6: "I am the way, the truth, and the life"; 15:1,5: "I am the (true)vine."

47 Some have argued that these sayings are polemical statements against the claims of otherrevealer figures as life, light, truth; and thus they are "strongly stressed and always contrastedwith false or pretended revelation" (R. Bultmann, The Gospel of John [Phi, 1971] 226).Although there is a measure of truth in this insight, there is no need to go to gnostic revealerfigures (as does Bultmann) to find the contrasts. These strong affirmations of the uniqueness ofJesus are much better understood within the context of a past (the manna given by Moses, thelight at the feast of Tabernacles, the way of the Torah, etc.) which has now been replaced byJesus.

48 Even here, however, these sayings arc not primarily concerned with defining or describingJesus in himself. All the predicates indicate what Jesus is in relation to women, men, and theworld. In his mission he is the source of eternal life for all (vine, life, resurrection), the meansthrough which all find life (way, gate), the one who leads all to life (shepherd) as he reveals the


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truth (light, truth) which can nourish their life (bread from heaven). These sayings reveal thedivine commitment involved in the Father's sending his Son. It is possible for Jesus to makethese claims only because he and the Father are one (10:30), and thus he possesses the life-giving

power of the Father (10:21).

49 There is a difference between the "I am" sayings without an expressed predicate, which aredirectly concerned with the presentation of Jesus as the revealer and the revelation of God, andthese sayings. Even here, however, the theme of revelation is present. Jesus, who is one with theFather, is able to reveal the Father in a unique way. Only because this is true can he be describedas the vine, the life, the resurrection, the way, the gate, the good shepherd, the truth, and the

bread of life the unique saving revelation of God among men and women. Schnackenburg (StJohn 2. 88) states: "The Johannine ego eimi sayings are completely and utterly expressions ofJohn's Christology (Son, Son of Man) but have the particular advantage of making the savingcharacter of Jesus' mission visible in impressive images and symbols."

(BGJ 1. 533-38. Harner. P. B., The "I Am" of the Fourth Gospel [FBBS 26: PhI, 1970]. Feuillet,

A..Les Ego eimi christologiques du quatrime vangile," R5R 54 [1966] 5-22, 213-40.Schnackenburg, 51 John 2. 79-89. Zimmermann. H., "Das Absolute ego eimi als dieneutestamentliche Offenbarungsformel;" BZ 4 (1960] 54-69,266-76.)

50 (G) Eschatology and the Spirit . Reflecting John's claims about origin, destiny, and onenesswith the Father's will, Jesus is presented during his earthly mission as the unique once-for-allrevelation of God. This leads to the conviction of the evangelist that the moment of judgment is"now." The revelation of God in Jesus is the place where one must look upon a God who hasrevealed himself to us "now." One must make one's decisions "now" (see 3:16-21,35-36; 4:23;5:24-25; 6:46-47; 9:39-41; 12:31,44-46). This so-called present (realized) eschatology is oftenseen as the only possible eschatology that could flow from the Johannine Christology, dominated

by Jesus' claim: "The Father and I are one" (10:30). Throughout the Gospel, however, there ismention of future resurrection and judgment (see 5:28-29; 6:39-40,54; 12:25,48; 14:3,18,28).The last discourse (esp. chaps. 15-16) makes frequent reference to the tribulations that will markthe coming of the messianic age. Thus, despite the centrality of a "present eschatology" in John,there are also many indications of a "future'eschatology:' If a "present eschatology" was the result of the sort of Christology involved in theoneness between God and Jesus expressed in 10:30, then the "future eschatology" could claim to

be the result of a Christology reflected in another Johannine word of Jesus: "The Father is greaterthan I" (14:28).

51 These apparently contradictory elements can be best understood if we read John as a story ofGod, told through the life, death, resurrection, and return of Jesus to the Father. In such a Gospelstory the evangelist is intensely interested in Jesus, but Jesus is not the end of the story. Onlythrough revelation in and by Jesus can God become known; but as Jesus himself tells hisdisciples: "I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now" (16:12).Although the historical appearance of Jesus is central to John's story, it is not final. In this, Johnis true to tradition. The Synoptic Gospels used a "future eschatology" to convey this message: thereigning presence of God is seen and experienced in Jesus' person and actions, but is still tocome in power and glory. Thus the Synoptic Gospels are able to hold Jesus at the center of their


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story, but still look forward to the coming of the Son of Man (see esp. Matt 23:31-46, but thetheme abounds in the Synoptic tradition). Attempts either to remove the "future" elements fromJohn as the mistaken attempts of a later redactor (esp. Bultmann, John 218-21; TNT 2.38) or tosee one theme as a later Johannine rereading of an earlier version (e.g., M. E. Boismard, RB 68[1961J 507-24) do not entirely answer the question of what the Johannine Gospel itself means.

No matter what the history of the traditions may have been, our present text made sense tosomeone. What was that sense?

52 The Johannine community, at the end of the 1st cent. could not "look upon" and "hear" thehistorical Jesus. They were living in another stage- the stage of the Holy Spirit, an outflow ofliving water that would be received by those who believed in Jesus, but only after he had beenglorified (7:39). There was something more to come, after the ministry of Jesus. This has beenmore fully worked out in the Paraclete sayings in the last discourse. The tension between therevealing presence of Jesus and the coming period of the Spirit is most explicitly expressed in14:25-26: "These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Paraclete, theHoly Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to

your remembrance all that I have said to you." All the verbs in this passage are in the fut. tense(see also 16:13-15). The relationship between God and Jesus (a Father who sends a Son) isrepeated in the relationship that will exist between the Paraclete and the Father. Yet the sendingof the Paraclete depends on the departure of the Son (16:7). The Johannine communityexperienced the revelation of the Father through the action of the Spirit, not through directcontact with Jesus himself. However, it is still the story of Jesus telling the story of God that theyare to hear, since the Paraclete does not bring a new revelation. That has taken place only once-inJesus-but the Paraclete applies and elucidates what was already present in Jesus and his words(see BGJ 2. 1135-44). The Gospel exists because of that very truth: "Blessed are those who havenot seen [the historical events of the story of Jesus] and yet believe" (20:29; also 17:20).

53 The life story of Jesus is not the end of God's revelation of himself. The experience of life anddeath within the community itself had to be dealt with. John was written at the end of the 1stcent., when death was surely one of the community's serious problems (and the death of theBeloved Disciple himself indicates that this was the case [21:20-23]). Is it possible that such aGospel would have had no interest in "the other side of death"? Over the years of their journey-

both physical and spiritual-members of the Johannine community had died and were still dying."The one who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life" (5:24) was not thewhole answer, and this evangelist returned to earliest Christian tradition to find his answer in a"future eschatology" which did not deny the truth of the important "present eschatology."

54 There is no contradiction between 10:30 and 14:28 then. The life story of Jesus of Nazareth isnot the end of the story of God. However, it is vital for John that the reader be fully aware thatthe God revealed in Jesus was truly God. Jesus is not revealing some secondary God. "Yet he isDeus revelatus ; not the whole abyss of Godhead, but God known" (Barrett, Essays 12). Thecommunity living after the glorification of Jesus at Easter, in the presence of the Spirit, is awareof this. Schillebeeckx (Christ 426-27) has summarized it well:

The "now already" and the "not yet" are preserved, but in a community which lives in the presentof the Easter grace. The- tension is reproduced in what is clearly an authentic Johannine text: "Iam the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me though he die, yet shall he live, and


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whoever lives and believes in me shall never die" (11 :25). It is at this very poine that we find theJohannine paradox of the eternal life of the Christian which has already begun; since Easter he is"from God" (like Jesus), and nevertheless still knows that he is to be raised at the last day-a grainof wheat, like Jesus!

(Betz, O., Der Paraklet [AGJU 2; Leiden, 1963]. Blank,]., Krisis [Freiburg, 1964]. Burge, G. M.,The Anointed Community: The Holy Spirit in the Johannine Tradition [GR, 1986]. De laPotterie, 1., "Parole et Esprit dans S. Jean:' L'Evangile de Jean [ed. M. de Jonge; BETL 44;Gembloux, 1977] 177-201. Franck, E., Revelation Taught: The Paraclete [ConBNT 14; Lund,1985]. Johnston, G., The Spirit-Paraclete in the Gospel of John [SNTSMS 12; Cambridge, 1970].Kysar, R., "The Eschatology of the Fourth Gospel-A Correction of Bultmann's Hypothesis,"Perspective 13 [1972] 23-33. Miller, U. B., "Die Parakletenvorstellung im Johannesevangelium;ZTK71 [1974] 31-77. Porsch, E, Pneuma und Wort [FrTS 16; Frankfurt, 1974]. Richter, G.,"Prasentische und futurische Eschatologie im vierten Evangelium:' in Gegenwart undkommendes Reich red. P. Fiedler and D. Zeller; Stuttgart, 1975] 117-52. Schnackenburg, R.,"Die johanneische Gemeinde und ihre Geisterfahrung," Die Kirche des Anfangs [Fest. H. Schiir-mann; ed. R. Schnackenburg. et al.; Leipzig, 1977] 277-306.)

THE BELIEVERS' RESPONSE

55 (I) Signs and Faith . Significantly, to characterize the response of faith John uses only the vb. pisteuein (98 times), never the noun pistis . The Johannine community is on a journey of faith,and perhaps nowhere is this better reflected than in the choice of a dynamic "doing-word" tospeak of that journey. John's narrative unfolds between two passages explicitly aimed at thereaders. In 1:1-18 the reader is given the solutions to the mystery of Jesus. The "story" thatfollows, however, is the story of various groups and individuals who have not read 1:1-18. Onlythe reader has read the Prologue. Thus, the people in the story frequently "misunderstand" Jesus

(see Culpepper, Anatomy 151-65). They have only the signs and his words to go by, and oftenthey are not able to penetrate into the mystery of Jesus, where he comes from (7:40-42; 8:23-24,42-44; 9:29,33), who he is (1:38,41,45,49; 3:2; 4:19,25-26; 6:25), or what he has come to do(2:19-20; 3:11-12; 4:13-15; 6:32-34,51-52). At the end of this story of "misunderstanding;' thereaders are informed that it has been told so that they may grow deeper in their faith in JesusChrist as the Son of God and might have life in his name (20:31). This Gospel is not written totell us about the faith experience of the people "in the story" but to challenge the faith of the

people who are "reading the story" (Culpepper, Anatomy 15-49), who are to ask, "Where do Istand?"

56 Throughout John, various stages of faith are presented in the experience of different

characters who meet Jesus and are called to a decision by his word and person. This appears to be a central theme in that section of John 2:1-4:54 which runs from Cana to Cana (BG] 1. cxlii;F. J. Moloney, Salesianum 40 [1978] 817-43). In the two Cana miracles respectively the motherof Jesus and a royal official entrust themselves to the efficacy of Jesus' word, whatever the cost(2:4-5; 4:48-50). Their faith leads to a "sign," and the first steps of faith in others (2:6-11; 4:51-53). Between these two accounts there are six other examples of faith. By means of theseexamples the evangelist challenges his readers. Those who do not accept the "word" of Jesus(e.g., "the Jews" [2:12-22] and the Samaritan woman at first [4:1-15]) must be judged as not


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believing. There is a further difficulty in the journey of faith for anyone who stops at theexternals of the signs, understanding them within the categories determined by culture andhistory (e.g., Nicodemus [3:1-21] and the Samaritan woman in a second instance [4:1626]). This"stage of faith" must be understood as partial. It is not the end of the story, as the subsequent

journey of Nicodemus shows (see 7:50-52; 19:38-42). As the examples of the mother of Jesus

and the royal official indicate, true faith is an unconditional commitment to "the word;' i.e., therevelation of God in the word and person of Jesus (e.g., JBap [3:22-36] and the Samaritanvillagers [4:39-42]). Examples could be multiplied, but this should suffice to show that theevangelist calls his readers to make their own journey from no faith, through partial faith, intofull faith.

57 As for the complicated issue of the "signs;' on several occasions the Johannine Jesus appearsto be critical of a faith based on signs (2:23-25, and the subsequent example of Nicodemus, withthe limitations of a "signs faith" expressed in 3:2; -----> John 61:45). Yet the Gospel ends withthe evangelist declaring that he has written a book which tells the story of the "signs" of Jesus tolead people further into faith (20:31). This difficulty has often been explained by arguing that the

evangelist was using an old source containing Synoptic type miracle stories, and that there is stilla certain conflict between the source and the Johannine use of the source, leading to seemingcontradictions. While it is quite probable that the evangelist did use a "signs source;' there is noneed to conclude that he used it poorly (see R. T. Fortna, The Gospel of Signs [SNTSMS 11;Cambridge, 1970]; W. Nicol, The Semeia in the Fourth Gospel [NovTSup 27; Leiden, 1972]).What must be grasped is that while the "signs" are important for John, they are what he callsthem-signs. When believers base their faith on signs alone, that faith is insufficient. It is anincipient faith which may well lead them into true faith (Nicodemus), but it is also possible thatthe signs will take them no farther (esp. 6:26: "You seek me not because you saw signs, but

because you ate your fill of the loaves"). Signs that become ends in themselves and do not leadthe believer into a deeper recognition of the revelation of God in the word and person of Jesusare useless. However, signs can lead the believer beyond the sign to a recognition that JesusChrist is the Son of God; then one may have life in his name (20:30-31).

(BGJ 1. 525-32. Baron, M., "La progression des confessions de foi dans les dialogues de S.Jean," BVC 82 [1968] 32-44. Giblin, C. H., "Suggestion, Negative Response, and PositiveAction in St. John's Portrayal of Jesus;' NTS 26 [1979-80] 197-211. Hahn, F., "Sehen undGlauben im Johannesevangelium," Neues Testament und Geschichte [Fest. O. Cullmann; ed. H.Baltensweiler, et al.; Tbingen, 1972] 125-41. Painter, John 71-85. Schnackenburg, St. John 1.558-75. Walter, L., Foi et incrdulit selon S.Jean [Lire la Bible 43; Paris, 1976].)

58 (II) Sacraments . Tension between the revealing presence of God in Jesus "now" and the needto look to some fUture moment emerges again in allusions to the community's sacramental life.Some scholars argue for a strong presence of sacramental allusions (esp. O. Cullmann, EarlyChristian Worship [SBT 10; London, 1953]). Others claim that such references have been added

by a later ecclesiastical redactor in an attempt to make the original "word-Gospel" conform moreclosely to the ways of the early church (esp. Bultmann, John 138-40,300,324-25,677-78; TNT2.3-14). No matter what their origin, clear references to Eucharist and baptism are found in 3:5;6:51c-58; 19:34; and 1 John 5:8. Is it possible to understand these references as a coherent part ofthe Johannine theology ( John, 61 :50-51)?


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59 At the end of the 1st cent., John proclaims that a God who loves has sent his only Son into theworld (3:16-17). This Son, Jesus Christ, had a task ( ergon ) to bring to completion (esp. 4:34;17:4). That task was to make God known, so that women and men could come to eternal life(17:2-3). He performed this task in many ways: through his discourses ( logos and rhemata ),through his "signs" ( semeia ), and through the supreme act of love, when he is "lifted up" on the

cross (3:13-14; 8:28; 12:32; 13:1; 15:13; 19:30). Jesus not only "speaks" and "gives signs" of hisoneness with a Father who loves (10:30), but he reveals this Father by loving in a consummatefashion. John demands that believers "look upon" Jesus the unique revealer of God (esp. 1:18;3:13; 6:46; 8:38) to see the revelation of the Father. This is promised in the programmatic 1:51:"You will see the heavens opened"; and it is repeated like an antiphon through the whole Gospel(see 1:18; 4:45; 5:37; 6:2,36; 8:38,57; 9:37; 11:40; 14:7,9; 15:24; 16: 16-17; 19:22.35) climaxingin the final words of the scene at the cross: "They shall look on him whom they have pierced"(19:37; C. Tracts, Voir Jsus et le pre en Lui selon,L'Evangile de Saint Jean [An Greg 159;Rome, 1967]).

60 Such teaching is very clear, but for the Johannine community at the end of the 1st cent. Jesus

was no longer present. As noted earlier, the absence of the physical revelation of the glory ofGod in the person of Jesus posed a problem for the community. Jesus' presence is assuredthroughout the last discourse (esp. 13:31-14:31) and in his final prayer (esp. 17:9-19), but how ishe present? No doubt the proclamation of Jesus as "the Word" was a large part of the answer, butanother part is reflected in the Johannine community's experience of sacraments. The two neednot contradict each other. Throughout 6:25-58 a single theme is spelled out several times, butmost clearly in 6:40: "For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and

believes in him should have eternal life," and in 6:46-48: "Not that anyone has seen the Fatherexcept him who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly. truly I say to you, the onewho believes has eternal life." One could understand the reaction of the Johannine communityfaced with this teaching: "But where is he, that we may see him, and thus come to know theFather and possess eternal life?" The answer to that question is given in 6:51c-58: in Jesus' fleshand blood at their Eucharistic celebrations. The Eucharist for the Johannine community was the

presence of the absent one (see F. J. Moloney, DRev 93 [1975] 243-51).

61 The same technique is used in 19:34. The whole of the passion account has culminated in theexaltation of Jesus as king upon his cross (19:17-21). There he has founded his church (19:25-27) and brought to perfection the task that his Father had given him (19:28-30). Such is theJohannine understanding of a past event, but how is it to become part of the present experienceof the community? The answer is found in 19:34 as the blood and water, the life-givingsacraments of Eucharist and baptism, are described as flowing down upon the nascent churchfrom the king lifted up on his throne. In both sacraments, then, the Johannine community canfind the presence of the absent one.

(On sacraments: Barrett, Essays 80-97. Brown, R. E., New Testament Essays [NY, 1982: orig.essay 1962] 51-76; BG) 1. cxi-cxiv. Klos, H., Die Sakramente im Johannesevangelium [SBS 46;Stuttgart. 1970]. Leon-Dufour, X.. NTS 27 [1980-81] 439-56. Matsunaga, K., NTS 27 [1980-81J516-24. Moloney, F. J., AusBR 30 [1982] 10-33. Schnackenburg, R., in SP 2. 235-54. Tragan. P.R. (ed.), Segni e Sacramenti nel Vangelo di Giovanni [SAns 66; Rome, 1977]. esp. E. Malatesta,

pp. 165-81; S. M. Schneiders, pp. 221-35.)


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62 (III) Conclusion . John brings the reader to a point of decision, as stated in the express goal ofwriting: "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing youmay have life in his name." Knowing no middle course, John presents only two possibilities: to

perish or to have eternal life (3:16). Humankind is inexorably faced with these alternatives,

caught in a struggle between cosmic forces. On one side is darkness (blindness, evil, this world,the Prince of this world) and on the other is light (sight, the Spirit, life). To choose darknessmeans death, but the possibility of light and life has now been revealed in Jesus Christ. We judgeourselves by our own free decision for or against the revelation of God revealed in and throughJesus Christ. We can gaze upon him and be saved (3:13-14; 8:28; 12:32; 19:37). 1

1 Moloney, Francis, Johannine Theology, in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, ed Brown, Raymond E., Fitzmyer, Joseph, and MurphyRoland, (New York: Englewood Cli ffs, 1991), pp. 1414-26.

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