Jesus in Johannine Tradition 0664222196

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Jesus in J ohannine Tradition

Edited by Robert T. Fortna and Tom Thatcher

Westminster John Knox Press LOUISVILLE • LONDON

Jesus in J ohannine Tradition

© 2001 RobertT. Fortna and Tom Thatcher

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Westminster John Knox Press, 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202-1396. Scripture quotations from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible are copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. and are used by permission.

Book desig;n by Sharon Adams Cover desig;n by Grand Desig;n

First edition Published by Westminster John Knox Press Louisville, Kentucky This book is printed on acid-free paper that meets the American National Standards Institute Z39.48 standard. 8 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

02 03 0405 06 07 08 09 10 - 1098 7 6 5 4 3 2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. ISBN 0-664-22219-6

Contents Contributors Abbreviations and Glossary Introduction Tom Thatcher

ix Xlll

1

1 THE FOURTH GOSPEL AND JESUS The Fourth Evangelist's Kerygma PART

1 The Messiah \Vho Has Come into the World: The Message of the Gospel ofJohn David Rensberger 2 The Gospel ofJohn: Reading the Incarnate Words Gail R. O'Day

11

15 25

The Fourth Gospel andJesus 3 Situating John's Gospel in History Gary M. Burge 4 \Vhat Can a Postmodern Approach to the Fourth Gospel Add to Contemporary Debates About Its Historical Situation? Jeffrey L. Staley 5 The Eyewitness of History: Visionary Consciousness in the Fourth Gospel Arthur J. Dewey 6 The Historical Reliability ofJohn: Rushing in \Vhere Angels Fear to Tread? Craig L. Blomberg 7 Knowledge of Palestine in the Fourth Gospel? Ingo Broer 8 The Legend of the Beloved Disciple Tom Thatcher v

35

47

59

71 83

91

Contents

vi

9 The Audience of the Fourth Gospel

101

Richard Bauckham PART 2 THE FOURTH EVANGELIST'S SOURCES

113

John and the Synoptic Gospels

10 "The Son of the Man" in the Gospel ofJ ohn 11

12 13

14

15

16

Walter Wink The Kingdom of God: Common and Distinct Elements Between John and the Synoptics Chrys C. Caragounis Exorcisms in the Fourth Gospel and the Synoptics Graham H. Twelftree The Temple Incident: An Integral Element in the Fourth Gospel's Narrative Mark A. Matson The Sacramental Tradition in the Fourth Gospel and the Synoptics John M. Perry Synoptic Jesus Tradition in the Johannine Farewell Discourse Johannes Beutler, S.}. John and Mark: The Bi-Optic Gospels Paul N. Anderson

117

125 135

145

155

165 175

The Signs Gospel

17 The Signs Gospel in Context Tom Thatcher 18 Jesus Tradition in the Signs Gospel Robert T. Forma 19 Stylometry and the Signs Gospel Tom Felton & Tom Thatcher 20 Little Flags: The Scope and Reconstruction of the Signs Gospel Sara C. Winter

191 199 209

219

Oral Tradition

21 The Gospel ofJohn in Its Oral-Written Media World Joanna Dewey

239

Contents 22

The Origin of the "Amen, Amen" Sayings in the Gospel ofJohn R. Alan Culpepper

23 The Riddles ofJesus in the Johannine Dialogues

VII

253 263

Tom Thatcher PART 3 THE FOURTH GOSPEL NONCANONICAL LITERATURE The Fourth Gospel and Q Christopher M. Tuckett AND

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281

25 The Fourth Gospel and the Synoptic Sayings Source: The Relationship Reconsidered Edwin K. Broadhead

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26 John Rivals Thomas: From Community Conflict to Gospel Narrative April D. DeConick 27 The JohannineJesus in the Gospel of Peter: A Social Memory Approach Alan Kirk 28 The Prologue to the Fourth Gospel and the World of Speculative Jewish Theology Stephen J. Patterson 29 Riddles and Mysteries: The Way, the Truth, and the Life John Ashton 30 "1 Am" or "1 Am He"? Self-Declaratory Pronouncements in the Fourth Gospel and Rabbinic Tradition Catrin H. Williams Conclusion: New Directions Tom Thatcher

303

Works Cited Index of Ancient Sources

359 369

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323

333

343 353

Contributors

Paul Anderson teaches at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon. He specializes inJohannine studies and is the author of The Christology ofthe FOllrth Go~pd: Its Cllity alld DiSlll1ity i71 the Light of.7ohn 6, a major study of the theology, sources, and composition history of FG. John Ashton is a retired Fellow of Wolfson College at the University of Oxford. He specializes in Johannine studies and has written and edited numerous books and articles on the Gospel of John and the history of its interpretation, as well as a recent book on Pauline studies, The Religion ofPaul. Richard Bauckham teaches at St. Mary's College in the University of St. Andrews. Scotland. He specializes in the Gospel ofJohn and New Testament Christology and has written on Revelation, James, and the theology ofjiirgen Moltrnann. Johannes Beutler teaches at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. He specializes in Johannine sn.dies and has written on the Gospel ofJohn. Craig Blomberg teaches at Denver Seminary. He specializes in the canonical gospels, and his numerous books and articles include studies of Jesus, the parables, the historicity of the canonical gospels, and more recently the Gospel ofJohn. Edwin Broadhead teaches at Berea College in Berea, Kentud:y. He specializes in early Jesus traditions, Q studies, and the Synoptic Gospels, and has written on Q, Mark, and the Gospel of Thomas. logo Broer teaches at the University of Siegen, Germany. He specializes in Jesus traditions and the canonical gospels and has written on the resurrection ix

x

Contributors

of Jesus, on Matthew, and on antisemitism. His most recent project is a twovolume introduction to the New Testament. Gary Burge teaches at Wheaton College in Chicago. He specializes inJohannine studies, and his numerous books and articles include recent commentaries on the Gospel ofJohn and 1-2-3 John. Chrys Caragounis teaches at Lunds Universitet in Lund, Sweden. He specializes in ancient history, literature, and philology, as well as the canonical gospels and Pauline studies. He has written extensively on the Kingdom of God and the Son of Man as well as onJohannine themes. His most recent project, "A Diachronic and Acoustic Approach to the New Testament," explores the significance of later Greek for the interpretation of the NT. Alan Culpepper is Dean of the McMee School of Theology at .\1ercer University in Atlanta. He specializes in Johannine studies and has written on the Gospel of John, 1-2-3 John, and the history ofJohannine scholarship. April DeConick teaches at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois. She specializes in early Christian theology and noncanonical gospels, and has written on the Gospel of Thomas, the Dialogue of the Savior, the Gospel of Philip, and the recently discovered Gospel of the Savior. Arthur Dewey teaches at Xavier University in Cincinnati. He specializes in the historical Jesus, Pauline studies, and oral-based literature and has written on the canonical and noncanonical gospels and Paul. Joanna Dewey is the Academic Dean and Professor of Bible at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She specializes in oral traditions and the canonical gospels and has written on the gospels, their oral origins, and their interpretation as oral-based texts. Tom Felton teaches at the .'Vlanukau Institute of Technology in Manukau, New Zealand. He specializes in statistics ,md has written on stylometry and the sources of the Gospel ofJohn. Robert Fortna formerly taught at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. He specializes in historical-Jesus studies and Johannine studies and has written on the sources of the Cospel ofJohn, Joh;mnine theology, and the historical Jesus. His most recent works include a commentary on Matthew.

Contributors

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Alan Kirk teaches atJames Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He specializes in early Christian history and has written on Q and the Gospel of Peter. Mark l\latson is Academic Dean and Professor of Biblical Studies at Milligan College in Johnson City, Tennessee. He specializes in the canonical gospels and has written on Jesus. the Temple Incident, and the relationship between John and the Synoptics. Gail O'Day teaches at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in .\tlanta and is the current editor of the JOll171nl of Biblicnl Lite1'Otm·e. She specializes in Johannine studies and has written numerous books and articles on the Gospel ofJohn and Johannine theology. Stephen Patterson teaches at Eden Theological Seminary in St. Louis. He specializes in early Christian history and the historical Jesus and has written on Jesus, the Gospel of Thomas, and the Nag Hammadi library. John Perry teaches at Cardinal Stritch College in Milwaukee. He specializes in early Christian thought and contemporary faith and has written on the sacraments and modern theology. David Rensberger teaches at the Interdenominational Theological Center in .\tlanta. He specializes in Johannine studies and has written numerous books and articles on theJohannine Community, the Gospel ofjohn, and 1-2-3 John. Jeffrey Staley teaches at Pacific Lutheran University in Seattle. He specializes in postmodern hermeneutics, postcolonial studies, and Johannine studies and has written on the Gospel ofJohn and literary and autobiographical criticism. Tom Thatcher tcaches at Cincinnati Bible Seminary. He specializes in oral traditions and Johannine studies and has written on Jesus traditions, the Gospel ofJohn, and 1-2-3 John. Christopher Tuckett is a Fellow of \\'olfson College at the University of Oxford. He specializes in the Synoptic Gospels and () studies. He has written numerous books and articles on () and early Christian Jesus traditions. Graham Twelftree formerly taught at All Souls College of Applied Theolo~"y in London and is currently the Senior Pastor of North Eastern Vineyard

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Contributors

Church in Adelaide, South Australia. He specializes in the ancient world and Jesus and has written extensively on miracles and exorcisms. His most recent work is a book on the historicalJesus. Catrin Williams teaches at the University of\\'ales, Bangor. She specializes in rabbinic Judaism and Johannine studies and has written on the Gospel of John and "I am" sayings. Walter Wink teaches at Auburn Theological Seminary. He specializes in early Christian thought, Gnosticism, and the historical Jesus and has written on Jesus, apocalyptic, the parables, and a wide variety of issues in contemporary ethics. His latest project is a forthcoming book on the Son of ,\ian. Sara Winter teaches at Eugene Lang College in New York City. She specializes in Pauline studies, Septuagint studies, and the historical Jesus and has written on Paul and early Christian history.

Abbreviations and Glossary

The following terms and ahbre\'iations are u~ed throughout the book with the meanings indicated. aporia. Any break or disruption in a literary text. In Johannine studies, aporias are instances in which narrative or theological inconsistencies seem to appear hetween various sections of the Fourth Gospel. Such difficulties are ~ometill1es seen as indicators th.1t different sources have been woven together to produce the current text. 2 Bar. Second Baruch, or the Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch, a noncanonical Je\\'i"h apocalyptic work purporting to have heen written hy Baruch, 'icrihe to the prophet Jeremiah, hut actually written sometime hetween 150 and 60 B.C.E. R.C.E. "Before the Comll1on Era," referring to the centuries hefore the birth ofJesus. This term is preferred here over "B.C." BD. The "Belm'ed Disciple," a character in the Gospel of John. This mysterious figure is present at the Farewell Address (John 1J:2J) and witnesses Jesus' crucifixion (19:20) and resurrection (20:2; 21 :20). lie is presented in John 21 :24 as the source for the Fourth C;ospel's information ahout Jesus (cf. )