2.1 Texts and interpretations of the person of Jesus Flashcards
What does John’s prologue 1:1-18 include?
- No direct mention of the person of Jesus or historical events
- Sets out the author of John’s intentions for the gospel-
- Presents Jesus as a historical figure
Compared to
* Mark: proclaims “the beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the son of God”, No messianic secret in John, Jesus openly performs many miracles, uses the divine title ‘I am’
* Matthew: Genealogy of Jesus back to Abraham, Matthew not as intent on proving Jesus’ identity through prophecy in the Prologue. John emphasises Jesus as ‘son of God’ -‘I am’. In Matthew Jesus is presented as Mosaic ( a second Moses- Sermon on the mount), In John it is his divine identity that is more important
* Luke: states his purpose for the gospel to give an ‘orderly account’ and historical context for Jesus
What does Robinson believe about the nature of the prologue?
It is a latter addition by the author to help the early church understand more about the person of Jesus
- statement of belief
What does Brown believe about the nature of the prologue?
it was an early christian hymn which was adapted to serve as an introduction to the gospel’s narrative
What does Barrett believe about the nature of the prologue?
the prologue is part of the original text and its unique style, as a christological hymn, speaks of Jesus’ divine nature
Barrett- biblical scholar, methodist minister
What does Hooker believe about the nature of the prologue?
believes it is a ‘glorious key’ as the prologue is fulfilled in Jesus’ death, where the glory of God is seen as belonging to the son
“then we understand that Jesus’ words and his works are works of God himself”
John is a theological account: can be contrasted with the historical accounts of the other gospels- history requires proof but a theological account requires faith
What is the nature and person of Jesus in the Prologue?
the word= logos
- Story of Jesus is the logos- heavenly origin, alongside God in the creation, victory over the darkness,
- Jews: God’s creative power, God’s word incarnate- when God spoke in Genesis act took place, saw the Torah as the word
- Greek: Logos is used to describe the universal force of reason which governed the universe
- Also in the OT there are repeated references to the word of God coming to the prophets e.g Isaiah
What did Dodd say about the word?
Against the idea that John’s gospel is a late composition and hellenic not Jewish as ‘logos’ comes from the greek rather than a hebrew word
- Points out similatiry between John’s language and the OT
- Dodd suggests that the term ‘logos’ can be understood as part of Jewish views on the personification of God’s wisdom
Background of the Prologue
- John- is John the evangelist
- John the baptist is presented as a witness to the light of christ NOT that he is the light himself
- In John’s gospel he attempts to prove Jesus as the light and not replace John the baptist as the light (as he didn’t preach what Jesus did and he would have had his own group of followers, separate to the beliefs of Jesus and his followers)
Dodd- John the baptist is seen as a witness to the coming light of the messiah he ‘designates Jesus as Messiah’
The Word made flesh
Would have challenged John’s readers to think about who Jesus is:
* means God becomes wholly human, with flesh and blood, and human emotion
* Christ is the word incarnate
* “made his dwelling among us” (1:14)- refers to the tabernacle in OT where God descended among his people- Jesus is the new tabernacle of God- replacement theology- the presence of God stays with humans as a human
What is the infulence of Judaims on the word made flesh?
(wisdom literature)
In the book of Genesis God creates the word by speaking, God calls prophets by speaking, many Jews think of God’s word as separate from himself- Personified the word of God as Holy Wisdom
“she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the workings of God, and an image of his goodmess”- Wisdom 7:26
- Wisdom literature: written during time when Hellenism was influential in Jewish culture. Greek ideas in their faith and understanding were called the Hellenists
Hooker- distinguishes the idea that human Jesus existed at the dawn of time from the idea that a divine quality has always existed, and became incarnate in Jesus
- ‘High’ christology in John’s gospel as Jesus as the incarnate of God’s divine power vs the lower ‘exaltation’ christiology in the synoptics where Christ is seen as a human with divine power
- Dodd- comments that God’s word would be identified as the Torah- believed as truth and grace: for Jesus the Torah shows Jews’ special status as the chosen people of God
Life (eternal)
- The logos is the creative force behind the world; giver of life
- Life can be zoë (spiritual, eternal) or bios (physical life)
“For God so loved the world he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” 3:16
Dodd in response to zoë now or in afterlife- distinguishes quantative (no death, pharisees idea) life and qualitative (fulfilled life, agape, no fear of death) life
Light and darkness
- In Genesis God speaks and the world comes into being and the life given by the word was its light- first gift of creation
- Logos is the source of life and light of which the darkenss cannot extinguish (John 1:15)
- John the baptist is a ‘witness to the light’ pointing to Jesus being the light or Logos (also same word for martyr
- John 1:5 ‘darkness has not overcome it’: overcome can be also translated as understood, points to though the light (Jesus) may suffer ultimately it will triumph- As it is life and cannot be destroyed
- Darkness: spiritual blindness, people rejecting the darkness- able to hide sin, whereas light reveals truth
Children of God and Flesh and Spirit
- Those who believe in the Logos were given the right to be the children of God
- Becoming children of God was not by birth or blood but through God’s grace- Now everyone has a chance to become a child of God not just the Jews like in the OT
- Contrast between flesh and spirit. ‘Sarx’- Normally has a negative tone- however John does say that the word becomes flesh- combats Gnosticism (belief that material existence was flawed)
Law, grace and truth
- In the OT through Moses God has already given the Law through the Torah
- But in John’s prologue Jesus says he has something better than the law- ‘grace’ and ‘truth’- replacement theology
Law: given to Jews through the 5 books of Moses (Moses only sees God’s back but Jesus sees God’s face)- Jesus has ‘seen’ God unlike Moses. Therefore, the message of Jesus is more important and a true and intimate relationship
Grace:
- Links to glory (doxa)- the old law of Moses was only for Jews, but the Grace of God through Jesus is for everyone- replaces Mosaic law and presents Jesus’ teachings as better
Truth:
- Jesus brings the truth about God: Allegory of the cave demonstrates the challenge of leading people from ignorance to Enlightenment- there will be resistance and persecution
- Jesus is different to the prisoner who escapes as Jesus was never in the dark - he always knew he was divine
- Contradicts Mark’s messianic secret where Jesus is presented as someone who doesn’t know he is divine
Antinomianism: (belief of lawlessness) led to a complete rejection of the Mosaic law by some early christians called Marcionites
How is the influence of Judiasm improtant to the prologue?
- Term Logos was understood by Jews
- Author sets the prologue in the context of salvaltion history of the people- referencing Moses and creation
- In Genesis God creates through speech
