Johannine Prologue Flashcards
Who are the evangelists
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - the 4 gospel writers
What are the synoptic gospels?
The synoptic gospels were written by Matthew, Mark and Luke and are extremely similar. Synoptic means seen together. They share many passages which are word for word identical and other passages which differ only slightly in wording
What is the parousia?
The second coming of Jesus Christ
When was the temple destroyed?
70 C.E
What is John most concerned with?
The pre-existence of the logos
What is the Semitic definition of the logos?
The creative force god uses to being things into existence
What is the Hellenistic definition of the logos?
This is the idea that your words are part of you. They go forth, do your work and come back to you
What does it mean to be edified?
Morally improved
What is eschatology
The study of the last things
What does Christ mean?
Messiah
What does Messiah mean
Anointed one who would come from God to save and lead Israel. A person described in the books of prophecy. Immediately before their arrival, there would be a period of war and suffering. Their arrival would bring about the beginning of a messianic era
List some of the reasons why John could have been the author of the gospel
- John was prominent in the early church but isn’t mentioned by name in the gospel. This would make sense if he wrote it, but is hard to explain if he didn’t
- the author knew Jewish life well, as they make reference to Jewish controversies and customs
- Cana (the village where Jesus turned water into wine) is mentioned, and it isn’t in any other gospel
- their are many touches that are clearly eyewitness recollections
- early writers like Tertullian and iranaeus say that John was the author
John’s gospel was used as a baseline for what, due to being seen as particularly trustworthy compared to the other goapels
The Diatessaron, a harmony of the four gospels
List some events in the book of signs
- Cana wedding
- temple incident
- feeding 5000 and bread of life discourse
- raising of Lazarus
List some events in the book of glory
- last supper
- for telling Judas betrayal and peters denial
- arrest, hearings and trials
- crucifixion
- resurrection and appearances to Mary and disciples
John’s prologue is often referred to as a chiasm. What is a chiasm?
A piece of text that is shaped like the Greek letter chi. Helps in memorising texts. The climax is in the middle rather than being at the end
Who was the only person allowed in the holiest of holies?
The chief priest of the temple
John sees Jesus’s crucifixion as his glorification. What does John say Jesus’s last words on the cross were
It is accomplished
What does son of god mean?
It has two meanings. Either that you are equal to god, or describing a special relationship with god
What three things did some of man mean in the synoptics?
- Jesus’earthly work and his humble condition
- his coming suffering, death and resurrection
- his future coming in heavenly glory to act with sovereign power at a final judgement
What three things does the son of man mean in the old testament?
- as a form of address
- to contract the lowly status of humanity against the exalted dignity of god and the angels
- as a future eschatological figure whose coming will signal the end of history and a time of god’s judgement
What is the septuigent (LXX)?
This means seventy. Seventy men translated the old testament into Hellenic and had the exact same translation. They all translated yahweh as ego eimi
John uses cosmogony in the prologue. What is a cosmogony?
The branch of science that deals with the nature of the universe
What is Smalley’s view on the prologue
Suggests the whole first chapter of John ought to be considered a prologue. Sees the first chapter as a microcosm of the whole gospel. This view is not widely accepted
What was browns view on the prologue?
It was an early Christian hymn, probably originating from Johannine circles, which has been adapted to serve as a prologue for the gospel
What do some scholars think about the authorship of the prologue?
They think the prologue was composed by someone other than the evangelist. They see it as having no real connection to the rest of the gospel
What is JAT Robinsons view on the prologue?
He thinks it may have been written at a later date but has no doubt this was done by the evangelist
What is Barrett’s view on the prologue?
Rejects the idea of a hymn. Sees the prologue as one solid piece of theological writing, that is necessary to the gospel, as the gospel is to the prologue
What is F.F Bruce’s view on the prologue?
It is the work of the evangelist, if we judge from the way it anticipated the various forms in which the main theme of the gospel is presented in the chapters which follow. Several key words of the gospel, like life, light, witness and glory, appear in the prologue
What makes the Johannine prologue distinct from the Marcan prologue?
The Marcan prologue is in narrative form, whereas the Johannine prologue delivers something much closer to a theological discourse.
What is Harnacks view on the prologue
Denied that the prologue was from the pen if John. Because the term logos does not crop up in the rest of the gospel, the prologue could not belong to it and must have been added later
What is the manuscript evidence?
There is not a single complete manuscript of the gospel in existence that begins at verse 19. It is unthinkable if the prologue was added substantially later, whatever it’s previous history may have been
What is the similarity of style arguement?
The diction and style of the prologue and the rest of the gospel are admitted by many scholars to be identical
Explain the same themes arguement
The main topics of the gospel are embedded in the prologue. Logos does not reappear in the main body of the gospel
Explain the purpose of the prologue
Intends to place the reader in a place that they can understand the story that follows. Prepares the recipient for a true understanding of the state of affairs.
What is the main structure of the synoptics?
- Jesus is baptised by John the Baptist and goes into the desert to be tempted
- Jesus starts a one year ministry in Galilee, mainly based in Capernaum
- Jesus performs many miracles, casting out demons from people who are ill or insane
- Jesus preaches about the arrival of the kingdom of God/kingdom of heaven
- Jesus travels to Jerusalem for Passover, where he is crucified
- Jesus confronts the devil alot
Jesus uses short memorable sayings and preaches using parables
What is a parable?
A story which carries a symbolic meaning
What makes John’s gospel distinct from the synoptics?
- no reference to John the Baptist baptising Jesus
- No reference to the devil tempting Jesus
- Jesus’s ministry takes place over three years with multiple journeys between Galilee and Jerusalem
- only seven signs
- no casting out of evil spirits
- Jesus preaches less about the kingdom of God, and more about eternal life
- Jesus is crucified before Passover and does not describe the past supper
- the are discourses, full of symbolism and allegory, instead of parables
What are the two reasons why John’s gospel is called the fourth gospel?
- it is only tradition that says it was written by John, as this text doesn’t explicitly mention the author
- there are lots of other John’s in the Bible so calling it John could be confusing
How do Christians harmonise the four gospels?
They assume they tell the same story from different viewpoints. Maybe Jesus ministry was three years but the synoptics just focused on the last one. Maybe Jesus made several journeys to Jerusalem but the synoptics are just concerned with the last one. Perhaps John just didn’t mention Jesus baptism
What are some hardships of trying to harmonise the gospels?
You have to conclude Jesus destroyed the temple twice, three years apart, as John put this event at the start of his gospel
Rank some statements from high to low on the christology scale
- Jesus was god incarnated in human form
- Jesus was an angel or spirit sent from God incarnated
- Jesus was a human exalted at birth to carry out god’s work
- Jesus was a human exalted by god after death as a reward for his loyalty and goodness
- Jesus is a human prophet, passing on wisdom revealed to him by god
- Jesus is a wise teacher with many insights into morality and religion
What is christology!
The study of the identity of jesus
What does it mean to be exalted?
Raised up to a superhuman state
State the difference between higher nd low christology
Low christology emphasises how human Jesus is, whereas high christology emphasises how divine Jesus is
What does adonai mean?
Lord
State John 20:31
These things are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of god, and, believing this, receive life in his name
Why didn’t anyone write down the stories of Jesus’ life until many years after his death?
- Few people could read or write; as the majority saw them as expensive and unnecessary skills
- There was an oral tradition of passing things down vocally
