The Gospel of John Flashcards
What does church tradition says about the authorship of the Gospel of John?
- Church tradition says: John the Son of Sebedee
- Polykarpos (+156,spiritual son of John): John the Apostle, the Lord’ disciple; written in Ephesus; stresses the close-up picture of Jesus
- Papias: John the Elder, probably the same apostle
Church fathers:
- Irenaeus (130–200, disciple of Polycarp, lived in Ephesus): John the apostle
- Ignatius of Antioch (writing 110–115);
- Justin Martyr (150); etc. support this
What is the internal evidence for John writing the Gospel of John?
What is the internal evidence used against John’s authorsip?
- John’s special position in the Gospel: at the Cross, at the grave; close-up picture of Jesus
- Internal evidence used against John’s authorship:
- Christology too developed
- new evidence that high christology was established very early.
- Gospel is too theological-mystical
- Material reflects a church situation outside Palestine
- Christology too developed
What are some of the new theories about the authorship of John?
A) A group or commuity did it,
B) a Johannine school did it.
But if John lived all the way into the 90’s, why couldn’t he have developed the theology and written it down himself?
What is the earliest papyrus we have, and from when is it dated?
What is the most common date for the gospel of John?
First they thought it was written Late Second Century (180)?
Now we have the Ryland Papyrus No 457, the oldest New Testament fragment is from c:a135 (see Gundry p. 255)
Most common: 90’s: developed Christology
Robinson: before 70—the Temple is still standing (see John 5:2 “Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool”) - after the destruction the there was no pool.
If we do not accept evolution of the Christology, early dates are possible!
What was the target group of the Gospel of John? Is there any prerequisites the reader must have in order to understand the gosple?
- Does not presuppose that people understand Jewish things
- Natural to think of a readership in John’s milieu in Asia Minor,
- Jews and Gentiles alike
Are there anti-semitic tendencies in the Gospel of John?
What does John mean when John speak against the Jews?
Sometimes regarded anti-Semitic.
- There is a polemic against the Jews, but this is not clearly of ethnical Jews,but perhaps of people who sustain a Jewishness which is not open to the gospel (a religious criticism/tension);
- but Salvation comes from the Jews (John 4:22).
- Jesus says this only in John -strong argument.
What is the purpose of the gospel of John?
To present Jesus as God in whom the others are to believe, “that you might believe”
Faith is central: the reason that he points at the “signs”
To tell the story of Jesus from John’s (own) close perspective
To supplement the other gospels? Or an independent rendering? Not contradictory but complementary
What is the caractheristics of John? (15)
- See the prologue: sets the standard; Bereshit-en arche
- Divinity: Jesus as Son of God, pre-existent,even called God (dynamite in 1st century)
- Christology: Lamb of God, Son of God,Messiah-Christ, Prophet, Son of God, Lord, God!
- The “I am”-sayings
- The inner life, the deep unity:
- Unity with the Father
- The Holy Spirit
- Soaked in the Old Testament
- The portrait of Jesus: True Man, e.g., the Lazarus episode—and true God
- More emphasis on ministry in Jerusalem than in other gospels
- Emphasis on the Passion
- miracles as SIGNS, telling who Jesus is!
- Light–Darkness-imagery is typical
- If the Synoptics point to a future eschatology, to John its both present and coming! (already-not yet)
- John is a “train of revelation”
Name some of the differences between the synoptics and the Gospel of John.
90 % lacks verbal argreement.
Synoptics _ John_
stories meditative
same order own order
exorcism –
parables discourses
12 are sent –
Holy Comm. Yes, but in John 6
”Story language” simple/meditative
1-year ministry 3-yearministry
What can we conclude about John?
He was a theologian, laying the foundation of most of Christian dogma.
