The Beloved Disciple in Conflict? : Revisiting the Gospels of John and Thomas

## Abstract The relationship between the Gospel of John and the Gospel of Thomas has become a hotly debated issue, with several scholars arguing that John and Thomas are gospels in conflict. The first part of this book argues that the two gospels were written about the same time, but without knowledge of each other. Their authors drew upon similar Jewish and early Christian traditions independently from each other. The second part is devoted to the enigmatic ‘disciple Jesus loved’ in the Gospel of John, arguing that this disciple was created not only to authenticate this gospel, but also to replace the brothers of Jesus. Hence, this figure was developed in the context of a conflict, but that conflict was not related to Thomasine Christianity but to Jewish Christianity. Was the Gospel of John written in critical response to the Gospel of Thomas, an early collection of Jesus's sayings? Or was it directed to the Christians among whom Thomas originated? Ismo Dunderberg challenges these views, arguing that the two gospels were written at about the same time but without knowledge of each other. He also offers a thorough discussion of the identity and functions of the enigmatic Beloved Disciple in the Gospel of John, throwing new light on this figure by comparing it to other `beloved'disciples of Jesus in early Christian literature. This part of Dunderberg's analysis also helps to evaluate the portrayal of Judas in the recently published Gospel of Judas, although this text was not yet available, when this study was completed. Contents 10 Tables 11 Abbreviations 12 1. Introduction 16 2. John and Thomas in Conflict—about What? 29 3. The Figure of Thomas in the Gospel of John 62 4. Jesus’ I-Sayings in Thomas and their Relationship to Johannine Traditions 83 5. The Beloved Disciple in the Gospel of John 131 6. The Beloved Disciple and Thomas 164 7. The Beloved Disciple in Context 180 8. Conclusion 214 Bibliography 224 Index of Ancient References 242 Index of Biblical and other Ancient Names 258 A 258 B 258 C 258 D 258 E 258 H 258 J 258 L 258 M 258 N 258 P 258 S 259 T 259 Index of Modern Scholars 260 A 260 B 260 C 260 D 260 E 261 F 261 G 261 H 261 J 261 K 261 L 262 M 262 N 262 O 263 P 263 Q 263 R 263 S 263 T 264 U 264 V 264 W 264 Z 264 Contents......Page 10 Tables......Page 11 Abbreviations......Page 12 1. Introduction......Page 16 2. John and Thomas in Conflict—about What?......Page 29 3. The Figure of Thomas in the Gospel of John......Page 62 4. Jesus’ I-Sayings in Thomas and their Relationship to Johannine Traditions......Page 83 5. The Beloved Disciple in the Gospel of John......Page 131 6. The Beloved Disciple and Thomas......Page 164 7. The Beloved Disciple in Context......Page 180 8. Conclusion......Page 214 Bibliography......Page 224 Index of Ancient References......Page 242 P......Page 258 T......Page 259 D......Page 260 K......Page 261 N......Page 262 S......Page 263 Z......Page 264 Was the Gospel of John written in critical response to the Gospel of Thomas, an early collection of Jesus's sayings? Or was it directed to the Christians among whom Thomas originated? Ismo Dunderberg challenges these views, arguing that the two gospels were written at about the same time but without knowledge of each other. He also offers a thorough discussion of the identity and functions of the enigmatic Beloved Disciple in the Gospel of John, throwing new lighton this figure by comparing it to other `beloved' disciples of Jesus in early Christian literature. This part of Dunderberg's analys Was the Gospel of John written in critical response to the Gospel of Thomas, an early collection of Jesus's sayings? Or was it directed to the Christians among whom Thomas originated? Ismo Dunderberg challenges these views, arguing that the two gospels were written at about the same time but without knowledge of each other. He also offers a thorough discussion of the identity and functions of the enigmatic Beloved Disciple in the Gospel of John, throwing new light on this figure by comparing it to other bèloved' disciples of Jesus in early Christian literature. -- PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION Was the Gospel of John written in critical response to the Gospel of Thomas, an early collection of Jesus's sayings? Or was it directed to the Christians among whom Thomas originated? Ismo Dunderberg challenges these views, arguing that the two gospels were written at about the same time but without knowledge of each other. He also offers a thorough discussion of the identity and functions of the enigmatic Beloved Disciple in the Gospel of John, throwing new light on this figure by comparing it to other `beloved' disciples of Jesus in early Christian literature. Was the 'Gospel of John' written in critical response to the 'Gospel of Thomas', an early collection of Jesus's sayings? Or, was it directed to the Christians among whom Thomas originated? The author challenges these views, arguing that the two gospels were written at about the same time but without knowledge of each other Could it be that the Gospel of John was written in response to the Gospel of Thomas, an early collection of Jesus's sayings? Or was the enigmatic Beloved Disciple in John's Gospel in fact Thomas? Ismo Dunderberg provides a critical examination of these theories.