The Johannine Exegesis Of God: An Exploration Into The Johannine Understanding Of God (Beihefte Zur Zeitschrift Fur Die Neutestamentliche Wissenschaft Und Die Kunde Der Alteren Kirche)

Johannine Exegesis of God is a stimulating study of the explicit and implicit theological language of the Johannine community. It exegetically explores crucial questions concerning the Fourth Evangelist's language used to characterize God. It makes a sojourn into the relationship between Johannine Christology and Theology. It examines the dialogue dynamics of a theological conversation between those who do not share the same theological affirmations, and enumerates how the Johannine community derives benefit, becomes enriched and learns inclusiveness through its dialogue/conflict with its pluralistic environment. In approaching and interpreting the Gospel narrative, the implications of 'Theo-logy' in the Johannine community's struggle for legitimacy, identity and existence become clear. The Theology of the Johannine community shows a creative dialect with its sociological context, and its experiential theologising makes its theological language authentic, clear and precise. Acknowledgements 7 Chapter One: Introduction 15 1.1 The Quest 15 1.2 The Problem of the Theology of the New Testament 15 1.3 The Theological Re-Reading 16 1.4 Theology in Christological Captivity? 18 1.5 Travails of a Theological Quest – Compositional History of the Fourth Gospel 20 1.6 Theologising History – Historidty of the Fourth Gospel 23 1.7 Theological Re-Reading of the Fourth Gospel – Towards Understanding the Johannine Exegesis of God 25 Chapter Two: Is Jesus God? Thomas' Confession in the Light of the Passion Narrative 27 2.1 Introduction 27 2.2 Thomas’ Confession – “My Lord, My God” 28 2.3 Self-Giving Jesus – Composure and Sovereignty in the Midst of Betrayal and Arrest 33 2.4 Jesus – The Pascal Lamb 35 2.5 The Trial of Jesus – The Man, The King 44 2.6 Mission Completed – Jesus Heralds Victory Even in Death 51 2.7 That You may Believe – Jesus the Christ, the Son of God 53 2.8 Summary and Conclusions 57 Chapter Three: Theology in Conflict – Is Jesus Equal to God? (John 5:17-30) 59 3.1 Introduction 59 3.2 Order of Chapters Five and Six 60 3.3 The Pericope 61 3.4 The Structure 62 3.5 TheContext 65 3.6 Exegesis 66 3.6.1 Verses 17-18: Overture – Is Jesus Equal to God? 66 3.6.2 Verses 19-30: The Father and the Son – Relationship Explained 73 3.7 Summary and Conclusions 93 Chapter Four: Theology in Conflict – Is Jesus Pre-existent? (John 8:12-59) 95 4.1 The Literary Structure 95 4.2 The Context 97 4.3 Exegesis 98 4.3.1 Verses 12-20: Jesus the Light of the World – the Authority of Jesus' Witness 98 4.3.2 Verses 21-30: Jesus the One from Above – The Origin of Jesus' Authority 103 4.3.3 Verses 31-34: Truth and Liberation 112 4.3.4 Verses 35-36: Operation Liberation 121 4.3.5 Verses 37-47: God's Party and the Devil's Party 121 4.3.6 Verses 48-59: Jesus the Pre-existent Son is the Revealer and Embodiment of Salvation 122 4.4 Summary and Conclusions 130 Chapter Five: Theology in Conflict – Are Jesus and the Father One? (John 10:22-39) 131 5.1 The Context 131 5.2 The Structure 131 5.3 Exegesis 132 5.3.1 Verses 22-30: Oneness of the Father and the Son 132 5.3.2 Verses 31-39: Mutual In-dwelling of the Father and the Son 137 5.4 Summary and Conclusions 144 Chapter Six: The God of the Johannine Jesus: Characterisation of God in the Prayer of Jesus (John 17:1-26) 147 6.1 Introduction 147 6.2 Exegesis 148 6.2.1 Verses 1-5: The True God 148 6.2.2 Verses 6-10: The God who gives identity 153 6.2.3 Verses 11-15: The God who protects 155 6.2.4 Verses 16-19: The God who sanctifies 157 6.2.5 Verses 20-23: The God who unites 159 6.2.6 Verses 23b-26: The God who loves 162 6.3 Summary and Conclusions 163 Chapter Seven: Incamate Logos as Historical Theophany (John 1:1-18) 165 7.1 Integrity of the Prologue 165 7.1.1 In Search of a pre-Johannine Hymn 165 7.1.2 The Prologue is a Unity 171 7.1.3 Analysis 175 7.1.4 A Possible Solution 177 7.2 The Logos – A Search for a Mythological Context 177 7.2.1 The Origin 178 7.2.2 Old Testament Wisdom Tradition? 178 7.2.3 Philonic Exegesis of the Old Testament? 180 7.2.4 Targumic Traditions? 181 7.2.5 Gnostidsm? 181 7.2.6 Analysis 184 7.3 Exegesis 187 7.3.1 Verses 1-2: The Logos and God 187 7.3.2 Verses 3-5: The Logos and the World 194 7.3.3 Verses 6-8: Witness to and Interpreter of God's Acts in the World – God's Human Instrument 'the Man' John 200 7.3.4 Verses 9-13: God's A-historical Presence and Covenant with the World through the Logos 201 7.3.5 Verses 14-18: The Incarnation and the Exegesis of God – a Historical Theophany 208 7.4 Summary and Conclusions 229 Chapter 8: Theology in Dialogue – Dialogue with the Considerate Jews (John 3:1-21) 233 8.1 Introduction 233 8.2 Exegesis 235 8.2.1 Verses 3-6: God Creates a New Eschatological Community 235 8.2.2 Verses 7-8: A New Community – The Sign of God's Freedom to Act 239 8.2.3 Verses 9-15: Jesus – The Normative Determinant to Understand God's Action 240 8.2.4 Verses 16-17: Jesus – The Metaphor of the Self-emptying God 241 8.2.5 Verses 18-21: Only a Self-emptying Community. Can Represent a Self-emptying God 243 8.3 Summary and Conclusions 244 Chapter Nine: Theology in Dialogue – Dialogue with the Samaritans (John 4:1-42) 245 9.1 Introduction 245 9.2 Exegesis 247 9.2.1 Verses 5-6: The Place of the Dialogue 247 9.2.2 Verses 7-15: Dialogue on God's Gift which Transcends all Traditions 249 9.2.3 Verses 16-26: Dialogue on God's Worship, the Centre of a New Tradition 252 9.2.4 Verses 27-38: Dialogue on God's Will – The Basis of New Traditions 265 9.2.5 Verses 39-42: The Dialogue's Ultimate Goal – Recognising the God-sent Saviour and Confessing the Saviour-hood of God 267 9.3 Summary and Conclusions 268 Chapter Ten: Revelation Continued – the Authentic Theology: The Paraclete and the Understanding of God 269 10.1 Composition of the Farewell Discourses 269 10.2 The Paraclete – God's Comforting and Challenging Presence 270 10.3 The Paraclete – Re-enactor of God's Revelation in Teaching and Remembering 274 10.4 God Creates the Possibility of 'Authentic Witness' in the Face of the World's Vicious Contempt through Paraclete 278 10.5 The Paraclete Creates a 'Mirror Model' of God's World 280 10.6 The Paraclete – the Sign of God's Revelation Continued 283 10.7 Summary and Conclusions 286 Chapter Eleven: Conclusion: Johannine Exegesis of God 289 11.1 The Characterisation of God in the Fourth Gospel 289 11.2 Johannine Theo-centric Christology 294 11.2.1 Agent Christology 294 11.2.2 Mediator Christology 295 11.2.3 ’I am’ Christology 296 11.2.4 Oneness Christology 298 11.3 Theological Hermeneutic 299 11.4 Whither Theo-logy? 302 Bibliography 307 Select Index of References 353 Index of Modern Authors 365 My fascination with the Fourth Gospel began when, as an undergraduate I ventured into evaluating the ecumenical discussion related to the theme of the World Council of Churches Vancouver Assembly, "Jesus Christ, the life of the world" in the light of the New Testament concept of life.