Lecture #9: Johannine Literature

COURSE: New Testament

Lecture #9: Johannine Literature

Witnessing

• The legal principle found in Deuteronomy 19:15 is that a man can't be convicted of a crime by one witness but there must be several witnesses (see also Deuteronomy 17 and Num 35)
• John 5 (look at) shows the witnesses for Jesus–these are: John the Baptist, the works he has done, the father and the scriptures.

John the Baptist was valid as a man sent from God

works bear witness in themselves

Father--could be Saini or internal testimony in the hearts of the people.

Scriptures are from God and bear witness to Him and in 15:26 the holy spirit will bear witness to him in the future.

• this sounds like an argument legally of the church against the synagogue.

Healing a blind Man (John 9 – look at)

• This story shows very well how John' author used his signs source for his own theological purposes.
• Jesus heals the man, who then talks to his neighbors they brought him to the Pharisees and when asked who Jesus is he replies "He is a prophet"
• they call his parents who cop out by saying he is old enough to speak for himself, because they feared the Jews
• They question the man again and end up throwing him out.
• Jesus finds him and asks "Do you believe in the Son of Man" to which he answers I believe and worshiped him.
• Jesus then says for judgment I came into the world that those who do not see may see and that those who see may become blind..
• To the Pharisees he says, if you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, 'We see your guilt remains. thus John uses this to show two things:

first, that the man's understanding grew each time he was asked about Jesus; from prophet to son of man (still not high enough for John) and

second that Jesus is one who gives spiritual sight, not just physical, and spiritual blindness to those who think they see (the pharisees)

• The point of the passage is to show the continuing confrontation of God in the world where is accepted by some and rejected by others.
  
  
• In John 11, Jesus Raises Lazarus from the dead and in 12 he is at Lazarus’ house.

This is an editorial attempt to link 11 and 12 together.

Jesus is anointed for burial of Jesus--a prophetic action--his feet were anointed, not the head, which was typical.

the paradox is that the gift of life to Lazarus has resulted in the decision of the Sanhedrin to kill Jesus,

• John 12:20-36 Coming of the Greeks

The hour has come for glorification, i.e., being lifted up on the cross.

v32 judgment comes when Jesus is lifted up on the cross and he dies, not when a heavenly revealer appears as in the Gnostic discourse sources

Jesus is fully human and must die.

• As of chap. 13 Jesus ceases confronting the world and speaks only to his disciples.

Last Supper

• John differs with the synoptics as to when this was.
• He has Passover starting Friday evening while the synoptics have it on Thursday.
• Thus, John's meal is not the Passover meal but one right before it and Jesus is crucified on the day before Passover starts that evening.
• It is very possible that John is right in this case, would make more sense since there would be so much activity on a high holy day in the synoptics that all the arrest, trial and crucifixion would not have made sense then.
  
  
• In John, the eucharistic passages are in chap. 6, as has already been pointed out.
• John has the only discussion of a foot washing which for John is the symbol of humility, purification, baptism, and apostolic ordination rolled into one.
• It is generally agreed that 13:6-11 (Read) was redacted later which said Peter would understand later, but at what level, who knows.

Most likely by the final ecclesiastical editor.

Jesus last testament (look at)

• beginning with chapter 14 thru 17 we have Jesus’ farewell discourse and prayer (17)
• This was a well known literary genre in Judaism and this last discourse is no doubt a literary creation.
• Some have traced the covenant formula as the beginning of the testament genre.
  
  
• John 14:15-16 (read) Jesus promises another advocate or Counselor, Jesus himself being the first.
• Paraclete--or holy spirit, functions as it comes to bring a relationship to the Father and the son... has relationship to the disciples but cannot with the world because it cannot see him or know him (more correctly, her)
• Forensic has function of defense attorney in heaven to plead for righteous person
• Non-forensic function can be one who exhorts or encourages (comforter)

Joshua received spirit of Moses

Elisha received spirit of Elijah

the disciples received the spirit of Jesus.

• For John's gospel, the holy spirit is reshaped
• It has a special role in the personal presence of Jesus in each Christian while Jesus is with the Father after the resurrection.
• The paraclete is another Jesus and can come only when Jesus departs
• Jesus' promise to dwell with the disciples is fulfilled by the paraclete.

John 17 (look at)

• In the first 8 verses of this prayer, all the theology of John is contained:

his glorification (1)

power over all flesh to give eternal life. this is a naive Docetism, but John has Jesus in control even of the crucifixion (2)

eternal life is knowing God and Jesus whom he sent. if this were gnostic it would have them known by the revealer (3)

accomplished work, which for John is the revelation of himself as sent by the Father. (4)

pre-existence with God (5)

Manifested God's name to those God gave him out of world (6)

they know everything God gave him to tell (7)

they know that Jesus came from God and have believed,

emphasis on faith not knowledge (8)

• John is trying to redirect emphasis away from sacramental action to Christology.
• John 18:4 (read) again has this naive Docetism. Jesus is seen in complete control of the situation at all times.

For example: he goes to meet Judas, they ask if he is Jesus and he says "I am he" and they all fall to the ground.

Jesus is the king who is firmly in control of events, and ultimately confounds his opponents.

• John 18:28-19:16a (look at) the trial before Pilate is staged like a Greek play with 7 scenes and the scourging in the center.

John's theological point is that Jesus is, in fact, king.

John has the Hellenistic Jewish awareness of Greek tragedy.

Pilate shuffles between Jesus and the Jews (the chorus) with the point to contrast Jesus' innocence with the Jews guilt.

emphasis is on trying to show that Pilate wanted to do the right thing.

• The further from the actual events one gets the more guilty the Jews become (as in Luke and John) and the more innocent the Romans become.
• The Crucifixion is at noon, the time of the killing of the lambs for the Passover, unlike the synoptics which begin it at about 9:00 AM.
• A sign written by Pilate, has irony as is written in three languages that Jesus is the king of the Jews--thus the universal king.
  
  
• Spear motif only in John.

Blood and water come from Jesus' side. has to do with cleansing and the witness of who Jesus was.

Could have to do with sending forth the spirit

Probably an anti-docetic statement, i.e., Jesus was really human,

Resurrection (look at both Chapters 20 & 21)

• John has the empty tomb tradition though chapter 21, the later addition, has the tradition of the appearance in Galilee
• Peter and the "beloved disciple" race for the tomb.
• Peter gets there first, but it is the beloved disciple who first sees and believes.

Epistles

I John

• Was not written by the same person as II and III John, nor by the same person as who wrote the gospel.
• However, the last two seem to be written by the same person.
  
  
• I John is more of a tractate than a letter.
  
  
• Read I John 2:1 – Jesus is the advocate for persons while in the Gospel it is the holy spirit that is the advocate.
  
  
• Read I John 2:26-27 – by means of the holy spirit you come to the truth.

The synoptics, Acts, and the pastorals say truth comes thru the leaders of the church, apostolic authority.

John has no need of teaching from outside because all have the Holy Spirit.

• Read I John 4:2 is an argument against Docetism. you must confess that Jesus came in the flesh or you are wrong.
  
  
• Read I John 5:6 the witness is the water (baptism of Jesus), the blood (death) and the spirit (given after death) -- these are the three needed witnesses for a court of law.
  
  
• It is possible that the last redactor of the gospel and the author of I John are the same person, but don't know.

II John

• Is a letter written by a presbyter who has authority to the elect lady (probably a church).
• 6 – Focuses love only on the Christian community
• 7 – The problem again, as in I John, is the docetic heresy, not acknowledging the incarnation so they are warned not to receive any of those who teach this doctrine.

• III John

• Written by the same person as II John to an individual named Gaius.
• It is simply asking Gaius to make sure one of John's emissaries is received.
  
  
• All the letters and the Gospel come from about the same time, the end of the 1st century and probably all reflect the same community, not all the same author.
  
  
• Revelation comes from here also, but I will deal with it next time.