the gospel of john meeting in school library 4:30pm

The Gospel of JohnMeeting in School Library

4:30PM

Class

• Opening Prayer• Read Chapter 1• Reading Sacred Scripture – Historical Critical• Why was it written?• How was it formed?• Closing Prayer

Resources

• The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church• Providentissimus Deus• Divino afflante Spiritu

• The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (NJBC)• An Introduction to the New Testament (Brown)

Historical Critical Method

• The Method in Practice: How?• Textual Criticism• a small case study: Mk 9:29 + NJB 9c. Cp. RSV (“prayer and fasting” though it

has a note) v. NRSV (“through prayer”)• Jn 7:53-8:11 + NJB Jn 7u • the so-called Comma (“comma” = short clause) Johanneum (1 Jn 5:7-8 + NJB

5d )

• Source Criticism• Form Criticism• Redaction Criticism

Form Criticism

• Object: What?• Aspect: How?• Importance: Why?

“because the books of the New Testament were written almost two thousand years ago in a culture different from ours, our appreciation of their literary forms is no longer second nature. The method of form-critical study of the New Testament is designed to supply, by the development of a specific technique, an appreciation of the literary forms of the New Testament, sensitivity to which is no longer a spontaneous part of our second nature” (Collins 161)

Redaction Criticism

• TOMAHAWK• “the critical study of the process of editing” • “A method of studying the NT that concentrates on the way the principal author of a work has

adapted (“redacted”) earlier materials to his own theological ends”• “Redaction criticism is a method of biblical study which examines the intentions of the editors or

redactors who compiled the biblical texts out of earlier source materials”• “Redaction criticism is the study of NT texts that concentrates on the unique theological

emphases that the writers place upon the materials they used, their specific purposes in writing their works, and the Sitz im Leben out of which they wrote”

• FC: period of transmission RC: the final stage • FC: communities RC: individuals• FC: identifying literary form RC: use of literary form • FC: evangelists = compilers RC: evangelists = creative authors

Why was it written?

• To Create Faith• Baptist sect• Jews• Gnostic• Hellenists

• To Confirm FaithJn 20:311 Jn 5:13

Formation of Text

• Book of Signs (1 - 12)• Book of Glory (13 – 20)• Later Additions?• Jn 21• 8:1-11• 5:3b-4• 1:1-18

Class 2

• Opening Prayer• Review of Last Class• Logos – a closer look• Reading Scripture• Closing Prayer

Logos

• The Logos, as a title for Christ, is found only in the PROLOGUE • Jn 1:1,14• 1 Jn 1:1• Rev 19:13

Logos in Judaism

• There is firstly the Biblical concept of the creative word • Gn 1; Ps 33:6 (the role of the word of God in creation) • Gn 27 (the word of man uttered in blessing or curse cannot be withdrawn) • Is 55:10-11 (the word of God continues to be effective)

• The personification of Wisdom • In this context, it should be noted that there is an obvious connection between the word and wisdom, of which the word

is an expression. • In later biblical texts Wisdom is frequently personified: Prov 1:20-33; 8:22-9:6; Sir 24; Wis 8:3-16 (NJB Prov 8e; Sir 24a). • "in the OT presentation of Wisdom, there are good parallels for almost every detail of the Prologue's description of the

Word"

• The personification of the Law. • As with wisdom, there is a close connection between the Law • and the Word of God (Is 2:3; Mic 4:2). • In later rabbinic writings, "the Law is pictured as having been created before all things and as having served as the pattern

on which God created the world" (BROWN 523). • In this case too, what the Prologue says about the Word can be paralleled by what the OT and Judaism says about the

Law.

Logos in Greek Thought

• There is no doubt that the concept is found in Greek thought • for Heraclitus (from Ephesus!) the logos is the rational principle of the

universe • for the Stoics the logos was "the mind of God...guiding, controlling, and

directing all things” (BROWN 520) • It is however now generally held that Jn's thought is not derived from the

Greek background

• Nevertheless his use of the idea would prove meaningful in Greek circles

Doctrine of Logos

• Nature of Logos• Existence• Relationship• Predication

• Role of Logos• Cosmological• Soteriological

• Incarnation of the Logos

Summary of Logos

• It is clear that the Logos doctrine represents a more developed (high) Christology than is found in the synoptics • This however does not necessarily mean a later Christology. It may

well be for instance that the Prologue was an early hymn adapted by the author of Jn (cp. Phil 2:6-11; Col 1:15-20) • The Logos title does not occur elsewhere in Jn (cp. Rev 19:13; 1 Jn

1:1). This would seem to be because in the body of Jn the author is concerned with the Word-made-flesh rather than with the pre-existent Logos (JBC 63:45)

Christ: The Temple

• What is the tent / tabernacle?• Ex 25:8-9• Where God dwells - Tent: Ex: 25-31• Where God meets His people: Ex 33:7-11

• Temple – God’s choice of Israel as Chosen People

Temple in the Prologue

• John 1:14 – He pitched his tent among us…• Word choice consistent with God dwelling vice God visiting• We have seen His Glory (Ex24f)• Revelation: John 1:18• Fulfillment! Realized Eschatology

Cleansing of the Temple

• John 2:13-22• Meaning at time of the event : Messianic• Deeper meaning – remembering 2:17,22• Jesus = Temple• OT: Ez 11:15-16• NT: Rev 21:22

Temple Theme Continued

• Samaritan Woman (4:20-24)• Living Water (7:38-39)• Good Shepherd (10:1-20)

Christ: The Bread of Life (6:1-71) : Sign• Read• Sign• 6:14• 6:2,26

Christ: The Bread of Life (6:1-71)

• New Exodus• 6:3• Mt 15:29• Nm 11• 6:14 / Dt 18:15,18• 6:16-21 :: Exodus 14:15 – 31 (Crossing of the Red Sea)


• Eucharist• To Give thanks• So that nothing may be lost• 12 baskets leftover• 6:12: Gather up! A command…


• John’s use of discourse• Rejection of ordinary bread (6:26-27)• More than just bread• 6:32

• Moses / the Father• Gave / gives• Manna / true bread

• 6:33: given to Israel / given to the WORLD


• “Jesus’ discourse on the bread speaks of the gift of God, which Moses obtained for his people with the manna in the desert, which is really the Torah, the life-giving word of God (cf. Ps 119; Pr 9:5). In his own person Jesus brings to fulfilment the ancient image: “The bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” ... “I am the bread of life” (Jn 6:33-35). Here “the law has become a person. When we encounter Jesus, we feed on the living God himself, so to speak; we truly eat ‘the bread from heaven’”.[192] In the discourse at Capernaum, John’s Prologue is brought to a deeper level. There God’s Logos became flesh, but here this flesh becomes “bread” given for the life of the world (cf. Jn 6:51), with an allusion to Jesus’ self-gift in the mystery of the cross, confirmed by the words about his blood being given as drink (cf. Jn 6:53). The mystery of the Eucharist reveals the true manna, the true bread of heaven: it is God’s Logos made flesh, who gave himself up for us in the paschal mystery” (VD 54 with the quotation coming from Benedict XVI Jesus of Nazareth New York, 2007, 268)

the gospel of john meeting in school library 4:30pm

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