The Gospel and Letters of John, Volume 1

Introduction, Analysis, and Reference

Urban C. von Wahlde

• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Year: 2010
• Print ISBN: 9780802809919
• eBook ISBN: 9781467421072
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

Urban von Wahlde's radically new, three-volume commentary on the Gospel and Letters of John is the most detailed study of the composition of the Johannine literature ever put forth by an American scholar.
Nearly all of the problems confronted by those who study John have to do with the literary strata of the Gospel of John and their relation to the composition of the Letters of John. With an archaeologist's precision, and engaging a whole range of scholarly contributions in this area, von Wahlde digs down to the foundations and exposes three distinct literary strata in the development of the Johannine tradition. Volume 1 gives detailed evidence identifying and listing the criteria for each stratum. Volumes 2 and 3 apply those criteria to the Gospel and Letters of John respectively.

PART 1

The First Edition of the Gospel

INTRODUCTION

As was pointed out in the Introduction, Parts 1, 2, and 3 of this volume will each consist of three sections.

Section 1 of this Part will consist of an overview of the first edition. This is provided as an orientation to what follows and more particularly will provide a simplified listing of the various features by which the material of the first edition can be identified within the Gospel. Some readers, at least at the outset, will not wish to pursue a detailed analysis of the individual features of the edition. For these persons, this summary will be sufficient. When this Overview is compared with those of the second and third editions, it will be apparent how distinctive the material of each edition is. The extent to which these features can be said to be truly distinct from other similar features in the Gospel and the extent to which these features are truly distributed in the way that is proposed will ultimately establish their appropriateness for identifying the material of the various editions.

Section 2 presents a detailed Analysis of each of the characteristics used in the identification of the material of the first edition. In this detailed discussion, the characteristics will be divided into three categories: terminology, narrative orientation, and theology. Here all instances in the Gospel where the given characteristic appears are gathered together and discussed individually. By doing this, the interested reader is able to pursue the study to the extent and depth desired.

Section 3 describes in a comprehensive way various aspects of the first edition as they are revealed by the Analysis. This will include a discussion of the structure of the first edition, its genre, a survey of its theology, a discussion of the circumstances of the community at the time of the first edition, the historical value of the material, the religious and conceptual background, the relation of the material to the Synoptics, the author, the date of composition, and the locale.

SECTION 1. AN OVERVIEW OF THE FIRST EDITION

The first edition of the Gospel was a narrative of the complete ministry of Jesus, ranging from his encounter with John the Baptist at Bethany beyond the Jordan to his encounter with disciples after his Resurrection (1E-23F). This first Gospel focused on the miracles of Jesus (1E-18) and recounted them in all their power as “signs” that Jesus was truly “from God,” that he was the “Messiah” and the “Son of God” — and that he should be believed. In all of this, the categories are those of traditional Jewish expectation (1E-21).

Throughout his ministry Jesus’ miracles increase in magnitude, culminating in the raising of Lazarus from the dead (1E-19). This final miracle, performed shortly before the third Passover since the beginning of the ministry, impels the Pharisees and chief priests, who had previously been suspicious and who had even attempted without success to bring Jesus in for questioning, to join with the chief priests to call together a Sanhedrin and to formally condemn Jesus to death. The reason given is that, if Jesus were allowed to continue, the Romans might well come and destroy the Temple and the people (1E-22).

We can identify the material of this edition of the Gospel, first, by the terms it uses for religious authorities (“Pharisees,” “chief priests,” and “rulers”) (1E-1) and, second, by the use of “signs” as the characteristic term for miracles (1E-2). The use of the word “sign” for miracle is significant, for it is the same term that was used in the Jewish Scriptures to describe the miracles of Moses at the Exodus (1E-24F). Also, as was the case with the Mosaic signs, the miracles of Jesus in the first edition are presented as leading to belief rather than as actions that presuppose belief, as in the Synoptics. Another significant indication of the parallels drawn between Jesus and Moses is the fact that, within the first edition, there is considerable speculation whether Jesus was “the Prophet.” This title, which appears only within the first edition and nowhere else in the New Testament, reflects the Jewish hope based on Deut 18:15-18 for a future prophet like Moses who would appear in the last days.

In this edition, the Greek word Ioudaioi (which itself has a variety of meanings) is used with the meaning “Judeans,” that is, inhabitants of the region of Judea (1E-3). Just as is the case with the terms for religious authorities and the term for miracle, this usage does not appear in the other editions. The first edition is also marked by a consistent but curious pattern of translation of terms between Greek and Hebrew (1E-4). Often, religious terms appear first in Hebrew and then are translated into Greek. At the same time there are a number of geographical references that appear first in Greek and then are translated into Hebrew. In this edition, we also notice repeated explanations of Jewish feasts and customs (1E-16). Such explanations are not present in the later editions. What is curious about this process of translating and explaining is that, while they are so prominent in the first edition, not all places or terms are translated and, even more significantly, in the later editions, concepts and terms that are much more complex and specifically Jewish are not explained or translated. This would give the impression that this first edition was composed for an audience significantly different from that of the later editions.

The first edition is also marked by stereotyped formulas of belief in which it is said that “many [of a particular group] came to believe in Jesus because of his signs” (1E-5). Not only is the statement of this belief formulaic in its expression, but it always involves the term “signs” and seems intent to demonstrate that such belief occurred in widely diverse groups of people (i.e., the people of Jerusalem, the Samaritans, the people of Judea, etc.) (1E-8). Also characteristic of belief in the first edition is the way this is often portrayed as occurring in a chain-reaction sequence (1E-6). Thus, one disciple believes in Jesus and gets another who in turn also believes; the Samaritan woman believes and gets others to do the same; the royal official comes to believe along with his entire household; so also the crowd witnesses the raising of Lazarus and then tells others who also believe. None of this appears in later editions.

The first edition focused almost exclusively on the “signs” of Jesus. Because of this, it is not surprising to find that in the first edition there is also repeated reference to the quantity and quality of Jesus’ signs (1E-7). Remarks about the signs constantly use adjectives such as “many” (polla), “so many” (tosauta), “so great” (toiauta), and the like. There are other statements that create the same effect, statements such as that of the crowd in chapter 7 wondering whether the Christ could be expected to perform “more signs” than this man. And in chapter 10 John is contrasted with Jesus in that John performed “no signs.” There is nothing like this in the other editions.

We spoke above of the religious authorities. In the first edition, there is a division of opinion about Jesus among the religious authorities (1E-9). This is evident as late as chapter 9, where “the Pharisees” debate among themselves regarding the meaning of Jesus’ signs. Yet, as we shall see below, there is not a hint of division regarding Jesus among the authorities of the second edition. In the first edition, there are clear indications that the hostility of the authorities increases throughout his ministry, beginning with the skepticism of 2:24 and culminating in the decision of the Sanhedrin to put Jesus to death (1E-10). But when we compare this with the presentation in the second edition, we see that the hostility toward Jesus is intense from the beginning and that there are repeated attempts to put Jesus to death beginning as early as chapter 5. Thus, the first edition presents a more historically plausible account of the ministry (1E-23F) with a true narrative development, while the second edition seeks to represent typical resistance to Jesus on the part of official Judaism.

We can also see that the portrayal of the authorities in the two editions is different in other important respects. In the first edition, there is first a narrative report of belief among the people, usually on the basis of signs. This is followed immediately by some reaction on the part of the “Pharisees, chief priests, and/or rulers” (1E-11). It is also evident that people such as the temple police of chapter 7 and the blind man of chapter 9 resist the urgings of the religious authorities, fail to obey their orders, and, in the case of the man born blind of chapter 9, talk back to and even debate with them (1E-13). By the scene of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, in chapter 12, the Pharisees are actually fearing the reaction of the people and express their own inadequacy in dealing with Jesus (1E-14). In the second edition, there is no such debate. “The Jews” in these texts are monolithic and so intensely hostile throughout that the only reaction on the part of the common people is abject fear of them. So we see the statements that people did not speak “for fear of the Jews”; that people hid “because they were fearing the Jews.” Such expressions as these are never associated with the authorities, described as “Pharisees,” “chief priests,” and “rulers.” Related to this is the fact that, in the first edition, the religious authorities fear the Romans. Yet in the second edition, there is no evidence that “the Jews” fear the Romans. Indeed, during the trial of Jesus they seem to intimidate even Pilate.

When the “Pharisees,” “chief priests,” and “rulers” react to Jesus, they do so almost exclusively on the basis of his signs (1E-12). In the second edition, “the Jews” almost ignore the miracles of Jesus and focus on his claims to equality with the Father, charging him with blasphemy.

In the first edition, the religious authorities as a group are never in dialogue with Jesus (1E-17) but rather talk among themselves and with others. In the second edition, “the Jews” are almost always in dialogue and debate with Jesus. This is their primary narrative role!

There are a number of instances of super natural knowledge on the part of Jesus in the Gospel as a whole. In the first edition, this supernatural knowledge of Jesus functions as a “sign” to bring about belief (1E-15). But in the second edition, such supernatural knowledge functions only for the reader, to indicate Jesus’ superiority to all human plans and intentions.

Theologically, the first edition focuses almost entirely on the miracles of Jesus, as we have seen (1E-18). There is marked attention to details that demonstrate the greatness of the miracles and why they should be a cause of belief (1E-19). Such belief is also presented as an easy affair (1E-20) and something that occurs in various groups within the nation and even among the Samaritans. It is only the “Pharisees,” “chief priests,” and “rulers” who do not believe! But in the second edition, belief is a much more complex affair. In that edition, belief on the basis of miracles continues to be seen as a valid form of belief, but the entire context shifts. Now (1) they are termed “works” (not “signs”), (2) they are described as a “witness” to the identity of Jesus, and (3) the works are one of four “witnesses” to Jesus (alongside the witness of John, the witness of the words of Jesus, and the witness of the Scriptures).

When we look at the Christology of the first edition, it is immediately apparent that the discussion of Jesus’ identity is always on the level of “low” Christology (1E-21). We have seen the references to him as “the Prophet.” There is also the general discussion whether Jesus is “from God,” whether he is Elijah returned, whether he is “the Christ,” “the one who is to come,” “the Son of God.” But even with such titles as “Son of God” it is clear from the context that the title is being used in a traditional sense rather than in the later “Christian” sense. In short, there is not a hint of the “high” Christology that marks the second and third editions.

The structure of the first edition is built around the constantly increasing magnitude of the signs of Jesus, together with the increasingly widespread belief of the people and the increasing hostility of the religious authorities. This structure is still evident from what remains in the Gospel even though the original order of the multiplication and the healing at the Pool of Bethesda has been reversed by the second author. This edition was a true narrative (1E-23F). The narrative mo...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Preface
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Part 1: The First Edition of the Gospel
• Part 2: The Second Edition of the Gospel
• Part 3: The Third Edition of the Gospel
• Part 4: A History of the Development of Johannine Theology
• Part 5: Reference