The signs and discourses in John 5 and 6 present major issues for interpreters. This volume provides focused discussion of key questions by international specialists, who approach these texts from narrative, theological, and historical perspectives.
The contributions in this volume are by members of the Colloquium Ioanneum, an international group of Johannine scholars who meet every two years for discussion of a section of the Fourth Gospel. The proceedings of the 2019 meeting focus on the signs and accompanying discourses in John 5 and 6, which contributors approach using different methods of interpretation. Narrative issues include the characterization of Jesus, the disciples, and other figures, the construction of space, assumptions about the audience, creation motifs, and the role of intertextuality. Attention is given to Johannine perspectives on Christology, soteriology, eschatology, and judgment. Careful consideration is given to questions of the Gospel's use of eucharistic language and the origins of Johannine theology.
Table of contents:
George Parsenios: The "Man at the Pool" and the "Man Born Blind": Comparison in the Lives of Plutarch and the Gospel of John -
Christos Karakolis: True Faith Through Signs: The Case of the Lame Man -
Adele Reinhartz: Doing God's Work: John 5:17-18 from a Jewish Perspective -
Jörg Frey: "Who Should "Not Wonder"? On the Audience and Logical Structure of the Discourse-Section John 5:19-30 -
R. Alan Culpepper: Jesus the Judge (John 5:21-30): The Theme of Judgment in John's Gospel -
Ruben Zimmermann/Zacharias Shoukry: Creatio Continua in the Fourth Gospel: Motifs of Creation in John 5-6 -
Jean Zumstein: The Construction of Space in John 5-6 -
Michael Labahn: Jesus: Gottes Gabe in der Not: Theologische und christologische Charakterisierung Jesu und seiner Jünger im Vergleich zwischen Mk 6:30-52 und Joh 6:1-21 -
Craig R. Koester: Signs and Christology in John 6:1-21 in Light of Jewish and Greco-Roman Frames of Reference: Prophet, King, and Revealer of God -
Catrin H. Williams: Intertextual Perspectives on John's Sea-Crossing Account (6:16-21) -
William Loader: Soteriology and Spirituality in John 6: A Reflection on Key Issues in Johannine Theology -
Michael Theobald: "Diese Rede ist hart" (Joh 6:60): Wider die Versuchung, Joh 6:51c-58 rein metaphorisch zu deuten -
Udo Schnelle: Johannes 6:60-71 und die Genese der johanneischen Theologie -
Marianne Meye Thompson: "Many of His Disciples Turned Back": The Offense of Jesus' Death in the Gospel of John (6:60-71) -
D. Francois Tolmie: Elected and a Devil? The Characterization of Judas Iscariot in the Fourth Gospel