The Johannine Circle

1
The Johannine Circle

• Seeing and Believing

2
The nature of Johannine language

• Double meaning
• Seeing and not seeing
• Play on words
• Born again/born from above
• Lifted up

3
The Johannine prologue

• John 1

4
Content of the Prologue

• Christology of the Word
• Creation theology
• Incarnation theology

5
The nature of light

• Greek dualism
• Jewish light/darkness
• Johns limited ethical dualism

6
Witness in the Johannine prologue

• All the elements of the synoptic witness theme
  appear in John the Baptist
• John the Baptist functions in bearing witness
• He denies his own importance
• He declares Jesus to be the Messiah
• There are two further witnesses in the prologue
• Later witnesses woman in Samaria (Jn 4), Jesus
  works, the scriptures (Jn 5)
• Mission theme in the gospel

7
The book of signs

• John 2 - 12

8
The function of a sign

• Purpose the manifestation of Jesus glory
• Through the signs Jesus true nature appears for
  those who can see
• Result people believe

9
Jesus and the temple

• In the temple cleansing and later in chapter 4 we
  discover that Jesus himself replaces the temple.
  This is probably also true of the out of his
  belly saying even later.
• Jesus takes messianic authority over the temple
• Jesus in his person fulfills Judaism by replacing
  it
• He becomes the temple where all nations (not just
  Jews) will worship.

10
Rebirth through the Spirit

• Background in the expectation of the Spirit in
  the eschaton
• The new birth is defined as
• Mysterious
• Produces a spiritual nature
• Not that unlike Paul flesh is not viewed in
  this passage as evil, but as weak, as
  insufficient
• Connected to baptism
• Jesus is the mediator of the new birth

11
The nature of Jesus

• There is a progressive revelation in John
• Statements about Jesus
• He works as God does (John 5)
• He is the living water
• He is the light of the world
• He is the true/good shepherd
• He existed before Abraham
• He is the resurrection in person

12
Belief-Unbelief

• Those who believe
• Disciples
• Woman in Samaria
• Kings officer (John 4)
• Thomas
• Those who do not believe
• The leaders of the Jews
• The Jews
• Those who waver
• Those who see signs, but do not really see
• Those who go back when the sayings become too
  hard
• Reason for belief/unbelief the Fathers calling

13
The book of glory

• John 13-20

14
Farewell discourses

• The footwashing a prophetic action/acted parable
  of service
• The background in the teaching of Jesus Luke
  1237
• The background in Jewish literature
• It could be viewed as an act of humility
• It could be viewed as an act of love
• The meaning given to the action by Jesus
• It is necessary for salvation
• It is an example for the disciples to follow

15
The betrayal contrasts with the footwashing
apostasy

• It is within the context of self-giving
  symbolized in the footwashing that Jesus predicts
  the betrayal.
• Even the inner group is not immune to apostasy

16
Thematic continuity in the final discourses.

• The final discourses also fit into a structure
  which is larger than they are
• The beloved disciple chs 13 . . . . . 19 20 21
• The love-service theme 13 . . . . . . . 21
• The Holy Spirit chs 14 15 . . . . 20
• The themes in the final discourses only make
  sense in the light of the passion, so they are
  picked up in the passion narrative.

17
The content of the final discourses (1331-17)

• The footwashing has anticipated the following
  passion, so the moment of glorification is
  present
• Glorification (171-5)
• There is a mutual glorification in this passage
• The future glorification is indeed present
• Love in the new community (13 1511-17)
• Like Moses, Jesus leaves commands
• The content of the command is love
• Love mirrors the Father-Son relationship and
  Son-church relationship
• In loving one another the church enters into this
  relationship and makes it visible in the world.
• Thus they show themselves to be his disciples
  (1335 1720-26)
• Love produces koinonia (fellowship/sharing/communi
  ty)

18
Content of final discourses (pt 2)

• Departure of the Son of Man (1333)
• The disciples cannot follow him (yet) in death
• The going of Jesus is for the benefit of the
  church
• He will prepare a place for them
• He will give the Spirit (165ff)
• The going of the apostles will be via Jesus
• The going and coming of Jesus will bring his
  disciples to the Father (see next slide)

19
Content of final discourses (pt 3)

• The going and coming of Jesus will bring his
  disciples to the Father
• Jesus is with the Father, prayer is possible
  (1625-27)
• Jesus promises to do what is asked in his name
• Therefore the church can multiply works, i.e. do
  greater works
• To do anything at all they must remain in him
• To remain to love Jesus (159-10)
• To remain to love Christians (1512-17)
• Apostasy is still possible and will be punished
• Yet the disciples are chosen (1515-16)
• The going will cause sorrow, but the resurrection
  will cause joy (161-24)

20
Suffering Service (1518-25 161-4)

• The Christian differs radically from the world
• Therefore the world hates the Christian as it did
  Jesus
• Jesus has conquered the world (1633)
• Therefore the Christians will be protected
  (176-19)

21
The gift of the Paraclete (1415-31 1526-27
165-15)

• Reasons for the paraklêtos teaching
• The church had to live without apostles
• The church had a long absence of Jesus to await
• The function of the paraklêtos teaching
• Spirit is the means by which Jesus and the Father
  will continue to be present
• Thus there is no ascension in John
• The Spirit is given to the church, to the group
• The Spirit is given before the ascension (which
  is never mentioned) (2022)

22
The Johannine passion narrative

• The main theme is that Jesus is King
• Another major theme is that Jesus is victor
• He remains in control at all times and ends up
  with a cry of triumph
• A third major theme is that Jesus is the
  sacrifice
• Jesus is sacrificed at the same time as the
  Passover lambs are being sacrificed in Jerusalem
• Along with these themes goes the idea that God is
  in control
• With the resurrection comes the theme of
  believing without seeing

23
Johannine Letters

• While not part of the teaching of the Johannine
  Gospel, notes on the letters are left here in
  case students wish to see on their own how the
  Gospel works out in the letters.

24
The Johannine epistles

• The problem of the epistles is to differentiate
  the apostolic tradition from other versions of
  Christianity that were beginning to appear.
• The evidence of life
• The evidence of belief about Jesus
• The evidence of the experience of the Spirit

25
First John

• Introduction

26
Structure

• Prologue (11-4)
• Light (15-229)
• Walking in the light (15-22)
• Loving fellow-Christians (23-11)
• Overcoming the world (212-17)
• The anti-Christ group (218-29)

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Structure 2

• Love (31-56)
• Living in purity (31-10)
• Loving fellow Christians (311-24)
• The anti-Christ spirit (41-6)
• Loving fellow Christians (47-12)
• The Spirit of love (413-16a)
• Loving fellow Christians (416b-21)
• Overcoming the world (51-6)
• The testimony (57-12)

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Structure 3

• Closing (513-21)
• Summary (513)
• Prayer for healing (514-17)
• Certainties (518-20)
• Purpose statement (521)

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Content

• Prologue (11-4). The prologue itself falls into
  two parts, verses 1-2 and 3-4. Each begins with
  an emphasis that the word of life (namely, Jesus)
  was fully experienced by the bearers of the
  tradition (perhaps the same people as the source
  of the gospel of John). This experienced word is
  identified as the source of (1) eternal life, (2)
  fellowship with the church, and (3) fellowship
  with both the Father and the Son. This prologue,
  then, would strike a blow at those setting aside
  the gospel traditions and particularly those
  denying that the Christ could be touched or
  experienced.
• Light (15-229). The theme that binds the first
  section of the letter together is light. We
  being with walking in the light (15-22), which
  is a triple statement. First, light is the nature
  of God. Second, those who claim to know God must
  live according to light. Third, the way for
  sinful human beings to come into this fellowship
  is through the death of Jesus. Since light
  stands for holiness, such a statement flies in
  the face of anyone claiming either that God (e.g.
  the creator god over against the ultimate god) is
  a mixture of good and evil or that one can know
  God a still live an immoral life. Furthermore,
  the reference to the blood of Jesus firmly
  asserts that the real, historical death of Jesus
  is the basis for salvation.

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 Content 2

• The next theme to be covered is that of loving
  fellow-Christians (23-11). Community solidarity
  was a major theme within the New Testament, for
  if the church was to stand in a hostile world it
  had to stand together. This is expressed in terms
  of keeping the commandments of Jesus. What is
  specifically denied is that one can hate or
  reject a fellow-Christian while living in
  fellowship with Jesus, for the commandment comes
  down to loving one another (as the farewell
  discourses of the Gospel present Jesus as
  repeatedly commanding). In 3 John we read of just
  such a situation in which one group was rejecting
  another group in the church.
• Obviously such a lifestyle of community
  solidarity means living differently than the
  world around them. Thus overcoming the world
  (212-17) is the next logical theme. In a poetic
  section our author addresses three groups
  children, youths and fathers. The problem is in
  identifying these three groups with specific
  groups in the church, especially given the
  unusual order. At the least these three embody
  specific qualities that our author wants his
  readers to have awareness of the forgiveness of
  sin, personal knowledge of the Father and a
  conquest of the devil (Evil One). It is no
  accident that he ends on this point of conquest,
  for he then contrasts the love of God with the
  love of the world, the domain of the Evil One.
  The world is driven by desire (cf. Jas 113-15
  41-4 and elsewhere in the New Testament). An
  attachment to such things which are passing away
  is contradictory to an attachment to the Father.

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 Content 3

• Obviously not everyone accepted the teaching
  embodied in this letter. Now our author is ready
  to describe the anti-Christ group (218-29). The
  doctrinal marker of this group is that they deny
  that Jesus is the Messiah or Christ. This may
  mean that they distinguished between the Christ
  spirit and the human Jesus as some Gnostics did.
  Our authors point is that without Jesus they do
  not have the Father either, nor eternal life. The
  anti-Christ group has separated from the orthodox
  group, but they are still in contact trying to
  deceive the orthodox. Yet our author is not
  concerned for he trusts the presence of the Holy
  Spirit in the orthodox group, for this is the
  anointing which will keep them in the truth
  (which is a function ascribed to the Spirit in
  the farewell discourses of the Gospel).
• Love (31-56). The next section of the letter
  revolves around the theme of love. Of course,
  love has already been mentioned twice in the
  first part of the letter (25, 15), but now we
  connect each of the themes to love. In fact,
  after each of his other themes our author will
  return to the love of fellow Christians, making
  it clear how central this theme is. The first
  theme to be connected to love is that of living
  in purity (31-10). This is a parallel to the
  section on walking in the light in the first part
  of the book. As is typical in the New Testament,
  our author moves from the indicative (we already
  are children of God, having received the love of
  God) to the imperative (since God is pure, his
  true children will purify themselves and live
  like him). The point is that those who think that
  they can ignore the character of God and live as
  they will without reference to his purity reveal
  that far from Gods being their Father, the devil
  is. Children show the genes of the one who is
  their father.

32
 Content 4

• Our first return to the theme of loving fellow
  Christians (311-24) compares hatred of a
  fellow-Christian (including rejection) to murder
  of ones brother (like Cain). It then defines
  love in very practical terms laying down ones
  life for a fellow-Christian, which means sharing
  with that person ones material possessions.
  That, of course, is the true meaning of family,
  for family is where people hold material goods in
  common. This characteristic of New Testament
  Christianity to make strangers into family on the
  basis of a common commitment to Jesus Christ
  scandalized the pagans while at the same time
  attracting them. Notice that unlike our age, love
  is not defined as a feeling a person can act
  lovingly even if they do not feel any attachment
  to the other person.
• The next theme taken up is that of the
  anti-Christ spirit (41-6), which parallels the
  anti-Christ group of 218-29. Those whom our
  author opposes also have spiritual experiences
  and prophets. How can one tell which group is
  truly from God? Their love for fellow-Christians
  is one way, but in this section our author deals
  with their orthodox teaching. The Holy Spirit
  teaches that Jesus Christ has come in the
  flesh. In other words, like John 114, it
  teaches a real incarnation. Now this section does
  not mean that one calls for the spirit/ Spirit
  animating a prophet or teacher, asks it a
  question and then makes a judgment upon its
  answer. Like Deut 131-5, which also deals with
  false prophets, it is the teaching of the prophet
  which is being examined. No matter what signs a
  prophet may give or how spiritual he or she may
  sound, if they do not teach that Jesus Christ was
  truly human, meaning that the divine Word came to
  be fully joined to humanity by becoming a true
  human being, Jesus, the prophet is false. The
  spirit that animates them is not the Holy Spirit,
  but the spirit of anti-Christ. This is no test
  that makes a prophet or teacher dot his or her
  doctrinal is and cross their ts. Instead
  this takes a single core doctrine and makes it
  the test of orthodoxy, for this was where the
  battles over orthodoxy were being fought in that
  day.

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 Content 5

• Our author will not let us go on long without
  again mentioning loving fellow Christians
  (47-12). The point is simple the one truly born
  of God (that is, born of the Spirit as in John
  33,5-6) will show the loving character of God,
  which is the love which God showed in sending
  Jesus as an atoning sacrifice. This is the model
  of how to love fellow-Christians.
• The reference to the Spirit which began chapter 4
  and continued in the last section again becomes
  quite explicit when our author discusses the
  Spirit of love (413-16a). There is an experience
  of Spirit within the Christian that gives them an
  internal witness that they are truly born of God.
• The Spirit will naturally also mediate the love
  of God to those he lives in. Thus, yet again,
  loving fellow Christians (416b-21) is the mark
  that one loves God or abides in God or that God
  abides in a person. A person cannot really love
  God and behave in a hateful manner towards a
  fellow-believer.

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 Content 6

• Such love is not the way of the world. A brief
  summary makes the point that such faith as our
  author has been describing results in overcoming
  the world (51-6). In other words, overcoming the
  world is seen in believing in a real incarnation
  (which the Greek world found repulsive) and
  showing practical loves towards ones fellow
  believers, which opposes the selfish
  materialistic spirit of the world.
• The testimony (57-12). The prologue referred to
  human testimony, the testimony of the witnesses
  to Jesus which the community had obviously
  received. Now our author balances this with a
  reference to the testimony of God through (1)
  the Holy Spirit within the Christian, (2) the
  water of baptism and (3) the blood or death of
  Christ, possibly referring to the experience of
  that blood in the Lords Supper. The point here
  as in the prologue is that there is a unified
  testimony. Eternal life is only to be found in
  Jesus, Gods Son.

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 Content 7

• Closing (513-21). Our author has made his
  points. He is ready for a summary (513). The
  point of the book is that those who believe on
  the Son of God may know that they have eternal
  life, whatever those who went out from us and
  have the spirit of anti-Christ may say. The
  false prophets and teachers are not in the
  community so they will not read this letter the
  purpose of the letter is to reassure the
  faithful.
• It is customary in the end of the Greek letter to
  include a prayer for healing (514-17). Our
  author does the same thing. He begins by noting
  that confidence in prayer results from praying
  according to Gods will. Then he encourages
  prayer for those who do not commit a sin that
  leads to death. By this he probably is
  indicating the apostates who went out from us.
  Those who have turned their backs on the orthodox
  faith have rejected Gods way so there will be no
  forgiveness of their sins through prayer. Only by
  turning back to the orthodox way will they gain
  forgiveness. Yet for those who are still in the
  Christian community there is forgiveness of sin
  through the prayers of others (presumably upon
  their confession). In this section, then, 1 John
  parallels Jas 514-18, although James is talking
  about physical disease and death (along with the
  forgiveness of sin) and 1 John is talking about
  spiritual death.

36
 Conent 8

• Another part of the closing of the Greek letter
  was often an oath. 1 John has no oath and Jas
  512 teaches against taking oaths. Instead John
  has the certainties (518-20) upon which one can
  rely. There are three things that we know (1)
  Gods children do not practice sin (for they will
  live like their Father), (2) we are Gods
  children in contrast to the world which is ruled
  by Satan, and (3) Jesus Christ is the means of
  coming to know God. These solemn affirmations
  substitute for an oath that what our author says
  is true.
• The final purpose statement (521) is very short.
  The readers are the children of God. Their only
  job is to keep themselves from idols, which are
  the world and its desires and the false images of
  Christ the anti-Christ group promotes, which
  together lead to a loveless lifestyle.

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Issues in 1 John

• 1. While 1 John is often presented a simple
  Greek, it is important for those who do not read
  it in Greek to observe the details of its
  language through commentaries. For example, the
  repeated assertion that those born of God do not
  sin in phrased in a tense which indicates
  continuing or habitual action. As Paul was in Gal
  519-21, our author is convinced that those who
  live certain lifestyles do not know God. He is
  not talking about people who stumble and slip
  into sin and then repent. This distinction is
  often not apparent in English translations.
• 2. In 1 John we see a letter that at first seems
  to flow from topic to topic, but then reveals
  through hook words sections are joined and
  through repetition the letter is structured. It
  is important to look for these relationships if
  one is to understand the letter.
• 3. Our letter reminds us again that Christian
  communities had already heard the story of Jesus.
  They knew some version of the gospel. In this
  case it appears that the community knows the
  Gospel of John (or perhaps the oral traditions
  that were later incorporated into the Gospel).
  One must not read a letter without understanding
  that a version of the gospel stands behind it as
  background.

38
Second - Third John
39
Introduction

• This information leads us to the hypothesis that
  these two short letters are cover letters sent
  along with 1 John. We have observed in the
  previous chapter that while 1 John does have some
  parts of the letter form, it is not a normal
  letter. It is a very general document without
  specific addressees. That being the case, is it
  not likely that when it was sent out to various
  churches it would be accompanied by short notes
  which made it more personal. Thus here we have
  two different church situations. In one we find a
  church threatened by deceivers who do not walk
  according to the truth. This fact and how to
  deal with it is made clear in 2 John, but 1 John
  would give a greater depth to the discussion. In
  the other we find a church in which there is a
  power struggle with one group led by Diotrephes
  declaring its independence from the elder and
  another led by Gaius still loyal. A group of
  missionaries appear to have brought the matter to
  a head by whether or not a group received them
  (and thus supported them). In this case 3 John
  applies the teaching on love put in so much more
  detail in 1 John. In each case a short scrap of
  parchment takes a general letter and makes it a
  letter to a particular community.

40
Structure

•  

41
Second John

• Salutation (1-3)
• Author and recipient identification
• Blessing
• Exhortation to love (4-6)
• Commendation
• The love command
• Dealing with deceivers (7-11)
• Their identification
• Dealing with them
• Closing (12-13)
• Apology
• Greeting

42
Third John

• Salutation (1)
• Exhortation to hospitality (2-8)
• Commendation (2-4)
• Exhortation to hospitality (5-8)
• The problem of Diotrephes (9-12)
• The identification of the problem (9-10)
• How Gaius is to respond (11-12)
• Closing
• Apology (13-14)
• Greeting (15)

43
Content

• Second John
• Salutation (1-3). The author identifies himself
  as the elder and the recipient as the chosen
  lady, It is probable that the lady is a
  church, although she could be a house church
  leader, in which case her sister is a house
  church leader in another locality. The blessing
  is fairly standard, except that it mentions both
  truth and love, which will be major themes in the
  letter.
• Exhortation to love (4-6). The exhortation to
  love comes in two parts. First is the
  commendation that her children (either church
  members or literal children) are walking in the
  truth (which is what the deceivers are not
  doing). This confirms to the elder that this
  church is still orthodox. Next comes a standard
  exposition of the love command. This appears to
  be a standard encouragement, not dealing with a
  deficiency in the community.

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 Second John (pt 2)

• Dealing with deceivers (7-11). The problem facing
  the community is that some deceivers are
  threatening it. Their identification is the first
  order of business they are defined as those who
  do not confess that Jesus Christ is come in the
  flesh, or people who deny the full humanity of
  Jesus. As we have seen, the same deceivers are
  cited in 1 John. When it comes to dealing with
  them the instruction is clear. The lady is to be
  on her guard, knowing that these people have
  nothing to offer (she already has both the Father
  and the Son and they do not have God at all).
  When they come to her she is not to receive them.
  How does this square with the love command? Here
  we must remember the context of the house church.
  The house in question which the deceivers wish
  to visit is the house church (probably identical
  in location with her personal residence if this
  is a particular woman who leads the church).
  Normally the church would welcome traveling
  Christians and provide them with food for the
  next stage of their journey. Such a welcome would
  give the deceivers a chance to infect the church
  in the relatively informal setting of the meeting
  (reclining around a table at a mean which was the
  Lords Supper) and it would assist them in their
  mission. From deceivers such as these normal
  Christian hospitality is to be withheld. This is
  not the same as inviting a person into ones
  personal house for a discussion. This is giving
  them a platform in the church and support in
  their deception.
• Closing (12-13). The closing is very brief. It
  apologizes for the short letter and compensates
  by noting the travel plans of the author. The
  greeting which comes is exclusively that of her
  chosen sisters children (either her real
  nephews and nieces or else, more likely, the
  members of the church where the elder is
  presently residing).

45
Third John

• Salutation (1). The salutation is very brief,
  identifying a man who is probably a house church
  leader in an unknown locality.
• Exhortation to hospitality (2-8). The elder
  begins with a commendation (2-4) starting with a
  health wish (customary in Greek letters), noting
  Gaius commitment to the truth (perhaps
  Christological orthodoxy, as in 2 John). The
  exhortation to hospitality (5-8) which follows is
  also in part a commendation for past actions, as
  well as an encouragement to continue them. In 2
  John one was not to welcome and supply deceivers
  so that one would not be implicated in their
  deeds here one is to welcome and supply true
  Christian missionaries so that one will be
  implicated in their deeds. There was a
  significant need for discernment in the early
  church. These particular missionaries are not
  accepting support literally from the Gentiles
  which probably means from non-believers. This was
  often Pauls policy so that his mission would not
  be confused with the self-serving preaching of
  some of the traveling philosophers and religious
  cultists of his day. Yet such a refusal to take
  up a collection for their preaching would make
  the missionaries even more dependent upon the
  generosity of the Christians whom they met.

46
 Third John (pt 2)

• The problem of Diotrephes (9-12). Unfortunately,
  the missionaries the elder is concerned about did
  not find hospitality in an area around Gaius. The
  elder begins with the identification of the
  problem (9-10) The missionaries had come
  well-identified with letters from the elder, but
  they were not received by the church because a
  certain leader named Diotrephes had an issue with
  the elder and so would not recognize his
  authority. Diotrephes has managed to become the
  leader or leaders in a group of house churches in
  his area, so the elder cannot ignore the rumors
  he is spreading as if they came from a nobody.
  The elder considers the charges scandalous.
  Diotrephes has not only failed to receive the
  missionaries, but he has also expelled from the
  church anyone who did receive them. It is not
  clear if Gaius own house church has been cut off
  by Diotrephes or if Gaius is a leader in a nearby
  area, but not one under the control of
  Diotrephes. In the latter case he may have been
  disturbed by the charges. The elder promises to
  deal with Diotrephes on an upcoming visit. When
  it comes to Gaius himself, there are careful
  instructions on how Gaius is to respond (11-12).
  He is to imitate the good (the reception of the
  missionaries, not their rejection), for by his
  actions Diotrephes has shown that he does not
  know God. An example of good is Demetrius, who
  presumably has also received the missionaries and
  who Gaius is expected to know well. His is an
  example to be imitated.
• Closing (13-15). Again our author closes the
  letter with an apology (13-14) for the brevity of
  the letter, promising to visit in person and say
  more face to face. The greeting (15) is from the
  Christians wherever the elder is residing to the
  Gaius and the members of his house church.

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Issues in 2-3 John

• 1. These two letters make it important to
  understand that the early church met in house
  churches. Otherwise 2 John with its command not
  to accept a person into ones house is not
  understandable and 3 John with its roles for
  Gaius and Diotrephes is not clear.
• 2. These letter also raise the issue of the
  relationship among New Testament letters. They
  are clearly by the same author as 1 John and they
  supply an identification of the author as the
  elder which is lacking in 1 John. If they are in
  fact cover letters, then they may help us in
  identifying the issues being addressed in 1 John
  and 1 John may assist us in understanding why
  these letters can be so brief.
• 3. These letters show us the application of the
  love command in missionary support. The love was
  extending very concrete hospitality and resupply.
  Love does not have to do with emotions at all.