Johannine Theology
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JOHANNINE THEOLOGY THE GOSPEL, THE EPISTLES and the APOCALYPSE PAUL A. RAINBOW InterVarsity Press P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426,, USA World Wide Web: www.ivpress.com Email: [email protected] ©2014 by Paul A. Rainbow All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from InterVarsity Press. InterVarsity Press® is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA®, a movement of students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges and schools of nursing in the United States of America, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information about local and regional activities, write Public Relations Dept., InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, 6400 Schroeder Rd., P.O. Box 7895, Madison, WI 53707-7895, or visit the IVCF website at www.intervarsity.org. Cover design: David Fassett Interior design: Beth McGill Images: St. John the Evangelist: St. John the Evangelist at Patmos, from the Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine Triptych by Hans Memling, at the Memling Museum, Bruges, Belgium. The Bridgeman Art Library cross illustration: © FONG_KWONG_CHO/iStockphoto ISBN 978-0-8308-9650-9 (digital) ISBN 978-0-8308-4056-4 (print) Printed in the United States of America ♾ As a member of the Green Press Initiative, InterVarsity Press is committed to protecting the environment and to the responsible use of natural resources. To learn more, visit greenpressinitiative.org. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Rainbow, Paul A. (Paul Andrew) Johannine theology : the gospel, the Epistles and the Apocalypse / Paul A. Rainbow. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8308-4056-4 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Bible. John—Theology. 2. Bible. Epistles of John—Theology. 3. Bible. Revelation—Theology. I. Title. BS2601.R35 2014 226.5’06—dc23 2014022815 P 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Y 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 Mentoris acris J. V. Dahms memor CONTENTS Preface . 9 Acknowledgments. å° . .å°11 Abbreviations . 13 1 Introduction. å° . .å°27 2 The Revelation of God (The Father) . 72 3 The World . å° . .11 .å° 5 4 God’s Self-Revelation in Christ’s Person . å 146 5 God’s Self-Revelation in Christ’s Work . 191 6 The Revelation of the Father in the Son by the Spirit-Paraclete . 235 7 The Believer and the True God: Coming to Christ . 273 8 The Believer and the True God: Abiding in Christ . 313 9 Disciples of Christ in Community . 351 10 The Community of Christ’s Disciples in the World . 399 Bibliography. å° . .4 21 .å° Index of Authors . 479 Index of Subjects . 485 Index of Principal Scripture Passages. å°. 495 Praise for Johannine Theology. å° . 497 About the Author. å° . 49 .å° 8 More Titles from InterVarsity Press. å° . 499 PREFACE AS FAR AS I AM AWARE, this volume is the only English-language textbook on John’s theology that aims to be both critical and comprehensive. It is critical in that I have tried to be aware of the basis and extent of our knowledge, given the problems inherent in the use of ancient human documents. It is compre- hensive in that it includes all the books of the New Testament ascribed to John: the Gospel, the three Epistles and the Apocalypse (the book of Revelation). By no means are Johannine specialists in agreement that sound criticism allows a comprehensive approach in that sense. Not all believe that John wrote even one of these books. In mainline scholarship the number of hypothetical hands that shaped the Gospel alone keeps growing. Some suppose that each of the three Epistles had a different author, and that the John who wrote the Apoc- alypse was a fifth (at least!). Even conservative scholars nowadays are less strident in defending the apostolic authorship of the Apocalypse than were their predecessors of a previous generation, and some have gone mute. In harking back to the old solution, I claim no more than to testify to what I myself see—come what may in reviews. About the steady, mighty river of learned publications on the Johannine literature C. K. Barrett spoke with candor for many when he wrote, “Probably no one has read it all; I know I have not.”1 That was back in 1975, before annual output more than doubled to what it is today. Selection is imperative. I have concentrated on works that have proved seminal, become classic or been espe- cially influential and on journal articles and serial monographs since the turn of the third millennium. Anyone who delves into the theology of John finds the subject inexhaustible. 1C. K. Barrett, foreword to John: Witness and Theologian, by John Painter (London: SPCK, 1975), p. ix. 10 Johannine Theology No matter how one shapes the material, the result is but a sketch that captures certain aspects. I have done my best, through prayer and thoughtful labor, to capture some key aspects. Whether the result is serviceable to those seeking further insight into John’s writings is for them to judge. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ALL SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS ARE initially based on The Holy Bible: Re- vised Standard Version (second edition; copyright 1972 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America), even in cases where the author has taken it upon himself to alter one or more words to bring out nuances of the original Hebrew or Greek text. So numerous are these cases that it would have been pedantic and burdensome to indicate every one. But the author wishes to acknowledge his debt in the preponderance of cases where the wording is identical to the rsv. ABBREVIATIONS General // parallel text(s) § section ca. circa cf. compare chap(s). chapter(s) e.g. for example esp. especially etc. and the rest ET English translation fol. folio Gk. Greek Heb. Hebrew ibid. in the same source idem by the same author(s) i.e. that is Lat. Latin lit. literally MS(S) manuscript(s) no(s). number(s) par(s). parallel(s) p(p). page(s) v(v). verse(s) Ancient Texts, Types and Version lxx Septuagint mt Masoretic Text Modern Editions UBS4 The Greek New Testament, United Bible Societies, 4th edition 14 Johannine Theology Modern Versions nab New American Bible rsv Revised Standard Version Apocrypha and Septuagint 1-4 Kgdms 1-4 Kingdoms 1-4 Macc 1-4 Maccabees Sir Sirach Tob Tobit Wis Wisdom of Solomon Old Testament Pseudepigrapha 2 Bar. 2 Baruch (Syriac Apocalypse) 1 En. 1 Enoch (Ethiopic Apocalypse) 4 Ezra 1 Ezra Let. Arist. Letter of Aristeas Pss. Sol. Psalms of Solomon T. Ash. Testament of Asher T. Dan. Testament of Dan Dead Sea Scrolls CD-A Damascus Documenta CD-B Damascus Documentb 1QpHab 1QPesher to Habakkuk 1QS 1QRule of the Community 4Q398 (4QMMTe) 4QHalakhic Lettere Mishnah and Talmud b. Babylonian Talmud m. Mishnah y. Jerusalem Talmud ʿAbod. Zar. ʿAbodah Zarah ʾAbot ʾAbot Bek. Bekorot Ber. Berakot Beṣah Beṣah Abbreviations 15 B. Meṣʿia Baba Meṣʿia ʿEd. ʿEduyyot Demai Demai Ḥag. Ḥagigah Ḥul. Ḥullin Kelim Kelim Ketub. Ketubbot Mak. Makkot Menaḥ. Menaḥot Moʾed Qaṭ. Moʾed Qaṭan Ned. Nedarim Nid. Niddah ʾOhal. ʾOhalot Parah Parah Peʾah Peʾah Pesaḥ. Pesaḥim Qidd. Qiddušin Šabb. Šabbat Sanh. Sanhedrin Šeb. Šebiʿit Šeqal. Šeqalim Soṭah Soṭah Sukkah Sukkah Taʿan. Taʿanit Tamid Tamid Ṭehar. Ṭeharot Yad. Yadaim Yebam. Yebamot Zebaḥ. Zebaḥim Other Rabbinic Works Mek. Mekilta Rab. Rabbah (+ biblical book) Sipra Sipra 16 Johannine Theology Apostolic Fathers Barn. Barnabas 2 Clem. 2 Clement Did. Didache Herm. Sim. Shepherd of Hermas, Similitude Ign. Smyrn. Ignatius, To the Smyrnaeans Ign. Trall. Ignatius, To the Trallians New Testament Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha Prot. Jas. Protevangelium of James Greek and Latin Works Aristotle Eth. nic. Ethica nichomachea (Nichomachean Ethics) Pol. Politica (Politics) Augustine Corrept. De correptione et gratia (Admonition and Grace) Grat. De gratia et libero arbitrio (Grace and Free Will) Praed. De praedestinatione sanctorum (The Predestination of the Saints) Tract. Ev. Jo. In Evangelium Johannis tractatus (Tractates on the Gospel of John) Trin. De Trinitate (On the Trinity) Clement of Alexandria Quis div. Quis dives salvetur (Salvation of the Rich) Strom. Stromata (Miscellanies) Cyril of Alexandria Comm. Jo. Commentarium in Evangelium Johannes (Commentary on the Gospel of John) Epiphanius Pan. Panarion (Adversus haereses) (Refutation of All Heresies) Eusebius Hist. eccl. Historia ecclesiastica (Ecclesiastical History) Hippolytus Trad. ap. Traditio apostolica (Apostolic Tradition) Abbreviations 17 Irenaeus Haer. Adversus haereses (Against Heresies) Jerome Vir. ill. De viris illustribus Josephus Ag. Ap. Against Apion Ant. Jewish Antiquities J.W. Jewish War Life The Life Justin 1 Apol. Apologia i (First Apology) Dial. Dialogus cum Tryphone (Dialogue with Trypho) Juvenal Sat. Satirae (Satires) Minucius Felix Oct. Octavius Philo Abr. De Abrahamo (On the Life of Abraham) Agr. De agricultura (On Agriculture) Alleg. Interp. Legum allegoriae (Allegorical Interpretation) Cher. De cherubim (On the Cherubim) Conf. De confusione linguarum (On the Confusion of Tongues) Congr. De congressu eruditionis gratia (On the Preliminary Studies) Decal. De decalogo (On the Decalogue) Det. Quod deterius potiori insidari soleat (That the Worse At- tacks the Better) Deus Quod Deus sit immutabilis (That God Is Unchangeable) Ebr. De ebriatate (On Drunkenness) Fug. De fuga et inventione (On Flight and Finding) Her. Quis rerum divinarum heres sit (Who Is the Heir?) Legat. Legatio ad Gaium (On the Embassy to Gaius) Migr. De migratione Abrahami (On the Migration of Abraham) Mos. De vita Mosis (On the Life of Moses) Mut.