Notre Dame Seminary Graduate School of Theology

Course Syllabus for SS506 Johannine Literature

Instructor: Dr. Brant Pitre Semester: Spring 2014 Email: [email protected] Time: MW 8:00-9:15 Office Hours: MW 1:30-3:30 or by appt. Classroom #3

I. Course Description The course includes a careful reading of the and the three letters of as well as the . Particular attention is given to recent developments in the questions of authorship, the literary genre of the fourth Gospel, its historical reliability, and Johannine theology. All five books of the Johannine corpus are subjected to detailed study with the aid of advanced commentaries by ancient and modern scholars.

II. Course Goals/Intended Outcomes Envisioned Outcomes: Students will demonstrate familiarity with the historical and theological character of the Fourth Gospel, as well as the historical contexts and theological concepts of the Johannine corpus as a whole. Students will demonstrate competence in exegesis of the figure of in John’s Gospel by means of a research paper. Students will also be able to identify key characteristics of apocalyptic literature and to explain various approaches to the interpretation of the book of Revelation.

III. Course Rationale No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom (Greek kolpos) of the Father; he has made him known. (:18)

When Jesus had thus spoken, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, "Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me." The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was lying close to the bosom (Greek kolpos) of Jesus; so Simon Peter beckoned to him and said, "Tell us who it is of whom he speaks." So lying thus, close to the breast of Jesus, he said to him, "Lord, who is it?" Jesus answered, "It is he to whom I shall give this morsel when I have dipped it." So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Then after the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly." (John 13:21-27)

IV. Instructional Methods 1. Lecture 2. Discussion 3. Question and Answer

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V. Texts: Required 1. Craig Blomberg. The Historical Reliability of John’s Gospel: Issues and a Commentary. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2001. 2. Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI). Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration. San Francisco: Ignatius, 2008. 3. Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI). Jesus of Nazareth: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection. San Francisco: Ignatius, 2011. 4. Joel C. Elowsky. John 1-10. Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2007. 5. Joel C. Elowsky. John 11-21. Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2007. 6. Brant Pitre. Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist. New York: Image, 2011. 7. Michael Barber. Coming Soon: Unlocking the Book of Revelation. Steubenville: Emmaus Road, 2005.

VI. Lecture, Presentation, and Reading Schedule

Jan 13, 15 Introduction Elowsky: John, 1.xix-xxxvii (Introduction) Lüdemann: “” (Handout) Ratzinger: Jesus of Nazareth, 1:218-238

Jan 20, 22 No Class/MLK and March for Life Blomberg: Historical Reliability of John, 15-68

Jan 27, 29 Introduction/John 1 Scripture: John 1 Blomberg: Historical Reliability of John, 69-85 Elowsky: John, (section on John 1) Reading Log #1 Due

Feb 3, 5 John 2-4 Scripture: John 2-4 Blomberg: Historical Reliability of John, 85-108 Hahn: “Temple, Sign, and Sacrament” 107-43 (Handout) Elowsky: John, (section on John 2:1-11) Reading Log #2 Due

Feb 10, 12 John 5-7 Scripture: John 5-7 Pitre: Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, 1-47, 77-115 Blomberg: Historical Reliability of John, 108-140 Reading Log #3 Due

2 Feb 17, 19 John 8-10 Scripture: John 8-10 Blomberg: Historical Reliability of John, 140-164 Ratzinger: Jesus of Nazareth, 1.238-286 Reading Log #4 Due

Feb 24, 26 John 11-13 Scripture: John 11-13 Ratzinger: Jesus of Nazareth, 2.53-75 (Footwashing) Jesus of Nazareth, 2.103-115 (Date of Last Supper) Blomberg: Historical Reliability of John, 164-195 Reading Log #5 Due

Mar 3, 5 Mardi Gras Holiday/Ash Wednesday

Mar 10, 12 John 14-17 Scripture: John 14-17 Blomberg: Historical Reliability of John, 195-227 Ratzinger: Jesus of Nazareth, 2.76-102 (High-Priestly Prayer) Reading Log #6 Due

Mar 17, 19 John 18-19 / (No Class, Formation Workshop Wed) Scripture: John 18-19 Blomberg: Historical Reliability of John, 227-258 Elowsky: John 11-21 (section on John 19:23-42) Reading Log #7 Due

Mar 24, 26 John 20-21 Scripture: John 20-21 Blomberg: Historical Reliability of John, 258-294 Elowsky: John 11-21 (section on John 20:1-31) Reading Log #8 Due

Mar 31, Apr 2 1-3 John and Revelation 1-3 Scripture: 1-3 John Robinson: “Purpose of ” (Handout) Scripture: Revelation 1-3 Barber: Coming Soon, 1-80

Sat Apr 5 Gospel of John Exegesis Paper DUE

Apr 7, 9 Revelation 4-12 Scripture: Revelation 4-12 Barber: Coming Soon, 81-167 Feuillet: “The Messiah and His Mother,” 257-92 (Handout) Reading Log #10 Due

3 Apr 14, 16 No Classes (Holy Week)

Apr 21, 23 No Class (Easter Monday) / Revelation 13-19 Scripture: Revelation 13-19 Barber: Coming Soon, 169-242

Apr 28, 30 Revelation 20-22 Scripture: Revelation 20-22 Barber: Coming Soon, 243-287 Weinrich: “The Millennium” (Handout) Reading Log #11 Due (for both weeks)

May 6-8 Final Examination

VII. Course Requirements 1. Read all assigned readings. 2. Participate in class and maintain good attendance record. 3. Study the notes from class lectures and key texts from assigned readings.

VIII. Important Dates 1. Weekly Reading Logs 2. Research Paper Due Sat Apr 5 3. Final Exam: May 6-8

IX. Evaluation Criteria The student’s final grade is obtained by averaging the total points earned on 10 Reading Logs, a Research Paper, and a Final Exam.

Reading Logs: 100 points (composed of 10 point individual logs) Research Paper: 100 points Final Exam: 100 points Final Grade = 100 + 100 + 100 +100 divided by 3

1. Reading Logs: There will be ten assigned Reading Logs, which must be handed in every week. These logs will consist of three parts: (a) a paragraph verifying that the student has read the material and stating how much of the assigned reading was read; (b) a question asked by the student that arose during the course of reading; (c) a brief paragraph answering a question posed by the professor about the assigned readings (these will be given at the end of the previous class.) (NOTE: Any reading log turned in without the questions will receive no higher than 5 points). Each weekly log will be worth 10 points. At the end of the semester, I will drop the lowest reading-log grade to obtain the total grade. The Reading Logs will be graded as follows:

10 points: All readings read 4 points: More than ¼ readings read 8 points More than 3/4 of readings read 0 poitns: No readings read 6 points: More than 1/2 readings read

4 2. Gospel of John Exegesis Paper: In order to become familiar with the tools of biblical interpretation with specific reference to the Gospel of John, students will select a passage from the Gospel of John for an exegesis paper. This paper will ask interpretive questions of the text and use the tools of biblical studies (commentaries, articles, etc.) to find answers to these questions. The format will be as follows:

 Topic: Students are encouraged to select from one of the passages in the Gospel of John used in Lectionary of the Missal of Paul VI (see James Socias, Daily Roman Missal, 3rd edition, xxxix).

 Format: 10-12 Pages, double-spaced; 12 point font, Times New Roman (main text); 10 point font, Times New Roman (footnotes).

 Documentation: use footnotes to document secondary sources used and parenthetical references to document primary sources (Scripture).

 Contents: Each exegesis paper will ask 3 exegetical questions of the selected passage of Scripture. It will then spend 5-6 pages answering these questions using modern biblical scholarship, and 4-5 pages examining how the text has been interpreted in the living Tradition of the Church.

 Exegesis Section: In part I (5-6 pages), the exegesis paper will draw on secondary literature, in the form of 1-2 Short Commentaries on the Bible (such as the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture or Jerome Biblical Commentary), 3-4 full-length commentaries (such as the Anchor Bible, Sacra Pagina, International Critical Commentary, Hermeneia, etc.) and 1-2 articles (from monographs, scholarly journals, or other forms of scholarship) on the topic (Biblica, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Studies, etc.)

 Living Tradition Section: In part II, (4-5 pages), after an exegetical analysis using modern biblical scholarship, students will then provide a brief overview of how the 3 interpretive questions have been answered and/or how the text has been interpreted in the patristic and medieval periods by witnesses to the living Tradition, as well as by the Magisterium. This section should have recourse to how the passage is interpreted by Church Fathers (see the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Fathers of the Church Series, etc.), Medieval Doctors (commentaries of Saint Thomas Aquinas), and, if appropriate, the Magisterium (e.g., the Catechism of the Catholic Church, papal encyclicals, Denzinger- Schoenmetzer).

 Bibliography Helps: For examples of scholarly publishers and journals, be sure to consult the bibliographies in Brown, Introduction to the New Testament, Blomberg’s bibliography in The Historical Reliability of John’s Gospel, and the bibliography given by me in the Syllabus.  Purpose: the purpose of this paper is to help familiarize the student with the task of researching modern exegesis and the history of biblical interpretation.

5 3. Final Examination: The final exam will test the student’s ability to internalize key concepts and terms in Johannine literature (e.g., Word, spirit, flesh) as well as key scholarly figures (e.g., J. A. T. Robinson, Raymond Brown, etc.) and hypotheses (e.g., date of John and Revelation, purposes of Gospel and Epistles, etc.) The format of the final will be an objective, Fill-in-the-Blank test based on key professional vocabulary terms listed in the syllabus (see below). (NOTE: this list is subject to revision based on class lectures.) The examination will also include 1-2 essays on the key topics in Johannine literature. The goal of the exam is strengthen the student’s memorization and assimilation skills of information that should be available on immediate recall and test written ability of expression in an exam setting.

4. Grades: Grades are distributed and converted into letters as follows: 93 to 100 points = A 75-79 points = C 92 to 90 points = B+ 71-74 points = D + 86 to 89 points = B 68-70 points = D 80 to 85 points = C+ 0-67 points = F

X. Attendance Policy Students are expected to be present for every class, unless an excused absence is sought in advance or an unforeseen event of a grave or singular nature makes attendance impossible. Unexcused absences will cause the final class grade to be lowered by one letter, subject to the Professor’s discretion.

XI. Academic Integrity Students are expected to take full responsibility for their academic formation. They are expected to “respect academic scholarship by giving proper credit to other people’s work, while at the same time preparing well for assigned materials and examinations in such a way that their academic integrity will never be questioned.”

XII. Make-Up Work Students will not be given the opportunity to do additional work or make-up work in order to change their final grade. Make-up work simply changes (and lowers) the standard requirements set forth in the course syllabus and creates a situation that is unfair to all other students who were evaluated according to the syllabus. Extra credit may be offered during the semester; if so, it will be offered to all students equally.

6 XII. Johannine Literature Professional Vocabulary (subject to Revision) Raymond Brown Craig S. Keener John A. T. Robinson Maurice Casey Rudolf Bultmann Richard Bauckham Andre Feuillet Craig Blomberg John the Elder (presbyteros) Flesh Spirit Pharisees monogenes Son of God gune Signs (semeion) anothen Eternal Life Samaritans Judea Galilee The Hour of Jesus Tabernacles Hanukkah The Prophet Rabbi trogo Son of Man The Holy One Diaspora Ioudaioi Calendar Proposal Paschal Proposal Parakletos Glorify Joseph of Arimathea Nicodemus The Beloved Disciple 153 agapao phileo

7 The Seven “I Am” Sayings The Three Witnesses Mortal and Venial Sin (1 John 5) Domitian Nero Five Views of Revelation apokalypsis Seven Churchs of Rev 1-3 Second Death The 144,000 in Rev 7 The 144,000 in Rev 14 Martyres The Woman of Rev 12 The Dragon from the Sea The False Prophet 666 The Whore of Babylon Hallelujah The Millennium Premillennialism Postmillennialism Amillennialism Armageddon Alpha and Omeg

8 XII. Select Johannine Literature Bibliography

Commentaries Aquinas, Thomas. Commentary on the Gospel of John: Chapters 1-21. Daniel Keating, Matthew Levering, Fabian Larcher and James A. Weisheipl. Catholic University of America Press, 2010. Barrett, Charles Kingsley. The Gospel according to St. John: An Introduction with Commentary and Notes on the Greek Text. London: SPCK, 1955; repr. 1958, 1962, 1965; 2nd ed. London: SPCK; Philadelphia: Westminster, 1978 Bernard, J. H. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel according to St. John. 2 vols. International Critical Commentary, 29. Ed. by Alan Hugh McNeile. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1928; repr. 1953, 1969, 1976. Blomberg, Craig L. The Historical Reliability of John's Gospel: Issues and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2001. Brown, Raymond Edward. The Gospel according to John. 2 vols. Anchor Bible, 29-29A. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1966-1970. Brown, Raymond Edward. The Gospel and Epistles of John: A Concise Commentary. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1988. Carson, D. A. The Gospel according to John. Leicester, England: InterVarsity Press, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991; repr. 2000. Chrysostom, Saint John. Commentary on Saint John: The Apostle and Evangelist: Homilies [1-88]. 2 vols. Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1957; repr. 1959, 1969. Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of John: A Commentary. 2 vols. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2003. Köstenberger, Andreas J. John. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the NT. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004. Origen. Commentary on the Gospel according to John. 2 vols. Ed. & trans. by Ronald E. Heine. Washington, DC: Catholic University of America, 1989-1993. Wright, N.T. John for Everyone. 2 vols. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004

Monographs Anderson, Paul N. et al., eds. John, Jesus, and History, Volume 1: Critical Appraisals of Critical Views. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2007. Anderson, Paul N. et al., eds. John, Jesus, and History, Volume 2: Aspects of Historicity in the Fourth Gospel Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2009. Bauckham, Richard. The Testimony of the Beloved Disciple: Narrative, History, and Theology in the Gospel of John. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007. Fortna, Robert T., and Thatcher, Tom, eds. Jesus in Johannine Tradition. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2001. Köstenberger, Andreas J. A Theology of John’s Gospel and Letters: The Word, the Christ, the Son of God. Zondervan: 2009. Köstenberger, Andreas J. Encountering John: The Gospel in Historical, Literary, and Theological Perspective. Encountering Biblical Studies. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000.

9 Montague, George T. The Vision of the Beloved Disciple: Meeting Jesus in the Gospel of John. New York: Alba House, 2000. Thompson, Marianne Meye. The God of the Gospel of John. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001.

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Johannine Literature Reading Log (Example)

Assigned Reading Log

I, (Student Name) hereby declare that I have closely and carefully read, not skimmed, (all / more than half / less than half / none) of the assigned readings for this week. Specifically, I read up to page (page number) in (title of book), in the order assigned on the syllabus.

Student Question about Readings 1. What does Jesus mean when he speaks about “the flesh” being useless? (John 6:62-63) Does he mean his own eucharistic flesh?

IMPORTANT: Questions from the Bible must have chapter and verse references. Questions from secondary literature must have page numbers; any Reading Log turned in without these will receive a zero (“0” / F).

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Johannine Literature Reading Log # (Template)

Assigned Scripture Reading Log

I, ______, hereby declare that I have closely and carefully read, not skimmed, ______of the assigned readings for this week. Specifically, I read up to page ______in ______, in the order assigned on the syllabus.

Student’s Questions about Readings

1.

IMPORTANT: Questions from the Bible must have chapter and verse references; questions from secondary literature must have page numbers; any Reading Log turned in without these will receive a zero (“0” / F)

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