Notes on the Cana story (John 2:1–11) Gildas Hamel May 28, 2021 Brouillon Contents 1 Draft ideas ................................................. 4 2 Summary of literature ........................................... 4 3 Review of literature on John ....................................... 5 Unknown recent writer .......................................... 6 Anderson, Paul .............................................. 6 Ashton .................................................. 7 Barrett ................................................... 8 Beutler .................................................. 9 Brodie ................................................... 9 Bruner ................................................... 10 Claussen .................................................. 10 Collins ................................................... 11 Coloe ................................................... 11 Culpepper ................................................. 12 Dietzfelbinger ............................................... 14 Drewermann ............................................... 15 Fehribach ................................................. 15 Geyser ................................................... 17 Girard ................................................... 18 Haenchen ................................................. 18 Hengel .................................................. 18 Johnson, Luke ............................................... 19 Köstenberger ............................................... 20 Koester .................................................. 20 Lindars .................................................. 20 Lütgehetmann .............................................. 23 Martyn .................................................. 23 Meier ................................................... 23 Michaels .................................................. 25 Neyrey .................................................. 26 O’Day ................................................... 26 Pérez Fernández .............................................. 26 Reinhartz ................................................. 26 Sanders .................................................. 27 Schnackenburg .............................................. 27 Schnelle ..................................................Brouillon 28 Sheridan .................................................. 29 Siegert ................................................... 29 Smit .................................................... 30 Söding ................................................... 31 Theobald ................................................. 31 Thyen ................................................... 32 Von Wahlde ................................................ 32 Weinrich .................................................. 35 Wengst .................................................. 35 1 Zumstein ................................................. 36 4 Dionysus ................................................. 36 Förster ................................................... 39 5 The Jews in John ............................................. 40 6 Qumran and John ............................................. 41 Purification and the Jews ......................................... 42 7 Dualism .................................................. 42 Messiah .................................................. 43 8 Editions .................................................. 43 9 Mother and Jesus ............................................. 44 Mother at the foot of the cross ...................................... 45 10 Servants .................................................. 46 11 Sacraments in John ............................................ 46 12 Number symbolism ............................................ 46 13 Notes on stone vessels ........................................... 47 Technical side ............................................... 48 Finds on Mt Scopus ............................................ 48 Stone vessel industry ........................................... 49 Use of large jars .............................................. 51 Meaning of stone vessels? ......................................... 52 53 .............................................. תואוקמ :Parallel 14 The steward of the feast .......................................... 53 15 Temple episode .............................................. 53 Migdal synagogue ............................................. 54 16 Wine and vinegar ............................................. 54 Böhm ................................................... 54 My notes ................................................. 54 17 The piercing ................................................ 56 18 Historicity ................................................. 57 19 Conclusion ................................................ 57 20 Notes on Dodd’s commentary ...................................... 58 21 Notes on Origen ............................................. 58 References Brouillon 59 2 Brouillon Figure 1: 14th c. mosaic, Chora Church, Constantinople 3 1 Draft ideas c) the inclusio, John 19:35; d) placement of temple episode; These are notes taken while working on Six stone jars, a pa- e) literary structure of gospel, and sacramental the- per on this detail in John 2:6. I share them in the hope that ology. summaries of the scholarship and the bibliography might be useful to research. The outline of my paper was as follows: En résumé: l’idée a trait au petit détail des six jarres de pierre. Pourquoi pas sept, chez un auteur qui donne peu 1. state the problem posed by the mention of six stone de détails matériels à moins qu’ils ne soient symboliques? jars, the volume involved, the reason for number, ma- Bien des exégètes symbolisent donc le “six”, souvent dans terial, and volume, as well as for the comment that fol- une direction qui est anti-judaïque. Je pense que l’auteur lows. What is really the difficulty? The paper focusses veut nous amener à découvrir qu’il y a en fait sept jarres dans on the number and on the material: why six and not l’histoire, la septième étant le corps de Jésus. C’est probable- seven? Compare the Hebrew Bible. ment la raison principale que le passage sur les noces est suivi 2. then, summarize the approaches of the problem and de l’épisode au temple. C’est sûrement pourquoi le corps de the various interpretations given in modern and an- Jésus est transpercé au chapitre 19 (mais la tradition textuelle cient commentators: hésite et ne dit plus: mis en perce) et que le sang et l’eau y coulent dans le sens inverse de Cana (eau et vin). Le tra- a) modern interpretations: difficulty of the prob- vail de découverte et d’approfondissement que l’auteur offre lem, when or if it is perceived (examples of its be- à l’audience est déclenché par cette absence. ing swept away). It is given various solutions: dis- missed or explained as: i. calendar speculation (number), on which 2 Summary of literature one can already see the efforts of Origen and In regard to whether the six jars pose a problem, and whether Augustine; it has a solution (other pbs are: the displacement of the tem- ii. in the context of tense relations with Jewish ple episode; comments on 19:34–35; and finally the sacra- authorities: as fullfillment, etc. mentary issue), here is a summary of the positions taken by b) ancient interpretations: various meanings af- previous commentators: fixed to this detail of the story. Brouillon (1) there is a problem, but no easy solution.¹ 3. The difficulty is resolved if the body of Jesus is takento (2) no attention paid to the particular problem.² be a hidden seventh jar. This paper then explains the mention of six jars, the volume, and the note on purifi- ¹Bultmann; C. K. Barrett, The Gospel according to St John: an in- troduction with commentary and notes on the Greek text, 2nd ed. (Lon- cation in light of the metaphor of Jesus as container or don: SPCK, 1978), 191; (drawing on Barrett, and fairly typical): L. Mor- crucible; What was the author’s intention? ris, The Gospel according to John (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Pub- lishing Co, 1995), 160–62, who notes the number, the fact that seven a) The stone jars, their aspect, especially volume meant perfection in Judaism, and the symbolic explanations given by question: commentators, among which the imperfection of Judaism. Continues i. Distribution (literature on the question); with this important (typical) objection: “the narrative contains nothing that would symbolize completeness, which would surely be required to ii. relationship of this artefact to the temple? correspond to the incomplete. Jesus does not create or produce a seventh What can one say regarding the use of pot.” Schnackenburg; Brown; stone? Lindars; Moloney; B. M. Newman and E. A. Nida, A handbook on iii. volume of jar and human body; the Gospel of John (New York: United Bible Societies, 1980), 59 (for trans- lators): notes in passing that some scholars interpret six as meaning the iv. fullness aspect; imperfection of Judaism, but that this is not clear and unimportant for b) Jesus’ body as seventh container: cf. well, translation proper. pointed at by absence and lack of visibility (point ²R. H. Lightfoot, St. John’s Gospel; a commentary, ed. C. F. of gospel: absent father, absent-to-be son of Evans (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1956), 100–2; T. L. Brodie, The Gospel according to John; a literary and theological commentary (New man, spirit only present); Container/spring,