THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO LIBRARY ? ./ ^njCAG-O JK* A ::::::. THE FOURTH GOSPEI;?'" "' INTERPRETED IN ITS RELATION TO CONTEMPORANEOUS RELIGIOUS CURRENTS IN PALESTINE AND THE HELLENISTIC-ORIENTAL WORLD BY HUGO ODEBERG B. D., Ph. D. Appointed Lecturer in Exegesis in tlie University of Upsala. UPPSALA OCH STOCKHOLM ALMQVIST & 'WIKSELLS BOKTRYCKERI-A.-B. (i DISTRIBUTION) L -' C , \a } ^'" L " " "' * .. ,- '< : *.,'. ' : : '.'- .*. **: i *.,: *,.: : : . ; : '.* ;" / " -; ;-. "' * ,**''*''*** ' UPPSALA 1929 ALMQVIST & WIKSELLS BOKTRYCKERI-A.-H. To The Most Rev. the Archbishop of Sweden NATHAN SODERBLOM Ph. D., LL. D., D. C. L., M. D., D. Lit., Th. D., D. I). this book is dedicated as a humble token of gratitude PART I THE DISCOURSES OF JOHN 1 19 12 CONTENTS Preface 5 Sources and Literature 7 Abbreviations 32 Jn 1 5i ! 33 225 43 3 5 ff 48 3 13 72 3 H f 99 3 1 6 21 H3 4.7 15 149 4 20 26 169 44 26 !73 43 2 ,34 187 5 1 2 9 <j 190 5 3 47 . 217 Q 26 71 235 7 38 270 7 H39 281 8 1229 286 83059 296 94,5.3941 3IO lOi-iS 313 10 2538 330 119,10 333 H 2 5- 2 6 333 Il4i,42 334 1223-36 334 1244-50 335 PREFACE. The undertaking of the present investigation was suggested to the writer by his teacher, The Rev. Canon G. H. Box, D. D., Professor of Old Testament Studies in the University of London. It has also fallen in with his own inclinations. The subject has been approached by the writer from an angle somewhat different from the usual. During his studies in early Jewish mysticism the writer found a strangely close corres- pondence between the Jewish mystical sources and certain strata of the Mandaean literature, a correspondence that was not restricted to similarity of ideas but included identity of technical terms and expressions. Whereas the early Jewish mysticism, of course, lives within the environment of Rabbinical Judaism, and uses the lang- uage and general phraseology of the latter, with respect to central or constitutive tenets again, it was found to stand on one side with Mandasism as against Rabbinism. To the writer it was obvious that Reitzenstein and Lidzbarski have been right in main- taining a Palestinian or near-Palestinian origin of Mandseism. The case with the Fourth Gospel seemed to the writer to be the same, mutatis mutandis, as with early Jewish mysticism. On the one hand one detects, already at a superficial reading, passages, sentences and words revealing a terminology all but identical with the Rabbinic, on the other hand the import of the Jn-ine utterances thus expressed in the 'Rabbinic' terminology puts us in touch with a sphere of conceptions and ideas wholly removed from Rabbinic ones. ' In his article T/ie Je^visJt Environments of Early Christianity' Professor Box, from his intimate and independent knowledge of Rab- binical literature in all its phases, suggested that the way to find a solution of the problems connected with the ideas and literary docu- ments of early Christianity could only be found through recognizing that re- Rabbinism was not the exclusively aud totally^ dominant ligious sphere of the Jews of Palestine of the first centuries of our era, and hence, that early Christianity should be viewed in 6 Preface relation not only to Rabbinical theology, but also to the many diffe- rent religious currents by the side of Rabbinism. There should scarcely be any doubt but that the present trend of studies, at least of the Fourth Gospel, steadily moves in the direction of the principles laid down by Professor Box. As a fait accompli one may already behold the complete transference from West-Hellenis- tic to Oriental environment of the comparative studies with regard to the Fourth Gospel. The modern writers, with whom, next to his teacher Professor Box, the author finds himself intrinsically best in accord, would per- be Professor Gerhard on one hand l and Professor haps Kittel, , H. H. Schaeder, in view of the position and method of investiga- tion which the latter adopts in his study Der Mensch im Prolog des IV. on the other. author has besides Evangeliuuis^', The derived especial profit from Merx, Grill, Burney, Vacher Burch, Biichsel, Lagrange, Nolloth and Archbishop Bernard. The present study will be fojlowed by (i) a study of Jn 13 20 (2) an investigation of the narrative portions of John and of the Prologue and Epilogue. 1 In Iranische LeJiren in R. Reitzenstein und H. H. Schaeder, Studien z antiken Synkretisvms aus Iran und Greichcnland, " Die P/'obleme des fial. Spdtjitdenttuns etc. Hugo Odeberg, Bjorklinge, Sweden, 1929. Sources and Literature. A. New Testament Text. Editions of Greek New Testament by Eberhard Nestle-Erwin Nestle, I3th edition, von Soden, and A. Souter. The Four Gospels in Syriac Transcribed from the Sinaitic Palimpsest by R. L. Bensly, J. Rendel Harris and F. C. Burkitt with an Introduction by Agnes Smith Lewis. Cambridge 1894. The Old Syriac Gospels or Evangelion da-Mepharreshe edited by Agnes Smith Lewis. London 1910. Evangelion da-Mepharresche, the CureIonian Version of the Four Gospels, edited, collected and arranged by F. C. Burkitt, vol. I Text, vol. II Introduction and Notes. Cam- bridge 1904. jB. New Testament Apocrypha. Novum Testamentum extra canonem receptum, ed. A. Hilgen- feld, 4 voll. 1866 (3rd ed.), 1876-1884. Evangelia Apocrypha*', ed. C. Tischendorf 1876. A eta Apostolorum Apocrypha, ed. R. A. Lipsius and M. Bonnet, I 1891, II i 1898, 112 1903. Zahn, Th., Acta loannis. Erlangen 1880. 2 Wright, W., Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles (in Syriac) vol. Thilo, J. C., Codex apocryphus Novi Testamenti. Leipzig 1832. Budge, E. W., Coptic Apocrypha in the Dialect of Upper Egypt (ed. and transl.). London 1913. Clementine Homilies, ed. Lagarde 1865. Bigg, C., The Clementine Homilies (Studia Biblica ct Eccle- siastica ii pp. 157 193). Oxford 1890. Clementine Recognitions, ed. Gersdorf 1838. James, M. R., The Apocryphal Nezv Testament being the Apo- cryphal Gospels, Acts, Epistles,- and Apocalypses witJi other 8 Sources and Literature Narrations and Fragments, newly translated. Oxford 1924 (2nd impression 1926). (Cited as M. R. James, NT Apocr.} Hennecke, Edgar, Nelitestamentliche ApokrypJien, In Ver- bindung mit Facligelehrten in deutscher Uebersetzung und mit Einleitung Jierausgegeben? Tubingen 1924. C. Apostolic Fathers. Patrum Apostolicomm Opera?, recensuerunt O. Gebhardt, Ad. Harnack, Th. Zahn (editio minor). D. Patristic Texts. In general from 'Migne'. Further: Rauschen, Ger., Florilegium Patristiciim. Fasc. 2. 5. Instini Apologia Duo?, Bonn 1911. E. Gnostic (excluding Mandaean) Sources. Apocryphal Acts vide above under B. Preuschen, Erwin, Zivei Gnostische Hymnen attsgelegt . mit Text und Uebersetsung. Giessen 1904. Hippolytus, EAEFXOS (cited Hippol. Refiti!}, ed. L. Duncker et T. S. Schneidewin, Gottingen 1859. ed. P. Wendland (Hippolytus Werke, III) Leipzig 1916. F. Legge, Philosophumena or tJie Refutation of all Heresies, ' Formerly Attributed to Origen, but Novv to Hippolytus, Bishop and Martyr who Flourished about 220 A . D. Trans- lated from the Text of Cruice by F. Legge. {Translations of Cliristian Literature, Ser, I.) London 1921. Pistis Sophia, neu Jierausgegeben mit Einleitung nebst GriecJii- sclienf und Koptischem Wort- und Namenregister, von D. Dr Carl Schmidt. (Coptica Consilio et Impensis Instituti Rask-Oerstediani Edita, II.) K0benhavn 1925. Schmidt, C., Koptisch- Gnostische Schriften, Erster Band: Die Pistis Sophia Die Beiden Bucher des Jeu Unbekanntes AlfgnostiscJies Werk (Die Griechischen Christlichen Schrift- stellcr der ersten drei JaJirhrmderte, herausgeg. von der Kirchenvater-Commission der koniglichen Preussischen Aka- demie der Wissenschaften). Leipzig 1905. Pistis Ein des dritten , Sophia, gnostiscJies Originahverk JaJirhunderts aus dem KoptiscJien iibersetzt, In neuer Be- arbeitung mit einleitenden Untersuchungen und Indices. Leipzig 1925. Sources and Literature 9 Homer, G., Pistis Sophia, Literally Translatedfrom the Coptic. London 1924. Odes of Solomon. The Odes and Psalms of Solomon, Re- edited for the Governors of the JoJin Ryland Library by E. Rendel Harris and Alphonse Mingana, vol. I Text, vol. II The Translation zuith Introduction and Notes. Man- chester 1920 (cited: Od. Sol.}. Bernhard, J. H., The Odes of Solomon {Texts and Studies iii 3). Cambridge 1912. F. Mandseaii Sources. Petermann, H., Thesaurus s. Liber magntis vulg'o Liber Adami Appellatus opns Mandceorum summi ponderis, descripsit et edidit. 2 torn. Leipzig 1867. Lidzbarski, M., Der Ginza oder der grosse ScJiatz der Man- dder, iibersetzt. Gottingen 1925. Euting, J., Qolasta. Leipzig 1867. Lidzbarski, M., ManddiscJie Liturgien mitgeteilt, iibersetzt mid erkldrt. (AbJiandlungen der koniglicJien Gesellschaft der WissenscJiaften zu Gottingen. PJiilologiscJi-historische Klasse, Berlin Neue Folge, Bd xvii, I.) 1920. Lidzbarski, M., Das manddische JoJiannesbiicli, I Text, II Uebersetzimg. Giessen 1915. Note. The Mandeean sources are cited as follows: 1) Ginza: Ginza Yamina as GR (= Ginza Right) e Ginza S mdld as GL (= Ginza Left). Number of tractate (book) and section of tractate are in- dicated by Roman and Arabic ciphers in italics; page and line in Lidzbarski's translation follow after number of tractate and section; page and line in Petermann's text, preceded by 'Pet.' are put within brackets. GL 12 437 2 lf- 19 lf means: Ginza Thus, (Pet -) S'malu, First Book, second section, page 437 lines 21 f. in Lidzbarski's translation, page 19 line I f. in Petermann's edition. 2) Mandcsan Liturgies: M Li, followed by Qolasta or Oxf. (= Oxford Liturgies) as the case may be, the number of book and liturgical piece in italics, and page and line in Lidzbarski's text. io Sources and Literature follo- 3) Mandcean Book of John (D'rasa d'Yaliya): M'Joh, wed by number of chapter, and page and line in Lidz- barski's text. The Mandasan script of Petermann's TJiesanrns and Lidz- barski's M Joh has all through been transcribed in Hebrew square characters, with the use of the additional and Noldeke's ,~l 1 (= -|).