Seton Hall University eRepository @ Seton Hall Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs) Fall 12-2016 The "Lamb of God" Title in John's Gospel: Background, Exegesis, and Major Themes Christiane Shaker [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Shaker, Christiane, "The "Lamb of God" Title in John's Gospel: Background, Exegesis, and Major Themes" (2016). Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs). 2220. https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations/2220 Seton Hall University THE “LAMB OF GOD” TITLE IN JOHN’S GOSPEL: BACKGROUND, EXEGESIS, AND MAJOR THEMES A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN THEOLOGY CONCENTRATION IN BIBLICAL THEOLOGY BY CHRISTIANE SHAKER South Orange, New Jersey October 2016 ©2016 Christiane Shaker Abstract This study focuses on the testimony of John the Baptist—“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” [ἴδε ὁ ἀµνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁµαρτίαν τοῦ κόσµου] (John 1:29, 36)—and its impact on the narrative of the Fourth Gospel. The goal is to provide a deeper understanding of this rich image and its influence on the Gospel. In an attempt to do so, three areas of concentration are explored. First, the most common and accepted views of the background of the “Lamb of God” title in first century Judaism and Christianity are reviewed. An effort is made to determine the intended reference underlying the word “lamb,” whether taken literally or figuratively, and to analyze the title in light of the use of the lamb in the Old Testament Jewish animal sacrifices. The New Testament and Christian first century writings are also examined. Second, the study analyzes the literary structure of John 1, includes an exegesis of John 1:29-34, and discusses the Lamb of God title as well as other titles of Jesus found in the pericope. In addition, this discussion provides an overview of the diverse contributions offered by recent scholars who have examined the “Lamb Of God” title. Their different claims are grounded in the Old Testament theology of sacrificial traditions and in the existence of different Semitic dialects in Palestine in the first century AD. Finally, this study addresses the purpose for which the Evangelist, at the beginning of his Gospel, introduces the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus as lamb and its impact on the rest of the Gospel. The discussion follows the pertinent Passover and Exodus themes, theological motifs, and references to the paschal lamb in relevant passages so to reach a structural conclusion: as a witness to Jesus’ death and resurrection, the beloved disciple John confirms the Baptist’s salvific message and connects Jesus’ activities and discourses with the Passover and Exodus themes. Ultimately, the Evangelist portrays Jesus in the Passion narrative as the true paschal lamb. As an eyewitness, the beloved disciple makes an intertextual correlation with the Passover ritual and the slaughtering of the lamb through his description of the various details concerning the Crucifixion. In summary, the study explains the Lamb of God title and demonstrates how the prophetic testimony of John the Baptist regarding Jesus as the Lamb of God, found at the beginning of the Gospel, is ultimately confirmed and handed on by the eyewitness testimony of the beloved disciple at the end of Gospel. Keywords: Passover, suffering servant, lamb, paschal sacrifice, Son of God, Akedah, scapegoat Acknowledgements Filled with much gratitude to God almighty and to our Lord Jesus Christ for the gift of faith and the perseverance to accomplish this work, I extend my deepest appreciation to the following people for their vital contributions to the realization of this endeavor: Rev. Pablo T. Gadenz, the thesis director, for his precious time, invaluable teaching and constant guidance; the reader of the thesis, Rev. Lawrence E. Frizzell, for his thoughtful feedback and assistance; Rev. Christopher M. Ciccarino, my academic advisor, for his continual support and encouragement; Stella Wilkins, librarian, and Andy Brenycz, librarian assistant at ICSST, for their great help in making the many recommended books available. With love and appreciation, I thank my family, in particular my husband Elhamy for his infinite support of me in bringing this project to fulfillment. May God enlighten us all with the love of the Scriptures to enable us to continue to inspire others with the truth of our faith. Christiane Shaker i Table of Contents Introduction……………………………………………………………………………… 1 Chapter I. Exposition of the Background of the “Lamb of God” Title in First Century Judaism and Christianity …………………………………………………… 4 I. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………… 4 II. The Passover Lamb…………………………………………………………………....... 5 III. The Akedah…………………………………………………………………………….. 9 IV. The Tamid…………………………………………………………………....................15 V. The Scapegoat……………………………………………………………………...........17 VI. The Suffering Servant……………………………………………………......................19 VII. Conclusion………………………………………………………………….................. 22 Chapter II. The Baptist’s Pronouncement “Behold, the Lamb of God”: Interpretations of this Image………………………………………………………….. 23 I. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….23 II. The Ministry of John the Baptist: A Historical Perspective…………….………………. 24 III. The Literary Structure of John 1……………………………………………………….. 26 The Prologue (John 1:1-18) The Testimony of John (John 1:19-34) The Succession of the First Disciples (John 1:36-51) IV. John’s Witness to the People (John 1:29-34)………………………………………...... 30 Lamb of God Baptizer with the Spirit Son [υἱός], the Chosen One [ἐκλεκτός] of God V. Lamb of God Reprise……………………………………………..…………………….. 45 VI. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………... 46 Chapter III. Jesus, “the Paschal Lamb”: Themes and Symbols of Passover and Exodus in John’s Gospel………………………………………….…………………… 47 I. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………… 47 II. The Structure of John’s Gospel…………………………………………………………. 47 The Prologue (John 1:1-18) The Book of Signs (John 1:19–12:50) The Book of Glory (John 13:1–20:31) The Epilogue (John 21:1-25) ii III. Themes of Passover and Exodus……………………………………………….. ........... 49 The Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-12) The Cleansing of the Temple: Jesus is the New Temple (John 2:13-22) Feeding the Multitude: A Prophet Like Moses (John 6:1-15) Walking on the Sea (John 6:16-21) Jesus, the Life-giving Bread from Heaven (John 6:22-71) Jesus, the Source of the Life-giving Water and the Light of the World (John 7:37-44; 8–9) Jesus, the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-42) IV. Jesus the “Lamb of God,” the True Paschal Sacrifice…………………………………. 66 V. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………...…………. 72 Chapter IV. Conclusion……………………………………………………… ……... 73 Bibliography…………….……………………………………………………….. ……... 79 iii Introduction In the beginning of John’s Gospel, the Evangelist purposely introduces the Baptist’s testimony as he refers to Jesus’ first public appearance. After experiencing a theophany, the Baptist prophesies that Jesus is “the Lamb of God” whose mission is to “take away the sin,” not only of Israel, but of “the world” (John 1:29, 36). The Baptist also refers to the preexistence of Jesus (1:30), to his atoning death (1:29), and to his being the Son of God (1:34). The “Lamb of God” is the “Son of God.” The Baptist’s eyewitness account offers a prophetic understanding of Jesus’ mission and identity. As a witness to Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Evangelist believed that Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (1:29). The rest of the Gospel then interprets this image in terms of the Passover. John highlights three celebrations of the Passover in Jesus’ public ministry and reveals Jesus as the true paschal lamb. The Baptist’s prophecy is fulfilled during the lifetime of the Evangelist; the former bore witness (1:32), without seeing fulfillment, while the latter believed because he saw and so bore witness “that you may also believe” (19:35). The crucifixion of Jesus would simply have been another Roman execution. However, in light of Christ’s resurrection, believers in the first century AD understood the salvific nature of the Paschal Mystery, in which Jesus is the sacrificial lamb. The focus of this thesis will center on the testimony of the Baptist—“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” [ἴδε ὁ ἀµνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁµαρτίαν τοῦ κόσµου] (John 1:29, 36)—and its impact on the narrative of the Fourth Gospel. The author believed the words of the Baptist and ultimately portrayed Jesus as the true paschal sacrifice. In an attempt to understand the depth of the meaning of this rich image and its impact on the 1 Gospel, the thesis will probe the Scriptures and other literature of the period while concentrating on three areas. The first chapter will survey the most common and accepted views of the background of the “Lamb of God” title in first century Judaism and Christianity. Notably, this title is complemented by an indication of the lamb’s mission of taking “away the sin of the world,” which provides a possible atoning perspective. Therefore, this analysis will be made in light of the use of the lamb in the Old Testament Jewish animal sacrifices. The later developments in the understanding of some sacrificial traditions as expressed in late Second Temple Jewish literature will be considered. The New Testament and Christian writings of the first century will also be examined. The second chapter will examine the literary structure of John 1 and provide an exegesis of the pericope containing the “Lamb of God” image, considering also its theological implications. The chapter will also include an analysis of the diverse contributions offered by recent scholars who have examined this title in light of the Old Testament theology of sacrificial traditions.