The Figure of Abraham in John 8: Text and Intertext

Description

In the Gospel of John, the character of Jesus repeatedly comes into conflict with a group pejoratively designated as ‘the Jews'. In chapter 8 of the Gospel this conflict could be said to reach a head, with Jesus labeling the Jews as children ‘of the devil' (8:44) - a verse often cited as epitomizing early Christian anti-Judaism. Using methods derived from modern and post-modern literary criticism Ruth Sheridan examines textual allusions to the biblical figures of Cain and Abraham in John 8:1-59. She pays particular attention to how these allusions give shape to the Gospel's alleged and infamous anti-Judaism (exemplified in John 8:44). Moreover, the book uniquely studies the subsequent reception in the Patristic and Rabbinic literature, not only of John 8, but also of the figures of Cain and Abraham. It shows how these figures are linked in Christian and Jewish imagination in the formative centuries in which the two religions came into definition. Title Page Copyright Page Contents Acknowledgements Abbreviations Chapter 1: Introduction The range of Abraham’s post-biblical ‘afterlives’ Abraham in the Gospel of John: A survey of the secondary literature Full-length studies: Horatio Lona and Tineke de Lange Shorter studies on Abraham in John 8 Shorter studies: Abraham in the narrative and communalworlds of John 8 Shorter studies: Abraham and intertextuality Focused studies: The ‘seed of Abraham’ in John 8.31-34 Focused studies: The ‘works of Abraham’ (8.39-47) Focused studies: Abraham saw and rejoiced (John 8.56-58) Summary and ways forward The purpose of this book: Outline and argument Chapter 2: Theoretical foundations: Intertextuality Introduction Reflecting on comparative reasoning in textual analysis Intertextuality Roland Barthes’s theorization of intertextuality Textual analysis Writerly and readerly texts Application to the Gospel of John Chapter 3: John 8.31-59: Structure, setting, text Introduction The problem of the textual addressees: Ch. 8 vv. 30 and 31 A tripartite structure for ch. 8 vv. 31-59 The unity and thematic coherence of John 7.1–8.59 Origins Knowledge and belief Judgement Testimony Scripting the Sukkot intertext Determining the festival setting of John 7–8 Sukkot as cultural code and intertext The Torah The prophets The writings Pseudepigrapha Philo and Josephus Rabbinic literature Chapter 4: Seed of Abraham, slavery and sin (John 8.31-36) Introduction Part 1: Scripting the intertextual field The Hebrew Bible The Abraham Cycle: Gen. 12.1-9; 13.14-16; 15.1-20; 17.1-27; 21.8-14; 22.15-19 Texts outside the Abraham Cycle: Gen. 26.1-5; 26.23-24b;28.4-5, 13-15; 35.11-12 Other texts from the Torah Josh. 24.2-3 Isa. 41.8 Jer. 33.26 Psalm 105.6-12 (MT)/104.6-12 (LXX) 2 Chronicles 20.7 Post-biblical apocrypha and pseudepigrapha Theme 1: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob help their ‘seed’ Theme 2: Abraham as exemplar to his seed Dead Sea Scrolls Josephus Philo The New Testament Galatians Romans 4.13, 16; 9.7-8 2 Cor. 11.22 Luke 1.55 Acts 3.25 Hebrews 2.16; 11.18 Tannaitic rabbinic literature The seed of Abraham Abraham’s ‘children’, ‘sons’ and ‘disciples’ Part 2: The Johannine context Servanthood/slavery Sin Part 3: Reading John 8.31-36 intertextually Chapter 5: The works of Abraham (John 8.39-40 (37-48)) Introduction Part 1: Scripting the intertextual field Works as human behaviour in the Hebrew Bible Apocryphal and pseudepigraphical literature Josephus and Philo The Dead Sea Scrolls The New Testament ‘According to works’: Judgement ‘According to works’: Justification Rom. 4.4-9 Rom. 9.11-12, 30-32 James and Hebrews Excursus 1: ‘Works of the Law’ Excursus 2: Abraham as Torah observant Tannaitic rabbinic literature Part 2: The Johannine context Works as signs and testimony Works and binary dualism ‘Work the works of God’ Part 3: Reading John 8.39-41 intertextually Chapter 6: Abraham sees and rejoices: John 8.48-59 Introduction Part 1: Scripting the intertextual field The Hebrew Bible Abraham’s dream (Gen. 15.12) Abraham’s laughter (Gen. 17.17) Abraham’s visitors at the Oaks of Mamre (Gen. 18.1-15) Abraham’s intercession (Gen. 18.16-33) Apocryphal and pseudepigraphical literature Abraham as visionary figure Abraham’s joy The New Testament Tannaitic rabbinic literature Abraham as seer Abraham’s joy Not yet fifty years old? Part 2: The Johannine context ‘Joy’ and ‘rejoicing’ in the Gospel of John Seeing and sight in the Gospel of John Part 3: Reading John 8.56-58 intertextually Conclusion Bibliography Primary sources Commentaries Secondary sources Author index Subject index Reference index