John among the Apocalypses: Jewish Apocalyptic Tradition and the 'Apocalyptic' Gospel

Description

The Gospel of John has long been recognized as being distinct from the Synoptic Gospels. John among the Apocalypses explains John's distinctive narrative of Jesus's life by comparing it to Jewish apocalypses and highlighting the central place of revelation in the Gospel. While some scholars have noted a connection between the Gospel of John and Jewish apocalypses, Reynolds makes the first extensive comparison of the Gospel with the standard definition of the apocalypse genre. Engaging with modern genre theory, this comparison indicates surprising similarities of form, content, and function between John's Gospel and Jewish apocalypses. Even though the Gospel of John reflects similarities with the genre of apocalypse, John is not an apocalypse, but in genre theory terms, John may be described as a gospel in kind and an apocalypse in mode. John's narrative of Jesus's life has been qualified and shaped by the genre of apocalypse, such that it may be called an 'apocalyptic' gospel. In the final two chapters, Reynolds explores the implications of this conclusion for Johannine Studies and New Testament scholarship more broadly. John among the Apocalypses considers how viewing the Fourth Gospel as apocalyptic Gospel aids in the interpretation of John's appeal to Israel's Scriptures and Mosaic authority, and examines the Gospel's relationship with the book of Revelation and the history of reception concerning their writing. An examination of Byzantine iconographic traditions highlights how reception history may offer a possible explanation for reading John as apocalyptic Gospel. Cover John among the Apocalypses: Jewish Apocalyptic Tradition and the “Apocalyptic” Gospel Copyright Dedication Acknowledgments Contents List of Illustrations List of Abbreviations Introduction Revelation in the Gospel of John Defining “Revelation” Evidence of Revelation in John The Background of John’s Revelation Chapter 1: Genre, “Apocalypse,” and the Gospel of John Genre Theory The Genre of “Apocalypse” The Gospel of John among the Apocalypses Chapter 2: The Manner of Revelation in Jewish Apocalypses and John “Revelatory Literature with a Narrative Framework” The Medium of Revelation (1) in Jewish Apocalypses Visual Revelation (1.1) Auditory Revelation (1.2) Otherworldly Journeys (1.3) and Writing (1.4) The Medium of Revelation in John’s Gospel Visual Revelation (1.1) in John Auditory Revelation (1.2) in John Otherworldly Journeys (3) and Writing (4) in John Revelation Mediated by an Otherworldly Mediator (2) in Jewish Apocalypses God as Otherworldly Mediator Revelation Mediated by an Otherworldly Mediator in John Revelation Mediated to a Human Recipient (3) Revelation Mediated to Human Recipients in John Conclusion Chapter 3: The Content of Revelation in Jewish Apocalypses and John Content: A Transcendent Reality that is Temporal Protology (4) Reviews of History (5) Present Salvation through Knowledge (6) Eschatological Crisis (7) Eschatological Judgment (8) Eschatological Salvation (9) John, Eschatology, and Time Summary Content: A Transcendent Reality That Is Spatial Otherworldly Elements (10) Conclusion Chapter 4: The Function of Revelation in Jewish Apocalypses and John Introduction Function and the Semeia 14 Definition of “Apocalypse” The Function of Revelation Intended to Interpret Present, Earthly Circumstances in Light of the Supernatural World and of the Future The Gospel of John and Interpreting Present, Earthly Circumstances Intended to Influence both the Understanding and Behavior of the Audience by Means of Divine Authority The Gospel of John and Influencing Understanding and Behavior Summary Paraenesis (11) and Concluding Elements (12, 13) Paraenesis (11) Instructions to the Recipient (12) Narrative Conclusion (13) Conclusion Chapter 5: John’s Gospel as “Apocalyptic” Gospel John and the Genre of “Apocalypse” Why John Is Not an Apocalypse Differences in the Medium of Revelation (1): Visual Revelation (1.1) Differences in the Otherworldly Mediator (2) Jesus as Human Being Jesus as One with God Jesus as Content of the Revelation Christ as Mediator in Christian Apocalypses Differences in the Human Recipient (3) Summary An Apocalypse “in Reverse, Upside Down, Inside Out”? The Gospel of John as “Apocalyptic” Gospel John as Gospel John as “Apocalyptic” Gospel Conclusion Chapter 6: Interpreting the “Apocalyptic” Gospel with Jewish Apocalypses The Torah in Jewish Apocalypses and the Gospel of John Jewish Apocalypses and the Torah The “Apocalyptic” Gospel and the Torah Further Interpretation of John with Jewish Apocalypses Conclusion Chapter 7: The “Apocalyptic” Gospel and the Apocalypse of John John and the Book of Revelation: The Elephant in the Room Similar but Not Similar: Vocabulary, Phrases, and Themes Vocabulary Word Combinations and Syntax Theological Themes Stylistic Variations and the “kleine Worte” Summary Reception History and the “Apocalyptic” Gospel The Chronological Priority of Revelation The Apocalyptic Revelation of the Gospel Conclusion Conclusion Appendix A: The Jewish Apocalypses* Appendix B: The Jewish Apocalypses and the Gospel of John References Index of Authors Index of Ancient Sources General Index