Johannine theology : the gospel, the Epistles and the Apocalypse

501 Pages·2014·3.22 MB·English

by  Rainbow

JOHANNINE
THEOLOGY
THE GOSPEL,
THE EPISTLES
and the
APOCALYPSE
PAUL A. RAINBOW
InterVarsity Press
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©2014 by Paul A. Rainbow
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Interior design: Beth McGill
Images: St. John the Evangelist: St. John the Evangelist at Patmos, from the Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine Triptych
by Hans Memling, at the Memling Museum, Bruges, Belgium. The Bridgeman Art Library
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rainbow, Paul A. (Paul Andrew)
Johannine theology : the gospel, the Epistles and the Apocalypse / Paul A. Rainbow.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8308-4056-4 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Bible. John—Theology. 2. Bible. Epistles of John—Theology. 3. Bible. Revelation—Theology. I. Title.
BS2601.R35 2014
226.5’06—dc23
2014022815
P 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Y 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14
Mentoris acris J. V. Dahms memor

CONTENTS
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
2 The Revelation of God (The Father) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
3 The World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
4 God’s Self-Revelation in Christ’s Person . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
5 God’s Self-Revelation in Christ’s Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
6 The Revelation of the Father in the Son
by the Spirit-Paraclete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
7 The Believer and the True God: Coming to Christ . . . . . . . 273
8 The Believer and the True God: Abiding in Christ . . . . . . 313
9 Disciples of Christ in Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
10 The Community of Christ’s Disciples in the World . . . . . . 399
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421
Index of Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479
Index of Subjects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485
Index of Principal Scripture Passages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495
Praise for Johannine Theology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 498
More Titles from InterVarsity Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499

PREFACE
A
s far as I am aware, this volume is the only English-language textbook
on John’s theology that aims to be both critical and comprehensive. It is critical
in that I have tried to be aware of the basis and extent of our knowledge, given
the problems inherent in the use of ancient human documents. It is compre-
hensive in that it includes all the books of the New Testament ascribed to John:
the Gospel, the three Epistles and the Apocalypse (the book of Revelation).
By no means are Johannine specialists in agreement that sound criticism
allows a comprehensive approach in that sense. Not all believe that John wrote
even one of these books. In mainline scholarship the number of hypothetical
hands that shaped the Gospel alone keeps growing. Some suppose that each of
the three Epistles had a different author, and that the John who wrote the Apoc-
alypse was a fifth (at least!). Even conservative scholars nowadays are less
strident in defending the apostolic authorship of the Apocalypse than were
their predecessors of a previous generation, and some have gone mute. In
harking back to the old solution, I claim no more than to testify to what I myself
see—come what may in reviews.
About the steady, mighty river of learned publications on the Johannine
literature C. K. Barrett spoke with candor for many when he wrote, “Probably
no one has read it all; I know I have not.”1 That was back in 1975, before annual
output more than doubled to what it is today. Selection is imperative. I have
concentrated on works that have proved seminal, become classic or been espe-
cially influential and on journal articles and serial monographs since the turn
of the third millennium.
Anyone who delves into the theology of John finds the subject inexhaustible.
1C. K. Barrett, foreword to John: Witness and Theologian, by John Painter (London: SPCK, 1975), p. ix.