The Gospel of John and Christian Theology

569 Pages·2008·29.54 MB·English

by  Richard Bauckham

THE ST. ANDREWS CONFERENCE ON
SCRIPTURE AND THEOLOGY
The disciplines of biblical studies and systematic theology were long considered
natural partners. However, in the modern period, especially in the last few
decades, they have increasingly grown apart. In the process, they have become
so absorbed with their own concerns that they often seem to have lost the means
to effectively communicate with each other. Paradoxically, while these
disciplines have been growing apart, within each there has been increasing
interest in interdisciplinary work with such diverse disciplines as literary studies,
the social sciences, and philosophy.
The reasons why biblical studies and systematic theology have grown apart
are many and varied in nature. In recent years some scholars in both disciplines
have become concerned about it. The St. Andrews Conferences on Scripture and
Theology held every few years at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland,
attempt to bridge the divide between biblical scholars, systematic theologians,
and other scholars concerned to read Scripture theologically. This is not done
through hermeneutical or methodological quick fixes. Rather, it is done through
sustained and patient discussion between scholars from both sides of the
disciplinary divide as they together grapple to understand the Scriptures of the
Christian Church and their theological implications. This volume contains papers
from one of these conferences whose contents will generate fruitful discussion
and revitalize the natural partnership between the two disciplines.
THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
AND CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY
Edited by
Richard Bauckham and Carl Mosser

Contents
CONTRIBUTORS viii
Introduction x
Richard Bauckham
JOHN AND OUR PLURALIST CONTEXT
Johannine Dualism and Contemporary Pluralism 3
Stephen C. Barton
Johannine Dualism and Contemporary Pluralism 19
Miroslav Volf
THOSE WHO HAVE READ JOHN BEFORE US
Christianizing Divine Aseity: Irenaeus Reads John 53
D. Jeffrey Bingham
Anglican Approaches to St. John's Gospel 68
Rowan Williams
Glory or Persecution: The God of the Gospel of John in the History of
Interpretation 82
Tord Larsson
HISTORY AND TESTIMONY IN JOHN
The Historical Reliability of John's Gospel: From What Perspective Should It Be
Assessed? 91
C. Stephen Evans
The Fourth Gospel as the Testimony of the Beloved Disciple 120
Richard Bauckham
JOHN AND "THE JEWS"
Bridging the Gap: How Might the Fourth Gospel Help Us Cope with the Legacy
of Christianity's Exclusive Claim over Against Judaism? 143
Stephen Motyer
Anti-Judaism, the Jews, and the Worlds of the Fourth Gospel 168
Judith Lieu
"The Jews Who Had Believed in Him" (John 8:31) and the Motif of Apostasy in
the Gospel of John 183
Terry Griffith
"The Father of Lies," "the Mother of Lies," and the Death of Jesus (John 12:20-
33) 193
Sigve K. Tonstad
PERSPECTIVES ON THE RAISING OF LAZARUS
The Lazarus Story: A Literary Perspective 211
Andrew T. Lincoln
The Raising of Lazarus in John n: A Theological Reading 233
Marianne Meye Thompson
The Lazarus Narrative, Theological History, and Historical Probability 245
Alan J. Torrance
CHRISTOLOGY
The Prologue of the Gospel of John as the Gateway to Christological Truth 265
Martin Hengel
The Testimony of Works in the Christology of John's Gospel 295
Murray Rae
On Guessing Points and Naming Stars: Epistemological Origins of John's
Christological Tensions 311
Paul N. Anderson
Narrative Docetism: Christology and Storytelling in the Gospel of John 346
Kasper Bro Larsen
USING JOHN IN THE THEOLOGICAL TASK TODAY
"The Truth Will Set You Free": Salvation as Revelation 359
Anastasia Scrutton
God in the World-the World in God: Perichoresis in Trinity and Eschatology 369
Jurgen Moltmann
INDEX OF ANCIENT PERSONS 382
INDEX OF MODERN AUTHORS 384
INDEX OF PLACE NAMES 390
INDEX OF SCRIPTURES AND OTHER ANCIENT WRITINGS 391
Contributors
Paul N. Anderson is Professor of Biblical and Quaker Studies at George Fox
University.
Stephen C. Barton is Reader in New Testament at Durham University and a non-
stipendiary minister at St. John's Church, Neville's Cross, Durham.
Richard Bauckham is Professor of New Testament Studies and Bishop Wardlaw
Professor at the University of St. Andrews.
D. Jeffrey Bingham is Chair and Professor of Theological Studies at Dallas
Theological Seminary.
C. Stephen Evans is University Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at
Baylor University.
Terry Griffith is Pastor of Trinity Baptist Church, Bexleyheath, England, and
Associate Research Fellow at Spurgeon's College.
Martin Hengel is Emeritus Professor of New Testament and Early Judaism at the
University of Tubingen.
Kasper Bro Larsen is Assistant Professor of New Testament Studies at the
University of Aarhus.
Tord Larsson is Visiting Lecturer, University of Uppsala, Sweden.
Judith Lieu is Lady Margaret's Professor of Divinity, University of Cambridge.
Andrew T. Lincoln is Portland Professor of New Testament, University of
Gloucestershire.
Jurgen Moltmann is Emeritus Professor of Systematic Theology at the
University of Tubingen.