BreakingBreadWhat did / does eating flesh mean?

Clare PrioryJuly 2013

Kieran J. O’Mahony OSA

Question

5 accounts of the Last Supper

Four Gospels

1 Corinthians

4 accounts of the Lord’s Supper

Mt, Mk, Lk and Paul

Why the omission in John?

Sequence

Presuppositions

John 6

(Next presentation: John 13)

Presuppositions

Biography and epitome

The Easter faith

The Gospels resemble each other

John is different

Presuppositions

The four Gospels

Kind of writing?

In the light of the resurrection

Synoptic Gospels

John is “different”

Presuppositions

Date? ! ! Around 95 or 100 AD

Place? ! ! Probably originally Syria and then later Asia ! ! ! Minor

Author? !! An anonymous early Christian spiritual master, ! ! ! working within a tradition

Structure?! Broadly into chas 1-12 and 13-21; the cycle of ! ! ! feasts is important

Style? ! ! One to one encounters; long speeches; very ! ! ! intratextual

Purpose? ! Christology; see John 20:31

John 6

A discrete unit within the Gospel

A traditional catena (see next slide)

A Johannine “make-over”

A rabbinic, early Christian homily

Discrete unity

John 5: Sabbath, Jerusalem

John 6: Passover, Capernaum

John 7: Succoth, Jerusalem

Traditional catena

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! John! ! Mark

Multiplication for 5000! ! ! ! 6:1-15! ! 6:30-34

Walking on the sea! ! ! ! ! 6:16-24! ! 6:45-54

Skip to what follows in

Mark after the second multiplication

Request for a sign! ! ! ! ! 6:25-34! ! 8:11-13

Remarks on bread! ! ! ! ! 6:35-59! ! 8:14-21

Faith of Peter! ! ! ! ! ! 6:60-69! ! 8:27-30

Passion theme, betrayal! ! ! ! 6:70-71! ! 8:31-33

Johannine make-overPassover: 6:4

Bread / loaves: 6:5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 23, 26, 31-35, 41, 48, 50-51, 58

To eat (i): 6:5, 23, 26, 31, 49-53, 58

Fish: 6:9, 11

Take: 6:7, 11

Give thanks: 6:11, 23

Distribute: 6:11

Recline: 6:11

Fragments: 6:12, 13

To eat (ii): 6;13

To give: 6:27, 31-34, 37, 39, 51-52, 65

To murmur: 6;41, 43, 61

Flesh: 6:51-56, 63

Blood: 6:53-56

To drink (i): 6:53-54, 65

To eat (iii): 6:54, 56-58

Food: 6:27-55

Drink (ii): 6;55

Betray/hand over: 6:64, 71

The Sign of the Bread! 6:1-15! ! “This is the prophet” / King

Walking on the Water! 6:16-25! ! “It is I”

Seeking! ! ! ! 6:25-34! ! “Son of Man”

Discourse Part I! ! 6:35-47! ! “I am the bread of life”

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Is not this Joseph’s son?

Discourse Part II! ! 6:48-58! ! “I am the bread of life, come down from ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! heaven”

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! How can we eat this man’s flesh

Dialogue! ! ! ! 6:59-71! ! Holy one of God! !

Johannine make-over

John 6:2 A large crowd kept following him, 3 Jesus went up the mountain. 14 “This is indeed the prophet.” 15   (They) were about to take him by force to make him king. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 24 (They) went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. 26 Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 (Work for) for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 40 This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.” 42 They were

saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph?”. 44 No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. (T)he bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 65 And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.” 67 So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Johannine make-over

The theological centre is:

John 6:29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

The theological climax is:

John 6:68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Johannine make-over

Rabbinic homily(i) Homilies are in a midrashic (ruminating, paraphrasing, updating) style.

(ii) Homilies make use of a main quotation in two parts; these are dealt with in sequence, with the first part of the quotation under consideration in the first part of the homily and the second part of the quotation in the second part of the homily.

(iii) As is often the case, the beginnings and the endings of homilies resemble each other.

(iv) In this style of homily, a further perspective is given by the use of subsidiary quotation from elsewhere in the Bible.

Rabbinic homily(i) In verses 31-59, we have an early Christian homily, in a recognisably midrashic form, combining text, paraphrase and haggadic material: John 6:33, 50, 41, 51, 58, 38, 42.

(ii) The main quotation is taken from Exodus 16:4

Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not.

Texts also echoed are these:

Ex 16:15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.

Ex 16:2 The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.

Rabbinic homily(iii) The beginning and the end do, in fact, echo each other:

John 6:31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

John 6:58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

(iv) The subsidiary citation, in 6:45, is from Is 54:13:

Isa 54:13 ! All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the prosperity of your children.

Finally, the suspicion that here we have a homily is surely confirmed by v.59:

John 6:59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

John 6

Believe John 6:29–30, 35–36, 40, 47, 64, 69

Person Pronoun 1st person: x40

Each segment ends on the identity and role of Jesus

Flesh and body

Flesh in the Fourth Gospel: 1:13-14; 3:6; 6:51-56; 8:15; 17:2

The person of Jesus under the aspect of his humanity (incarnation) and mortality (death)

Body = the body of Jesus, both dead and risen (2:21; 19:31, 38, 40; 20:12

We may say

The community definitely celebrated the Lord’s Supper

John 6: full of Eucharistic vocabulary

Nevertheless, the refocus is Christology, on the person of Jesus

Eucharistic wordsJohn 6:4 Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 23 Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 48 I am the bread of life. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell

you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 64 But among you there are some who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. 71 He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for he, though one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

Eucharistic wordsJohn 6:52   The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.

56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” 59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

Eucharistic wordsCrass misunderstanding as a teaching technique

When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” (John 2:9–10)

The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body. (John 2:20–21)

Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” (John 3:4)

The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” (John 4:15)

Eucharistic words

The technique is at work here

Eating and drinking at not meant literally

It is all at another level

(Even though these words, taken out of context, have been used to support a physicalist reading of transubstantiation)

Eucharistic words

Eating and drinking: a metaphor for salvation

Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. (Isaiah 55:1)

“Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Lay aside immaturity, and live, and walk in the way of insight.” (Proverbs 9:5–6)

Eucharistic words

Jesus is wisdom incarnate (1:1-14)

He gives himself as living water: Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10)

He gives himself as living bread: Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35)

Eucharistic wordsThe shock of the blood:

If anyone of the house of Israel or of the aliens who reside among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood, and will cut that person off from the people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood; and I have given it to you for making atonement for your lives on the altar; for, as life, it is the blood that makes atonement. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel: No person among you shall eat blood, nor shall any alien who resides among you eat blood. And anyone of the people of Israel, or of the aliens who reside among them, who hunts down an animal or bird that may be eaten shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth.

For the life of every creature—its blood is its life; therefore I have said to the people of Israel: You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off. (Leviticus 17:10–14)

Therefore I have reached the decision that we should not trouble those Gentiles who are turning to God, but we should write to them to abstain only from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from whatever has been strangled and from blood. (Acts 15:19–20)

Eucharistic wordsThe symbol of the blood

Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) (John 19:34–35)

If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1John 1:6–7)

If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1John 1:6–7)

Augustine

12. “They said therefore to Him, What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” For He had said to them, “Labour not for the meat which perishes, but for that which endurs until eternal life.” “What shall we do?” they ask; by observing what, shall we be able to fulfill this precept? “Jesus answered

and said to them, This is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He has sent.” This is then to eat the meat, not that which perishes, but that which endurs unto eternal life. To what purpose do you make ready teeth and stomach? Believe, and you have eaten already.

Jo. ev. tr. 25.12

Summary

John 6 is chiefly about Jesus himself

Each episode focuses on his identity, as the final episode makes clear

There is also a eucharistic level, as the vocabulary used makes clear

Was Jn 6 written for a community where the eucharist is indeed practised but faith in Jesus is actually weak?

Discussion