steve adair nt 634 isr103 a2

8/13/2019 Steve Adair NT 634 ISR103 A2

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Name: Stephen T. Adair

Student ID Number: 2060329784

Email Address: [email protected]

Course Name: The Gospel o !ohn

Course Number: "T 634 #S$%03

Assignment Number: Assignment 2Audio Number: "&A

Project Number: "&A

Date of seminar (if applicable): "&A

Course instructor for seminar (if applicable):

Location of seminar (if applicable): "&A

!"e #odule Number$ Audio Number (if applicable)$ and Project Number (if

applicable) must be accurate in order to process t"e lesson and record t"e grade% !"e

correct information is stated in t"e Course Stud& 'uide%

Stud& 'uide CodeDate*ersion

found on t"e first page of t"e Stud& 'uide: 200909%0Degree Program: 'A in (i)lical St*dies

Address: +, (o- 2%32

Cit&: 'ossel (a

State: /estern ape

+ip: 6100

Countr&: So*th Arica

!elep"one: 27 44 690 1%33

End of Co,ers"eet

PLEASE !-PE !.E /E01I/E#EN!S 23/ !.IS LESS3N S14#ISSI3N AS

!.E- APPEA/ IN -31/ S!1D- '1IDE .E/E


2/17

Read Kierspel, The Jews and the World in the Fourth Gospel (2006) andwrite a review (including introduction and conclusion) that

a) s!nthesi"es the #oo$%s thesis and &a'or supporting argu&ents(ca 2*0 words)+ and+

#) evaluates strengths and wea$nesses o the thesis and the &a'orargu&ents (ca 2*0 words)

Two Gree$ ter&s re-uentl! used in the #oo$ are ./13/4 and 5784 andthe! &ean 9Jews: and 9world:

#"T$,T#,"

5o"annine portra&al of t"e 5e6s "as fre7uentl& led to t"e accusation of C"ristian anti

Semitism8$ pro,iding fuel for t"e racial persecution of t"e 5e6s t"roug"out "istor&$

culminating 6it" t"e Na9i "olocaust aimed at t"e etermination of t"e 5e6is" race% ;ierspelorld in t"e 2ourt" 'ospel? @$ eplores t"e 2ourt" 'ospel in order

to determine 6"et"er t"ere is an& credibilit& to t"is accusation%

!"is paper sees to re,ie6 ;ierspel


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'ethodolog

Noting t"e fre7uent use of t"e term B BF in t"e 'ospel of 5o"n$ compared 6it" t"e

S&noptic 'ospelsKand ot"er Ne6 !estament 6ritings (see 2igure 8)$ t"e aut"or first re,ie6s

t"e ,arious 6a&s of interpreting t"e term proposed b& leading sc"olars$ including:

Religious Authorities:!"e Aut"or notes t"at since t"e latter "alf of t"e @J t"Centur&$

t"ere "as been a tendenc& to restrict t"e interpretation of 5o"n


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5udea$ citing Lo6e88 as a particularl& strong proponent of t"is ,ie6 8@% .o6e,er$

;ierspel notes t"at a strict spatial restriction of B BF "as 6eanesses as it cannot

ade7uatel& eplain t"e 6ider use of t"e termQ for instance its use in reference to t"ose

li,ing in 'alilee and to t"ose li,ing out6it" 5udea but practicing 5e6is" religious

obser,ance8%

Ethnic-Religious Term: It is furt"er noted t"at B BF could refer to follo6ers of

t"e 5udaism$ 6"et"er 5e6is" or 'entile$ and regardless of t"eir geograp"ical location%

;ierspel notes 5o"n contrasts B BF 6it" bot" t"e Samaritans and t"e /omans$

strongl& suggesting an et"nicreligious nuance to t"e term8K

% .o6e,er$ ;ierspel also

notes t"at B BF is used in contrast to t"e follo6ers of 5o"n t"e 4aptist and notes a

separation or distance bet6een t"e B BF and 5esus 8M%

Fellow Christians: ;ierspel notes a minorit& ,ie6 6"ic" associates some

occurrences of t"at B BF 6it" 5e6is" C"ristians 8% !"ese occurrences are said to

be indicati,e of disagreement 6it"in t"e c"urc"% ;ierspel concludes t"at t"ere is

insufficient e,idence to support t"is interpretation%

Religious Term without Empirical Reference: 4ultmann proposed a t"eological

interpretation of B BF 8$associating t"e term 6it" t"e unbelie,ing 6orld$ rat"er

t"an a real and distinct group of people% 'rRsser added to 4ultmann


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from t"eir 5e6is"ness8O$ and "ence t"e term cannot be di,orced from its et"nic

connotation%

;ierspel concludes t"at a broad et"nicreligious (not restricted to 5udea$ religious aut"orities$

or a nonempirical religious referent) definition group is t"e most appropriate interpretation of

B BF$ noting t"at t"is interpretation re7uires t"e reader to address t"e =frig"tening

7uestion? of 6"et"er t"e aut"or "eld antiSemitic ,ie6s%

!"e aut"or proceeds b& re,ie6ing ,arious met"ods emplo&ed in pre,ious studies$

distinguis"ing bet6een diac"ronic8 and s&nc"ronic@J approac"es$ before outlining t"e

met"odolog& fir t"is particular stud&% ;ierspel begins 6it" a s&nc"ronic anal&sis t"at includes

bot" narrati,e and speec"es$ and fa,ours a se7uential reading of t"e 'ospel 6"ic" is sensiti,e

to bot" t"e literar& structure and narrati,e strateg& of t"e aut"or@8% ;ierspel t"en addresses t"e

diac"ronic issues b& locating t"e language of =t"e 5e6s? and =t"e 6orld? in a particular social

and "istorical situation@@%

$evie: o the Thesis

;ierspel begins "is anal&sis 6it" a re,ie6 of t"e 'ospel


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'ospel lins t"ese t6o terms t"roug" t"e use of compositional$ narratological$ and conceptual

parallelisms%

Compositional parallelism is dependent upon t"e macrostructure of t"e 'ospel$ 6"ic"

;ierspel defines in t6o major sections$ eac" ending 6it" a summar& statement@M$ being

enclosed b& a prologue@and an epilogue@% ;ierspel notes t"at TUVF dominates t"e prologue

and t"e fare6ell discourse$ 6"ilst B BF is almost eclusi,el& confined to t"e main part of

t"e first section and t"e Passion narrati,e@O%#oreo,er$ ;ierspel argues t"at t"e prologue and

t"e 2are6ell Discourse are uni,ersal in outloo$ 6"ilst t"e remainder of t"e 'ospel concerns

t"e local details of 5esus life and ministr&@

$ gi,ing an abab pattern to t"e 'ospelJ

and

pro,iding a "ermeneutical e& to its interpretation8%

!"us$ t"e structure of t"e 'ospel affords significant insig"t into t"e aut"or


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to 5esus ministr&$ 6"ilst 5esus points out t"e =uni,ersall& applicable c"aracteristics? of t"is

conflictK%

;ierspel also notes occasional conceptual parallelisms bet6een t"e t6o terms$ including

conceptsM$ peopleand nuance$ s"o6ing a conceptual similarit& in t"eir usage%

.a,ing eamined t"ese parallelisms$ ;ierspel argues t"at 6"ilst t"ere is some le,el of

s&non&m& bet6een t"ese terms$ t"e& are not coterminous% Indeed$ t"roug" t"e anal&ses of

compositional and narratological parallelisms ;ierspel demonstrates a clear pattern to t"e use

of t"e terms B BF and TUVF%

/at"er t"an being interc"angeable$ ;ierspel argues t"at t"e 5e6s G B BFH$ are a subgroup

of t"e 6orld GTUVFH$ and "ence are$ in a sense$ representati,e of t"e 6orld% !"us$ 6"ilst

opposition to C"rist


8/17

#SSS#,"

#ntrod*ction

;ierspel presents a robust argument against t"e accusation of antiSemitism 6it"in t"e 'ospel

of 5o"n% !"is argument is predicated upon con,incing s&nc"ronic interpretation of t"e 'ospel$

particularl& 6it" respect to t"e use of compositional and narrati,e parallelism$ producing a

clear eposition of t"e relations"ip bet6een 5e6s G B BFH and t"e 6orld GTUVFH%

oc*s

In "is introduction$ ;ierspel defines t"e purpose of "is researc" ,er& clearl&$ ,i9%: =to

understand and e,aluate t"e discussion about t"e fre7uent term B BF in t"e 2ourt"

'ospel?KJ%!"us t"e aut"or"ilst traditional conser,ati,e sc"olars defend t"e 2ourt" 'ospel as an aut"entic e&e 6itness

account of t"e life of C"ristK8$ modern critical sc"olars"ip "as epressed strong doubts

concerning its aut"ors"ip% Critical sc"olars are not con,inced t"at t"e 'ospel 6as 6ritten b& a

single aut"or$ pointing to aspects of t"e 'ospel 6"ic" are distinctl& 5e6is" in natureK@$6it"

ot"ers being strongl& influenced b& .ellenistic 'ree t"oug"tK%

KJ;ierspel$ p%K8See$ for instance: 3rr$ 5%$ =!"e Aut"enticit& of 5o"n


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Certainl& a re,ie6 of aut"ors"ip$ redaction and source material could "a,e afforded

significant strengt" to ;ierspel


10/17

!"e matter$ "o6e,er$ is not t"at simple% 4eutler$ for instance noted se,eral different structural

sc"emes for t"e gospel of 5o"n$ including t"ematic$ dramatic$ !&pological$ S&mbolic$

C"ronological or Liturgical$ !opological$ approac"esK%4urgeKOsupported a t6ofold di,ision

for t"e structure for 5o"n$ and 4eutler commented t"at t"is 6as t"e most accepted di,ision of

t"e 'ospel$ 6it" t"e di,ision being centred on 5o"n 8:8 K%3t"ers "a,e presented different

structural sc"emes for t"e 'ospel$ suc" as a fi,efold di,ision MJ$ a geograp"ical t"reefold

structureM8%3n t"e ot"er "and$ se,eral commentators "a,e proposed a t"reefold di,ision of t"e

structure of 5o"niersbe$ >% >% =>it" t"e 6ord 4ible commentar&?$ !"omas Nelson Publis"ing$ 8%MKDrane$ 5%$ =!"e 'ospel of St% 5o"n: t"e stor& of t"e Son of 'od?$ Classic 4ible Series$ Palgra,e#acmillan$ 8$ pp88O%MM.a&ford$ 5% >%$ =.a&ford


11/17

are uni,ersal in t"eir outloo$ 6"ilst B BF is almost eclusi,el& emplo&ed in sections

6it" a local perspecti,e (see !able 8)%

Narratological Dualism

;ierspela&s 4et6een 5udaism and C"ristianit& : /ereading 8 Peter$ /e,elation$ t"e Letter to t"e .ebre6s$and t"e 'ospel 3f 5o"n in t"eir /oman and 5e6is" Contets?$ P"D !"esis$ /ijsuni,ersiteit

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6"at specificall& .eemstra means 6"en "e refers to =t"e contet of 5esus? MQ and secondl&$

;ierspel ne,er claims eclusi,it& eit"er for t"e 6ords of 5esus or for t"ose of t"e narrator$ as

is demonstrated b& t"e statistics in !able @Q on t"e contrar&$ ;ierspel merel& claims a strong

t"e contet of t"e 'ospel as a 6"ole is not eclusi,el& 5e6is"$ but sees to broaden t"e

contet from local 5e6is" matters to t"e uni,ersal situation%

.eemstra also proposes an alternati,e contet for 5o"n


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.o6e,er$ ;ierspel does not ade7uatel& address t"e issue of aut"ors"ip and aut"enticit& of t"e

'ospel$ and t"is lea,es "is t"esis open to criticism% /ein"art9 notes t"at ;ierspel


14/17

>"ilst ;ierspel


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(#(;#,G$A+"o >ere t"e B BF?$ No,um !estamentum$ *ol% 8O$ No% @$ 8%

#olone&$ 2% 5%$ .arrington$ D% 5%$ =!"e 'ospel of 5o"n?$ *olume K of Sacra Pagina

Series$ Liturgical Press$ 8O

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=Nelson


17/17

#G$5S

ig*re %: 1sage of t"e term B BF G5e6sH in t"e 'ree Ne6 !estament%

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steve adair nt 634 isr103 a2

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