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195 Chapter 12 Remembering and Revelation The Historic and Glorified Jesus in the Gospel of John In a recent book, Lord Jesus Christ (2003), I noted that one of the features common to all four of the intracanonical gospels is that they situate Jesus explicitly and rather fully within a time, place, and culture.1 This is all the more remarkable in light of the interesting and wellknown differences among them in some other matters, and also in comparison with the rather unlocalized way that Jesus is depicted in extracanonical “Jesus books” such as the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Philip.2 That is, all four intracanonical Jesus books concur broadly in emphasizing that the risen and glorified Jesus is to be identified as the historic figure who first appeared in Galilee, and whose career was framed by the prophet-ministry of John (the Baptizer) and by Jesus’ execution in Jerusalem at the hands of the Roman governor, Pilate. By contrast , from the Gospel of Thomas, for example, one would scarcely suspect that Jesus was a Jew, where he may have operated, or any specific timeframe for him, to say nothing of anything more specific about him in historical terms. All four intracanonical accounts, however, are rich in geographical references (e.g., Lake Galilee, Capernaum, Nazareth, Bethsaida, Caesarea Philippi, the Decapolis, Samaria, Jericho, Bethlehem, Bethany, Emmaus, the Jordan River, Tyre and Sidon, and Jerusalem), and references to the religious and cultural setting, including religious parties (e.g., Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians), issues about observance of Jewish religious law (e.g., Sabbath, food laws, divorce and remarriage, skin diseases, oaths, tithing, and taxation), festivals such as Passover, issues of belief such as resurrection. We also get information on governing structures and personalities (e.g., Herod the Great, Herod Antipas, Caiaphas, and the Larry W. Hurtado Roman governor Pilate). There are references to local occupations such as fishing, farming, tax gathering, and shepherding. Indeed, it seems to me that this emphasis that the Lord and Christ of Christian devotion is to be linked to, and defined with reference to, the historic figure of Jesus may also have been a major impetus for these texts, and an important factor in shaping their genre as narrative books about him.3 Also notable is the use of Semitic words and expressions in these Greek texts.4 The most familiar instances are echoed in one or more of the four gospels, such as “Hosanna” (Mark 11:9-10; Matt. 21:9; John 12:13), “Gehenna” (Mark 9:43-47; Matt. 10:28; 23:15, 33; Luke 12:5), “Rabbi” and “Rabbouni” (e.g., Matt. 23:7-8; John 1:38; 20:16), and the famous cry of Jesus on the cross reported in varying forms by Mark (15:34) and Matthew (27:46). It is very interesting that the use of such Semitic loanwords seems particularly frequent in GMark and GJohn.5 With more direct reference to the literary nature of GJohn, we might note particularly that, although this gospel is readily distinguishable from any of the Synoptics in various specific matters—in the ordering of events, selection of material, vocabulary, characters, and key themes— nevertheless, this distinctive account can be likened to the Synoptics in its emphatic placement of Jesus in a historically specific setting, and with lots of local color.6 To underscore the point, although GJohn is very well known for its uniquely explicit presentation of an exalted view of Jesus, the text in its own way also emphatically identifies the incarnate Logos and the risen/gloried Lord fully with reference to the historic Jesus.7 The author’s concern, however, was obviously not that typical of modern “historical Jesus” scholars.8 He was not aiming to separate or even to distinguish the historic figure from the glorified recipient of Christian devotion, or to offer what can be made of Jesus historically apart from what he became in Christian faith. Instead, the author’s emphasis was on the direct identity and continuity of the earthly and the risen Jesus. The author’s reason for giving his account of the ministry of Jesus was entirely theological, not to serve some academic, modern interest in historical exactitude, but to shape and nurture the faith of the intended readers. This is, I believe, reasonably well known and uncontroversial among informed readers of GJohn. In this discussion, consequently, I focus on three features of GJohn, elaborating on some more fleeting observations registered in Lord Jesus Christ...

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