Interpretation and the Claims of the Text: Resourcing New Testament Theology

Chapter 5: The Problem of Evil in the Gospel of John

59 Chapter 5 The Problem of Evil in the Gospel of John* R. Alan Culpepper Every theological system must deal with the problem of evil and promise a solution. The Gospels characterize Jesus in various ways, using different christological titles, drawing on different background materials, and addressing different audiences. Like bumper stickers, they declare that “Jesus Is the Answer,” but what is the question? Thoughtful readers of the Gospels may well ask, “What understandings of the problems in the created order are assumed?” and “How does Jesus provide a solution or remedy to the world’s ills?” These questions arise all the more forcefully in John because it opens with the declaration—unique among the Gospels—that the Logos that became incarnate in Jesus is the One through whom all things were created. What happened to the creation? How did it become corrupted? What is the human condition? And how does the incarnation and death of Jesus supply a remedy for humanity, and indeed for God’s creation? Space allows only an overview that could profitably be explored in more detail. * It is a privilege to contribute to this volume. Charles Talbert has been a friend who has offered encouragement, a dialogue partner who has challenged my thinking, and a mentor , the breadth and clarity of whose work has set a high standard of excellence, especially in its attention to ancient sources, methodology, and the needs of the contemporary readers for guidance in spiritual direction and biblical interpretation. 60 R. Alan Culpepper In the following paragraphs we will examine (1) how the problem of evil is introduced in the prologue, (2) interpretations of evil in early Jewish theology, especially in the Rule of the Community and in the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, and (3) how John moves beyond these traditional views of evil. In the process we will survey some recent reconsiderations of John’s dualism. The Prologue The opening verses of the prologue establish theological tenets like chess pieces on the field of play: the Word was with God, the Word was God, all things were made by him, in him was life and light, the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The theological assessment of the problem of the created order and the significance of the incarnation and work of the Logos must be worked out around these affirmations. It has often been observed that the prologue functions in the gospel much like the opening of a symphony that announces the themes that will be developed and resolved in the rest of the composition. These opening declarations, simple and brief as they are, affirm particular perspectives, deny others, and leave important questions unresolved. The prologue affirms both that “the Word was with God” and “the Word was God.” The Gospel’s opening verse therefore denies a multiplicity of gods. There was not a pantheon of gods. There was not a good god and an evil god. There is therefore no underlying or eternal duality of good and evil. In the beginning there was just the Word and God, and the Word was God. That is, the Word participated in or was an integral part of the reality of divinity. All else was created, and was created by the Word. This affirmation rules out views that the world is co-eternal with God, an uncreated order with which God is locked in a cyclical or unending struggle. If a process or a narrative has a beginning, it can also have an ending. The end of verse 3 and the beginning of verse 4 have been read variously: All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life . . . (KJV, ASV, ESV, NIV, RSV, NASB) All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be in him was life . . . (NJB, NAB, NRSV) A decision regarding which of these punctuations and translations best represents the manuscript evidence, poetry, and thought of the prologue The Problem of Evil in the Gospel of John 61 involves textual, grammatical, stylistic, literary, and theological considerations . Here we note in particular the argument from the poetic structure of the first five verses. 1 In the beginning (A) was the Word (B), and the Word (B) was with God (C), and what God (C) was, the Word (B) was. 2 This...