Reading Johannine Literature in Indian multi-faith, pluralistic Context
Introduction: This paper is an attempt to bringing out the developments of Johannine community in a pluralistic context and also paper looks at how the identity was developing by the community in the midst of a powerful majority. India is a pluralistic country. The multiplicity of religions, philosophies and languages pose a major challenge in interpreting the Johannine literature. Let us try to understand the context in which it was written, the Johannine understanding of Christ and the challenges of presenting Christ in multi-faith context, challenges of Gender injustice, Poverty and Marginalization and challenges of ecological issues through the help of this paper.
1. Challenges of living as a threatened minority in the midst of a powerful majority
1.1 Johannine Community as Minority Community:
The Johannine community constituted a part of a Jewish synagogue. Starting as a community of early followers of Jesus who defined themselves rather starkly against the Jewish setting in which they arose, these believers cultivated an intense devotion to Jesus as the definitive revelation of God’s salvific will. They understood themselves to be in intimate contact with him and with one another, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The earliest Johannine Christians were Jewish Christians who believed that the Christian faith was continuous with the Jewish faith and who were content to live within the context of a Jewish community. We may suppose that their beliefs were not radically different from Jewish beliefs. Their view of Jesus was that he was the Messiah who had come and then promised to return to fulfill the hopes of the Jews as well as the Christians. This community found true salvation in Jesus rather than the laws of Moses.1
1.2 Majority Communities:
The Jews: Johannine community tried to evangelise the Jewish community. Jewish never accepts the high Christology of Jesus. The expulsion from the synagogues had taken place sometime before the gospel was written; but the Johannine Christians were still persecuted and being put to death by “the Jews.” That means even if they had moved into more contact with Gentiles, they still lived in a place where there were synagogues. The many references to “the Jews” should not be interpreted in terms of the Fourth Gospel being used as a missionary tract to be used in converting Jews.2
The World: Although the first impression is of a favourable Johannine attitude toward the world (John 3:16-17), actually the term “world” becomes more common in the gospel for those who reject the light. The fact that the opposition to “the Jews” dominates John 5-12 while opposition to the world dominates John 14-17 suggests a chronology in relationships. By the time the gospel was written, the Johannine community had sufficient dealings with non-Jews to realize that many of them were no more willing to accept Jesus than were “Jews”, so that a term like “the world” was convenient to cover all such opposition.3
The Adherents of John the Baptist: These were those people who claimed that John the Baptist was God’s prime messenger and not Jesus. It is surprising to find in the Fourth Gospel such a large number of negative statements related to John the Baptist. He is not the light (John 1:9); he does not antedate Jesus (John 1:15, 30); he is not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet (John 1:19-24; 3:28); he must decrease while Jesus must increase (John 3:30). All this becomes understandable when we hear in John: 3:22-26 that some of the disciples of John the Baptist did not follow Jesus (John 1:35-37) and jealously objected to the number of people who were following him.4
The Crypto-Christians: These were the Christian Jews who stayed inside the synagogues but didn’t accept publicly that they believe in Jesus. They preferred by far the praise of men to the glory of God. In the eyes of Johannine community, they preferred to be known as disciples of Moses rather than disciples of Jesus. John 12:24-43 supplies the clearest reference to a group of Jews who were attracted to Jesus so that they could be said to believe in him, but were afraid to confess their faith publicly lest they be expelled from the synagogue. John has contempt for them because in his judgment they prefer the praise of people to the glory of God.5
The Jewish Christians of Inadequate Faith: There were also Jewish Christians who had left the synagogue, who were publicly known as Christians, who formed churches, and yet toward whom John had a hostile attitude at the end of the century. Their existence is indicated by the presence in the gospel of Jews who were publicly believers or disciples but whose lack of real faith is condemned by the author.6
The Christians of Apostolic Churches: Distinct from the Johannine Christians themselves, still a third group of Christians may be detected. They are represented by Peter and other members of the twelve, and for that reason we call them “apostolic.” The Johannine choice of Peter and the twelve to represent a group of Christians suggests that this group was Jewish Christian in origin, but not necessarily still so in public. The Johannine attitude toward these Apostolic Christians is fundamentally favourable. Nevertheless, in the Fourth Gospel these disciples do not seem to embody the fullness of Christian perception.7
2. Challenges of Reclaiming and Redefining Community Identity:
Discovery of the community’s development within the text requires careful reading, as well as an understanding of the text’s own composition history. Three distinct phases of composition have been discerned in the Gospel and dividing the three historical stages of the community, were a series of crises, all of which are present in the text itself. The mention of the destruction of the temple in the original edition of John places its composition sometime after 70 CE, and Von Wahlde sees the 2nd edition developing around 80 CE and the 3rd after 90 CE.8
In the first phase a major crisis shook the community, forced a reshaping of the gospel form, and prompted an expanded Christology within the Johannine community. This crisis began with the death of the Beloved Disciple, and was intensified by the non-arrival of the Parousia, Jesus’ promised return in glory to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven. Another dominant element of the Evangelist’s gospel was the development of a high Christology. The first edition of John’s Gospel was “primarily Jewish, understanding the eschatological outpouring of the Spirit exclusively in Jewish terms.”9 The Evangelist built on that understanding, layering narrative elements to create new perceptions of Christ. Brown described a tradition from the Beloved Disciple which carried the message of Jesus “in the language of personified wisdom” as opposed to the parable tradition of the Synoptic communities.10 The idea of Jesus as co-existing with God before creation was an innovation of the Johannine community, whether that idea was directly borrowed from the Wisdom tradition or from ideas that were “in the air” at the time.
The second phase then, the expulsion of the Johannine community from the synagogue, was caused by the developing Christology of the community. The linguistic use of terms such as “Son of Man” and “Son of God” could be reconciled with usage and terminology found in the Hebrew Bible, but claiming Jesus as preexistent with Yahweh and an actual incarnation of God on earth was not. In addition, the inclusion of non-Jews in worship, particularly Samaritans, was a violation of basic Jewish beliefs. References to “your” father and “your” law show that “Jewish tradition was still dominant in the Johannine community and the community itself was as yet Jewish in character.”11 Von Wahlde sees evidence “that the Johannine community had now become a minority persecuted by a Jewish majority.”12
The Christology of the second version of John is the highest in the New Testament. Jesus 1s presented as a Son of God (the word, as ego “eimi” ‘I Am’). As the Johannine community separated itself from the Jewish people, two distinct forms of Christianity developed. These forms were shaped by different interpretations of the high Christology of the second edition. There is’ evidence of a schism within the community, resulting in a group of protestors departing the community. One is seen by many as being absorbed into later gnostic traditions. The other branch of the Johannine community found common purpose with what had become the mainstream orthodox tradition, the Petrine Church.13
The final crisis facing the Johannine community, a schismatic movement which split the congregation, led to a union between the community and the Petrine church. To facilitate this union, the Redactor recognizes the authority of the Petrine tradition, while still preserving the special teaching of the Beloved Disciple. The Johannine community faced three crises in the first century after Jesus’ death, and those crises shaped the community in the Gospel of John. This offering historians an opportunity to glimpse patterns of development.
3. Challenges of reading images and symbols in India Ethos:
John uses concepts and images which also have reference to ecological issue (nature). While there are many references, we are limited to that of water, light, grain and vine & branches.
Water in gospel of John:
The image of water appears very frequently in John and with the most varied of associations than any of John’s symbols. There are conversations about water, water pots, rivers, wells, springs, the sea, pools, basins, thirst and drink. Waters in the biblical accounts describe the relationship between God, nature and humankind. At least half the 21 chapters of John’s Gospel deal with water images. They refer to water in one of the two ways: symbolizing the blessings of the new age or that of the Holy Spirit in particular (4:10, 14). John’s reference to water include: water of recognition (1:26, 31, 33; 21:1) water of renewal (3:5, 23; 19:34; 1 Jn. 5:6:8), water of joy (2:1-11), water of life (4:14; 7:37-39), water of healing (5:1-15; 9:5, 7).14
Light in the Gospel of John:
As John puts it across that the light is avoided by the wicked. The manifestation of light therefore results in judgment. It calls for faith (John 3: 19). John presents God as light is the Son coming into the world and light is that activity of God through which God does well to humankind overcoming darkness and sin. John the Baptist is presented as a testifier concerning the light. Therefore, he is only a lamp which points people to Jesus whereas Jesus himself is the light.15
Vine and Branches:
The imagery of vine in John 5:1-7 is found in the context of the farewell discourse of Jesus. The imagery is followed by a command to love one another (15: 7-17). Jesus calls himself the vine that fulfilled God’s purpose of bearing fruit and his Father as the vine dresser. The disciples are the branches who were to bear fruit as well, though they failed initially. Constant remaining in Jesus is the only way disciples can bear fruit. Stress is thus laid on conformity to the life of Jesus. Cutting off dry and withered branches and the removing of the useless growth contribute towards better fruit-bearing. The emphasis is on the serviceable value of the vine. It is in the mutual relationship between the vine and branches, similar to that between the Father and the Son, that the vine is able to bear much fruit.16
Grain of Wheat:
John 12:24 mentions grain of wheat falling into the ground, dying and bearing much fruit. It is often mentioned in the Scripture (Dt.7: 1 3; Neh. 5: 2; Mt. 3: 1 2; Mk. 4: 28). While the Synoptics refer to a grain of mustard seed as something very small, a grain of wheat is not referred to as such, is used to explain the death of Jesus. The emphasis of the parable (Jn. 12:24) is the necessity of death in order to have life. It was with the death of Jesus that his ministry would become greatly fruitful (Mk. 10:45).17
Logos from Indian Perspective:
J. J. Kanagaraj, when discussing the Prologue, states that there are significant parallels between Johannine Logos and Hindu concept of Om. This syllable is used in meditation in identification with Brahman. For in Hinduism it is in the Om uttered by God that God and humans come to know each other, and humans to know themselves. According to Kanagaraj, as the Johannine Logos is also identified with God in God’s relationship with people, the syllable Om/Shabda becomes a relevant word to be used in proclaiming the Gospel to those who understand Hindu and Sikh beliefs.
In the Upanishads, the mystic syllable ‘OM’ is identified with Brahman which is to be used in meditation. In the text of the Mundaka, Brahman is life, speech, reality, immortality. In the meantime, there is also an endless debate concerning the use of OM in order to represent Christ the Word of God or to represent the Trinity. The supporters in using it in Christian field claimed that it is not the sound of worship, but the Spirit of reality that matters. On the other hand, Om is a particularly difficult word for Christians to use, because it implies an ultimate reality that is unknown, and Christians believe that we can worship God as known in Jesus Christ.18
4. Challenges of keeping philosophy, belief and daily struggle in constant conversation.
4.1 Religio-Philosophical Context of the Johannine Writings:
Johannine literature was written in a pluralistic context in terms religion and philosophy. The first century Greco-Roman world was a noisy arena which was filled with many competing thought systems. Some of these have influenced John and John uses the abstracts concepts of these philosophies and religions in its literature and hence Johannine literature are products of these thought patterns.19 Plato viewed the present lower world as the replica of the invisible, eternal heavenly world which is the true and ultimate reality.
The Stoic philosophy on the other hand popularized the concept of “World Soul” as divine reality as a rational principle of the universe. “Logos or Word” was the name given to this pantheistic principle. Alexandrian Jewish philosopher Philo, sought to merge Greek philosophy and the religion of the Old Testament. Philo was in turn influenced by Plato and Stoics. Apart from these, there were many mysterious religions who claimed to offer salvation by going around in a procession from Athens to a coast and by partaking in a sacrifice and a religious washing which was further preceded by further additional rites in the town of Eleusis. In the non-Jewish religious world, frequent attempts were made to combine the Greek mind and the fast-growing religions of the Orient. Then there were Gnostics who segregated matter and the spirit. For them, matter was evil and the spirit was pure and good. These believed that salvation can only be attained through “knowledge” which is secret and divine and only selected ones can acquire it. Rabbinic Judaism emphasized the strict adherence to Torah and its teachings, which was considered the divine Word of God revealed through the prophet Moses. The Qumran communities were a secluded community who lived a monastic life and were isolated from the rest of the world. Thus the context of the Johannine literature is pluralistic in terms of religion and philosophy.20
4.2 The Johannine Understanding of Christ:
Some of the fundamental understandings of Christ in the Johannine gospel are as follows;
4.2.1. Logos Word of Life:
For John, Christ is logos or Word which was pre-existent with God the Father. He is the incarnate word who came into the world to give his life for others. He also identifies logos as the light of the world which was revealed in flesh in Jesus.21
4.2.2. Truth and Life:
The Johannine gospel emphasizes that Jesus Christ is truth, way and life. It further gives titles to Christ as The Bread of Life, True Vine, Good Shepherd, Door of Life, The Resurrection, Son of Man, Son of God, etc. All these titles play a key role in giving us hope to live with God in the future for eternity. The Geek Fathers understood the Way and the Truth to lead to Life. Latin Fathers understood that the Way leads to both the Truth and the Life; St. Thomas thought Christ was the Way according to His humanity, the Truth and Life according to His divinity.22
4.3 Indian Context:
India is a country which has diversity in its society at all levels. The Indian society is pluralistic one, whereby the civilization is thousands of years old. An average Indian is by nature spiritual. For Indians life has meaning only in terms of religion Animism is the oldest form of religion in India which developed from this rudimentary form to popular Hinduism. This development was characterized by the worship of a plurality of gods, and cosmic spirituality. The Indian society on Hindu lines was stratified on the basis of caste system which is a product of Hinduism. The main religions prevalent in India are Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. These were the revolt religion who protested against the oppressive Brahmanical caste system.
The new religions combined within themselves the characteristics of ‘protest movements’ as well as of reform. Over the centuries, however, several of these reform movements, in one way or another, came under the sway of mainline Hinduism and were co-opted. Another significant period was the Hindu responses to influences from the West. A full accounting of the impact of almost ten centuries of Islam and five centuries of Western presence in India would have to deal not only with their distinctive new influences but also with the ways in which traditional Hindu models have been revived and applied in new and adaptive way.
Unlike the religions of Indian origin, Islam and Christianity maintain an identity unambiguously distinct from mainline Hinduism, but influencing each other and contributing corporately towards the evolution of a composite and pluralist culture. Another important aspect of Indian social and religious life is exclusion of the Dalits and the Tribals from the process of decision making in religion and society. There are several other groups who are marginalized in Indian society like women, urban and rural poor, bonded laborers and fisherfolk, etc with the development technology and science, a new ideology is emerging that is secularism which disregards every religion and seeks to understand world apart from religious terms.23
4.4 Indian Philosophical Understanding of Jesus Christ:
With the advent and the spread of Christianity in India which took place nearly four centuries ago has compelled many think and indigenize Christ by using Indian philosophical concepts which has resulted in new insights about Christ for the Indians. Some of the Philosophical understanding of Christ are as follows;
4.4.1. Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833):
Ram Mohan has reverence to Christ as a student would have for his teacher. He also considers Christ as the messenger of God, but denies the title of ‘Son of God’ and rejects his divinity. He says that the Son is inferior to the Father and is not of one substance with the Father. For him, the unity which the Son has with the Father as implied in Johannine certain text is merely the surviving harmony of will and design and not of substance. Though he accepts the doctrine of virgin Birth.24
4.4.2. Keshab Chandra Sen (1838-1884): Christ as Logos
Sen’s spiritual pilgrimage began in Brahma Samaj. For him Christ was the centre of his religious experience. God for him was the undifferentiated Absolute Brahman. For him God is always triune and he describes Brahman as Sat, Cit, and Ananda (being, intelligence and bliss), because his experience of God is of the Trinity. For him Christ is the Logos who was pre-existent and lay asleep with God is the Word of Creation (intelligience, wisdom), who work for creation of the world and in the fullness of time was born in Jesus of Nazareth.25
4.4.3. A.J. Appasamy Christ as Logos and Antaryamin (Bhakti Marga):
Appasamy comprehends Christ as the Antaryamin (who knows everything) or Indweller. Appasamy frequently turns to the fourth gospel and to the idea of the Logos and associates it with the Hindu concept of Immanent God, the one who rules everything. He says that the Supreme One can only be known in the heart of the universe. He considered this term in connection with the indwelling Christ. He says that his presence is everywhere.26
4.4.4. V. Chakkarai Jesus as the Avatara (Incarnation of Jesus):
Chakkarai comprehends God as made manifest in Christ, in Whom the Deus absconditus becomes the Deus revelatus. He says that God can only be known through Christ. He says that religion cannot begin with nirguna and avyakta (unmanifested) Brahman. A Christian bhakta must begin with the vyakta Isvara, God manifested in Christ. The knowledge which results from this not from jnana marga, but of the way of bhakti, of love for God become man in Christ. He links the idea of God’s Self-revelation in Christ with the concept of immanence which is popular in Hindu bhakti.27
4.5 Daily Struggles in Constant Conversation:
4.5.1. The struggle to seek Spiritual aid for Justice:
The Indian society is full of oppressive systems and we should be aware of and should turn a blind eye to the struggles of the people for justice. Many are exploited and many are dehumanized in the society. We as bearers of the good news should be in solidarity with them.
4.5.2. Diversity as a Challenge for Unity:
India being a pluralistic country is filled with diversity of culture, religion, ethnicity and languages. In the midst of this diversity it very difficult to be united as one. The gospel of john Christ is the initiator of wholeness and oneness in a multi-culturist world.28
5. Challenges of gender injustice, conflicts, poverty and marginalization:
5.1 Challenges of Gender Injustice:
Women were oppressed in antiquity. Jesus’ disciples marginalized women, a situation unquestioned by Jesus even though by his actions in the gospel he emancipated them. John’s gospel, however, suggests a Johannine community outreach to and enfranchising of women, because of their faith beliefs alone, regardless of their Christian home community identity. History informs us, moreover, that women’s roles in antiquity were enhanced by religious involvement, giving opportunities for service and leadership.29
5.1.1. Samaritan Women:
The story of The Samaritan Woman at the Well (4:4-42) tells of Jewish hatred of the Samaritans, for reasons of ethnic and religious impurity, and tells of common cultural oppression of women. That Jesus, a Jewish rabbi, would speak intimately with a Samaritan woman was shocking to the disciples. The conversation led to the woman’s growth in belief in the Messiah and to her going forth on an evangelistic mission to her Samaritan townspeople. Jesus subsequently seals the townspeople’s belief by dwelling with them and teaching them. The story suggests an apostolic/missionary role for the woman, which is certainly emancipating.30 The disciples are noted as being astonished at Jesus’ conversation with a woman, The Johnnanine community involvement with Samaritans and women at this time may have made apostolic Christians in Jerusalem very nervous. Jesus’ attitude could be considered ethnically supercessionist, e.g., salvation is from the Jews, and adapting superior presumptions vis-a-vis the woman. As the gospel is written, however, it is apparent Jesus didn’t question the privileged position of men.
5.1.2 Woman Taken in Adultery:
The Woman Taken in Adultery episode (7:53-8:12), proposed as having dubious John’s authenticity, expresses a powerful statement about social injustice in its allegations against and near-execution of a woman improperly judged (even if guilty) according to “Mosaic Law” (8:7), accepts a peculiar standard for judging joint sinners, in this case adulterers, by punishing only the woman. An earlier verse states (by the Jews), “Moses commanded us to kill such women” (8:5). These judgments are contrary to Old Testament Law (Dt 22:22; Lv 20:10) which requires both parties be put to death.
5.1.3 Mary Magdalene:
The goal and apex of John’s Gospel is reached in chapter 20:1-18. Here we find the ultimate revelation of Jesus’ identity as the resurrected Christ. Upon encountering him Mary is commissioned to tell Jesus’ brothers and disciples the news of his resurrection. Thus it is significant that Jesus entrusts a woman with the most crucial message of his earthly mission while Peter and the Beloved Disciple are at the tomb in John 20, Jesus does not appear to them. Despite the fact that the testimony of a woman was of no account to those within Jewish culture.31
According to Brown, It is possible to ascribe to Mary Magdalene a quasi-apostolic role. In fact, the Western Church tradition considered her to be “the apostle to the apostles.”32 It is – through John’s portrayal of Jesus relating to women that we gain insight into both Jesus’ and the Evangelist’s attitude toward women. Jesus treats them as unique and valuable individuals. Nowhere does he condescend to flatter women, but rather he demands as much from them as from men. Jesus’ approach to women is revolutionary considering the cultural norms of his day.
We need to understand that fight for gender equality is not a fight against men. It is a fight against traditions that have chained women a fight against attitudes that are ingrained in society. It is a fight against the system, the Laxman Rekha which is different for men and different for women. Society must rise to the occasion and accept the fact that men and women are equal partners in life.33
5.2 Challenges for Poverty and Marginalization:
Poverty and marginalization are not much thrown light upon in scholarship upon the Johannine literature as compared to the doctrinal or Christological themes in the gospel and epistles. Stephen Motyer in ‘Jesus and the marginalized’ in the book Mission and Meaning Essays Presented to Peter Cotterell writes.
Why does the Fourth Gospel show no interest in the poor? Luke is fascinated by the issues of wealth and poverty, and the related issues of social stratification and marginalization. For him, the gospel is designed for the poor (Luke 4:18; 6:20), wealth is gravely deceptive (12:13-21; 16:1415), worldly values are reversed by Christ (1:52-53; 16:19-31), and Jesus called his disciples set an example of poverty and summon others to it (2:7-24; 6:20-21; 9:1-3; 18:18-30; 19:1-10). But this interest is missing from John – in spite of the fact that a reasonable case can be made on literary grounds for a direct dependence of John on Luke. John 13:29, in a throw-away line, leads us to believe that Jesus and the disciples regularly gave to the poor. But so did all other God fearing Jews. And the only saying that touches on the poor apparently demotes concern for them to the margin of Christian discipleship. The poor you always have with you, but me you do not always have’ 12:8. Why this strange difference?
Poor- Jesus and his group had a common purse that they used to cover communal expenses. From this purse Jesus and his company contributed alms to the poor, e.g., on holydays and festivals. This social consciousness and care had deep roots in Old Testament (O.T.) justice practices, e.g., caring for the anawim (the poor and the lowly ones) (Deut 10:18-19; 16:14) Philip testified (6:5-8) that not enough money existed in their common purse to feed all the hungry people in the entourage. It was expected, apparently, that their common money could be used for such purpose.
Jesus didn’t fault Mary of Bethany for the extravagance of the purchase of nard for his anointing (12:1-8), because, he stated, the poor will always be with them to benefit from alms given from their common purse. Jesus and the disciples had money for such purposes. Jesus dismissed Judas Iscariot from the Last Supper to do his work (13:27b). The other disciples believed that Judas, as holder of the common purse, was going about his duties to buy what was needed for the festival (Passover) or to give the (festival) alms offering to the poor (13:29). Karris states Jesus and his disciples evidently performed their social-justice practices of alms-giving in a routine manner.34
We may therefore think of the healings in chapter 5 and chapter 9 specifically as ministry to the poor: the two men were both beggars. The woman at the well falls into the same category, and she further illustrates a deep concern in John with the socially marginalized-Samaritans, Galileans, and women.
In John, too, we see a profligate wasting of social barriers, as Jesus moves from the nationalist Nathanael, the ‘true Israelite’ (1:47), to the Pharisee Nicodemus, the ‘ruler of the Jews’ and ‘the teacher of Israel’ (3:1, 10), to the Samaritan woman at the well, marginalized even among her own people (4:6-7), and thence to the Herodian official (4:46), with whom none of the others would have had anything to do. In fact, each of these four would naturally have regarded the other three as untouchable, if not as an enemy. Christologically, Jesus is presented as the one who alone meets the distinctive needs and aspirations of each ‘type’. All four are offered exactly what they need, but not in the way they expect. And all four are thus required to give up their distinctive claim or position in favor of the claim Jesus makes upon them.
6. Challenges of Ecological issue:
John the evangelist understands of redemption, in both the Gospel and Epistles, is grounded in a theology of creation as the work of God’s hands. In the Fourth Gospel, John affirms the nature of material reality. On the one hand, the Word is the source and origin of creation, the one ‘through whom all things were made’ (Jn 1:3). On the other hand, the Word is made flesh in Jesus Christ. The Word, who is the source and origin of creation, enters the world as part of it: Creator becomes creation. Here John presupposes that human beings, originally made in God’s image, have lost something of their original, created identity. Yet, through the incaration, the advent of the Word and all that imples in terms of Jesus’ ministry and sacrificial death, that original, sublime identity is restored and those who believe become ‘children of God’, born of the divine Spirit (Jn 1:13; 3:3, 5).
The New Testament also affirms that in Christ the kingdom has invaded the present. Moreover, the kingdom is not only a new order of salvation, but a new order of relationships and conduct. The presence of the kingdom means that Christians ought to order their lives in terms of the values and shape of the new and coming kingdom. Since the righteousness of the kingdom means right relationships appropriate to the new and coming order, Christians are led directly to an ethic of care for creation. Instead of providing an occasion for the disregard and degradation of creation, the vision of the future kingdom defines and motivates present ministries of reconciliation, including earth keeping. The ecological implications of God’s reign are both stewardly action because of God’s first creative act and redemptive action because of God’s re- creative act. When God reigns in the hearts of people and ultimately throughout the universe, the earth will indeed rejoice.35
Conclusion
The gospel John is a unique gospel which presents Christ in philosophical concepts of its time and seeks to communicate the message of salvation in a multi-religious context. The gospel of is an apologetic of the faith of the Johannine community which enabled them to keep their faith strong. It was within a situation of conflict, crisis and alienation that the Fourth Gospel was written. This reshaping of an originally independent stream of tradition is what gave the Fourth Gospel its peculiar character, advancing its portrayal of Jesus ever farther from the earlier tradition toward a deeper understanding, in a process observed by the community as the work of the Spirit of Truth the Johannine community faced three crises in the first century after Jesus’ death, and those crises shaped the community in the Gospel of John. Wherein we can see the community answering the challenges of their own time by transposing them onto the Jesus tradition.
Bibliography:
1. Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to the Gospel of John. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003.
2. Brown, Raymond E. The Community of Disciple. New York: Paulist Press, 1979.
3. Jamir, Menjiwapong. Understanding the Jesus Movement in the Gospel Traditions. West Bengal: SCEPTRE, 2013.
4. Lalfakmawia, H. Joseph. Re-Reading the Gospel of John. Kolkata: ESPACE, 2013.
5. Wahlde, Urban C Von. “Community in Conflict: The History and Social Context of the Johannine Community.” Interpretation (1995): 379,389.
6. Ellis Earle E, The World of St. John: The Gospel and the Epistles Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1984.
7. Brown E Raymond, An Introduction to the New Testament Bangalore: theological Publications in India, 2009.
8. Bruce Nicholas, Sang-Bok David Kim and Ken Gnanakan, eds., Asia Bible Commentary: Gospel of John, Bangalore: Asia Theological Association, 2000.
9. Duraisingh Christopher and Cecil Hargreaves, eds., India’s Search for Reality and Relevance of the Gospel of John, Delhi: ISPCK, 1975.
10. Boyd Robin, An Introduction to Indian Christian Theology New Delhi: ISPCK, 1991.
11. Klostermaier Klaus K., Indian Theology in Dialogue Madras: The Christian Literature Society, 1986.
12. Brown, Raymond E. The Community of the Beloved Disciple. New York: Paulist Press, 1979.
13. Karris, Robert J., OFM. Jesus and the Marginalized in St. John’s Gospel. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1990.
14. Lalfakmawia,H. Joseph, Re-Reading the Gospel of John. Kolkata: SCEPTRE, 2013.
15. Malina, Bruce J., and Richard L. Rohrbaugh.Social-Science Commentary on the Gospel of John. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1998.
16. Rani, T. Mercy, “Gender Equality” In Theologizing In India Today: Interpreting The Signs Of Times, Edited by Vincent Rajkumar. Bangalore: CSIRS, 2012.
17. Thiessen, Karen Heidebrecht “Jesus and Women in the Gospel of John” in “Direction: Working Together in the church.” vol. 19 no. 2 September, 1990.
18. Snyder, Howard, Liberating the Church: The Ecology of Church and Kingdom. Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1983.
Footnotes
1. Menjiwapong Jamir, Understanding the Jesus Movement in the Gospel Traditions (West Bengal: SCEPTRE, 2013), 85.
2. Raymond E. Brown, “The Community of Disciple” (New York: Paulist Press, 1979), 66-68
3. Ibid, 63, 64.
4. Ibid, 69-71.
5. Ibid, 71-72.
6. Ibid, 73-74.
7. Ibid, 75.
8. Urban C Von Wahide, “Community in Conflict: The History and Social Context of the Johannine Community.” Interpretation (March 1995), 379-380.
9. Ibid, 381.
10. Raymond E. Brown, “An Introduction to the Gospel of John” (New Haven: Yale University Press,2003), 66
11. Von Wahlde, 382
12. Ibid, 383.
13. Brown, 84.
14. H. Joseph Lalfakmawia, Re-Reading the Gospel of John (Kolkata: ESPACE, 2013), 125
15. Ibid, 127.
16. Ibid, 127.
17. Ibid, 127.
18. Ibid, 32-33
19. E. Earle Ellis, The World of St. John: The Gospel and the Epistles (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1984), 17-18.
20. Raymond E. Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament (Bangalore: theological Publications in India, 2009), 71-373.
21. Bruce Nicholas, Sang-Bok David Kim and Ken Gnanakan, eds., Asia Bible Commentary: Gospel of John, (Bangalore: Asia Theological Association, 2000), 63-66.
22. Christopher Duraisingh and Cecil Hargreaves, eds., India’s Search for Reality and Relevance of the Gospel of John, (Delhi: ISPCK, 1975), 36-37.
23. Christopher Duraisingh and Cecil Hargreaves, eds., India’s Search for Reality and Relevance of the Gospel of John, (Delhi: ISPCK, 1975), 46.
24. Robin Boyd, An Introduction to Indian Christian Theology (New Delhi: ISPCK, 1991), 22-23.
25. Ibid, 28-29.
26. Ibid, 126.
27. Ibid, 167-168
28. Klaus K. Klostermaier, Indian Theology in Dialogue (Madras: The Christian Literature Society, 1986), 17-20.
29. Rober J.Karris, OFM. Jesus and the Marginalized in St. John’s Gospel (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1990). 75-78
30. Ibid, 65-71
31. Karen HeidebrechtThiessen, “Jesus and Women in the Gospel of John” in “Direction: Working Together in the church.” vol. 19 no. 2 (September, 1990) 52-64.
32. Raymond E.Brown, The Community of the Beloved Disciple. New York: Paulist Press, 1979), 189.
33. T. Mercy Rani, “Gender Equality” in Theologizing In India Today: Interpreting The Signs Of Times, edited by Vincent Rajkumar, (Bangalore: CSIRS, 2012) 123.
34. Robert J.Karris, OFM. Jesus and the Marginalized in St. John’s Gospel (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1990), 27.
35. Howard Snyder, Liberating the Church: The Ecology of Church and Kingdom (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1983) 45-51.
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