Table of Contents
Theories suggesting the circulation of John’s Gospel among the Johannine Community in addressing their social situation
Introduction
The notion of a unique Johannine community leveled based on the gospel and epistles formulation belonging to John has been seen as the system through which scholars have based on for the past years in understanding the Johannine Christology (Lamb, 2011). The pioneers in this paradigm are Raymond Brown and Louis Martyn. Since their first commentary work on the gospel, other scholars have looked at the Johannine community as a separate group that is varying to other Christian and Jewish community groups. Among the underlying concern to this issue are the abandoning customs on unique history exegesis in backing synchronic styles. These customs focus on Johannine text as it is with basis on the literacy and culture portrayed. To understand how John’s Gospel revolved around the Johannine community and further addressed its social situation, various theories such as the Browns theory, Martyn’s theory, and expulsion theory, among others, have been put forward to give insights to this matter.
Expulsion theory
Expulsion theory stands on the point that the fourth gospel was brought about based on a community regarded as the Johannine community. Members of this group initially involved themselves in the Jewish people’s conduct to where they did reside (Chennattu, 2006). On the contrary, they proclaim Jesus as the Messiah was not seen as of sense despite involving themselves with the conduct of the Jewish. Otherwise, there existed a concern on those who believed in Jesus as the Messiah and those that did not believe (Levin, 1996). The synagogue slowly looked at the Christians as their rival in the issue concerning those for and against Jesus as the Messiah (Martyn, 1968). The tension that existed in between the two groups resulted in the expulsion of those that proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah. The exclusion of those that asserted Jesus to be the Messiah was based on particular rules formulated by the Jewish authorities (Coloe, 2007). Disharmony rose to the extent that the Jews got themselves involved in persecuting the Johannine community (16:2). The gospel was put down to paper to make steady the faith of the Johannine group in hard times (20:30-31) and give them an eye-opener in the event of arguing with the Jewish antagonists.
This theory bases intensely on trio verses (9:22, 12:42, and 16:2) since they hold a single appearance reflecting the one excluded from the synagogue (Martyn, 1968). Verse 9:22 is centered on the story relating to the parents who gave birth to a blind son disagreeing with the Pharisees when questioned about their son’s cure as they were afraid of the Jews because they had threatened to threw anyone out who proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah. In 12:42, it asserts that most people believed in Jesus, but they could not confess because of the Pharisees as they were afraid to be kicked out of the synagogue. In his final words before ascending to heaven, Jesus opens up to his disciples that they will be kicked out of the synagogue and that killing of someone will be taken as an offer of worship unto God (Rensberger, 1984).
The above three passages offer a summary of two critical points under the expulsion theory. The beginning is to be excluded from the synagogue being a terrible and feared panorama. This kind prevents Christians from publicly acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah (19:22, 12:42), which is connected profoundly to visible persecution. Secondly, expulsion from the synagogue was looked at as a judgment put into effect by the Jews (9:22) and the Pharisees (12:42). Basing on the evidence there provided by these three verses, this theory stands on the point that the fourth gospel was centered on a single community (Johannine community).
Martyn’s Theory
Martyn Louis asserts that the Fourth Gospel’s writing basis is built on the history of a particular community, which was vital to its identity for an extended period. He levels his interpretation by not only focusing on the closing of the gospel redaction but builds on the grounds of initial chapters of the gospel. In his theory, based on the fourth gospel, Martyn points out the different times relating to the Johannine community as Early, Middle, and Late periods in support of his theory (Brown, 1970).
The Early Period
The foundation of the gospel started with specific talks such as a discourse on John 1:35-49 in which the preacher intended to motivate the Jews who had faith in the coming of the Messiah that Jesus was the Messiah (Lindars, 1984). The wonders performed by Jesus were told to paint the light that Jesus was the Messiah. The achieved conversion of the Jews indoctrinated considerably mere hostility with concerns to understand the truth on Torah or the Gentile’s mission (Levine, 1996). The achieved group converted (Johannine community) included the Christian Jews who were merely in the way of the undisturbed flow of social and religious continuity in the synagogue. One of the ministers in the converted messianic group put together the norms and hostility concerning Jesus keenly on a simple gospel paper, similar to many gospel works thought of by a lot of scholars.
The Middle Period
Among those that were in the synagogue were curious about the surging messianic group. Therefore, they needed the exegetical confirmation for the theme behind the asserted Jesus. This need resulted in mixed reactions within the subscribers of the gospel with others siding for a while the others in contradiction to the group (Levine, 1996). The mixed reaction amid gospel subscribers triggered two emergences. At the beginning of the middle period, the reaction arose with the introduction of the blasphemy on the disobeying members in the synagogue to know those that proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah and otherwise expelled them. Some members denied identifying Jesus as the Messiah to remain in the synagogue while others did fall for it. The remnants in the group now were identified as the Jewish Christians who were excluded and separated from the synagogue.
The second trauma took place in time when the synagogue leaders staged a trial and expelled some evangelists belonging to the Johannine community on the basis that they were confusing the Jews into worshiping another god save for God the Father (John, 1986). Expulsion and sentencing resulted in the Johannine community adapting a new formulation on Christianity, resulting in hostility between them and the Jews. Jesus was now looked like a stranger who had descended from above and was not recognized by his people. Those that identified with him were looked down upon and thought of as not belonging to this world (Conway, 2002). In this regard, they were considered as not Jews but otherwise Israelites identifying Jesus as an unknown being from above. Through judgment asserted by the synagogue, they were no longer considered as the disciples of Moses but Jesus’ disciples.
The Late Period
In this time, there was a rising case identification of the Johannine community compared to other Christian groups with no focus on the synagogue and crypto-Christians maintained in the synagogue (Culpepper, 1994). The Johannine group stood on the point that one finds his way above or below, and in this manner, no fence spanning is possible. The Christian Jews within the synagogue were looked as not able to retain a two-way loyalty but similar to the abhorred Jews, and they were followers of Moses and not Jesus. Furthermore, the crypto-Christians appeared to have propelled synagogue leadership in their discrimination on Johannine Jewish Christians by letting them know. Additionally, the connection with the other Jewish Christians who were absent from the synagogue was dispersed by persecution. As 10:16 gospel sets clear, those who were the other sheep will be united to the Johannine community into a single herd on the watch of a single shepherd. Based on the above periods, Martyn hypothesized that the fourth gospel was leveled in the Johannine community line and addressing their social situation.
Brown’s Theory
The concern on the setting of the fourth gospel is more of a compressed history belonging to a specific Christian community in the late first century (Coloe, 2007). According to Raymond Brown, the paramount efforts to bring together this account point out to merely three phases.
In the first phase, the Johannine community comprised a Jewish synagogue (Conway, 2002). The Jewish synagogue refers to the Johannine Christology pioneers who were the Jewish Christians who considered that the Christian faith was progressively within the context of the Jewish faith. Presumably, what they believed were not in any way different from the Jewish traditions. They considered Jesus as the promised Messiah who was to come again to look unto the needs of the Jews together with the Christians.
There emerged a separation as Brown puts it in the second phase between the Jews belonging to the synagogue and the Christians. The separation resulted in the expulsion of the Johannine community from the synagogue. This exclusion was due to presenting issues such as the surge of successful ministers of God, which did alert them on whom was to lead the synagogue. Additionally, a deviating similarity to what the two groups had earlier on. In support of this might as Dube and Jeffrey (2002) put it, could be the help granted to the Samaritans by the Johannine community. Secondly, their expulsion was triggered by the demolition of the temple belonging to Jerusalem by the Romans and the belief disaster (Ferreira, 1998). The destruction of the temple resulted in an identity prompting followers of Jesus from other synagogues to feel sorry for them.
The throwing out of the Johannine group resulted in despicable trauma concerning their faith. It was within this trauma concern that the fourth evangelist brought together the norms of the community and construed them intending to look into the wants of the emerged secluded community (Kittredge, 2007). During this time, the major themes of the gospel were formulated, giving the Johannine group with guarantee and sureness in the face of the deprivation encountered before. More so, it was succeeding the debate with the occupants of the synagogue such that the gospel found its basis (John 16:2).
According to Brown, the third phase relates to the history of the community, was similar to the background on the writing of first John. With the expulsion out of the synagogue issue having been handled setting the Johannine community free, it made way for a good relationship among other communities as Brown supposes that the fourth gospel was to give an image on the Jesus more intensely.
Richter’s theory
The basis to which Richter builds his construction is on prima facie. In his theory on the fourth gospel siding with the Johannine community to address its social situation, he finds four other groups mentioned in the text that were joint to the Johannine group. He groups this into four categorical Christians: the mosaic prophet, son of God, Docetist, and revisionist. Through this group identification, Richter points out that the fourth gospel addressed the Johannine community as the groups are linked to Johannine. As discussed below in his theory, he has convinced these groups of Johannine are elucidating the portrayal of the fourth gospel by John.
Mosaic prophet Christians
This group rejected David as the Messiah, and just like the Johannine, and they proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah in the same way as Moses. After being excluded from the synagogue of their displacement area, the Mosaic prophet group emerged with their gospel-like ministration out of the Johannine norms.
Son of God Christians
This category of Jewish Christians thought of Jesus as the son of God who had descended to come forth in helping them with their faced challenges and further pave the way to their heavenly salvation (Brouwer & Chennattu, 2006). In their conduct as portrayed in the gospel, they faced internal conflicts with other members within the Johannine group as some held their earlier Christology in the group. As Richter puts it in his reconstruction, this group broke from the mosaic prophets and built on the Johannine Jesus’ ground.
Docetist Christians
Several Christians from the son of God group construed the evangelist’s upper theology of Christ in a docetic modus. This method was by way of emphasizing the mission of Jesus as a divine being to the extent that his presence on earth is somewhat a misconception. This category of Johannine pulled out from group two communities, as shown in 1 John 2:19, but otherwise progressed with the evangelism that led to conflict. The gospel understanding by evangelist was taken as the word amid the Johannine docetists; hence no further interpretation was made within this Johannine group.
Revisionist Christians
The compiler of texts which were detrimental to the docetic group conduct within the revisionist Christians took into continuation the work of the docetist through making additional information (1:14-18; 19:34-35) and deduced first John as defense theology on Jesus being the son of God coming to his people in the flesh. This theology impacted the followers under this category, positioning themselves in between groups one and two. In opposing the take of group three, he acquired a position that had little adventure compared to the evangelist in group two. With the focus in this grouping system, Richter hypothesizes that the fourth gospel has its basis on the Johannine.
Conclusion
The fourth gospel, as painted from above theories, was under the influence of struggle, trauma, and separation among the groups that were initially together proclaiming in the same direction that Jesus was the Messiah. The community’s imposition of norms relating to Jesus was strongly re-formed in this environment to portray the effect of the two forces outside ordinary Jewish religiousness and of encounter with the synagogue. The remodeling of initially an independent collection of traditions is what did shape the fourth gospel portraying Jesus as an everlasting father from the conduct of the community to a detailed understanding by the community as spirit work of truth (Rensberger, 1988).
References
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