Imperfect believers : ambiguous characters in the Gospel of John / Susan E. Hylen.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hylen, Susan.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bible. John--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bible.

Bible. John.

Bible. John--Biography.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

ix, 206 pages ; 23 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Louisville, Ky. : Westminster John Knox Press, [2009]

Summary:

"With certain characters, it is difficult for the reader to determine whether the character believes in Jesus or not. A second and more prominent ambiguity is that of characters who believe in Jesus and at the same time disbelieve or misunderstand a good deal about him. Finally, Jesus' character displays a different kind of ambiguity, one created by the many metaphors that characterize him. Jesus' character is unambiguously positive, yet the multiple metaphors John employs create an elusive character. The reader must simultaneously hold together multiple views of Jesus, some of which seem mutually exclusive or contradictory. These competing claims are all in some way possible and are necessary to understand Jesus' identity."

This thought-provoking book offers a thorough study of characters in the Gospel of John-Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, the disciples, the Jews, Martha and Mary, Peter and the Beloved Disciple, and Jesus. Hylen argues that John's characters are not simply one-dimensional depictions of belief and unbelief, but are in fact far more complex and ambiguous.

This ambiguity has an important literary function: it invites the reader to understand biblical characters within the context of the inherent logic of the Gospel. The Gospel establishes ideals like believing and abiding in Jesus. The reader is left to decide to what extent a character's actions and speech reflect these aims. Individual character portraits explore what readers may learn from studying John's complex characters.

This is an excellent resource for seminary classes on the Fourth G̣ospel.

Contents:

Part 1

2 Nicodemus 23

3 The Samaritan Woman 41

4 The Disciples 59

5 Martha and Mary 77

6 The Beloved Disciple 92

Part 2

7 The Jews 113

8 Jesus 135

9 Conclusion 153.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN:

9780664233723

0664233724

OCLC:

308214956