purpose of John's Gospel
For Jews?
Why did the author bother to write it?
Jn 20:30-31 - the author states their purpose
to correct a misunderstanding?
to oppose heresy?
For everyone?
Against the Jews?
For Gentiles?
Now Jesus did many other signs vin the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Performative - to achieve something in the life of the reader
Performative
to convert (missionary, evangelical)
to sustain (pastoral)
getting believers
keeping & supporting believers
Missionary handbook?
Of the diaspora? (Jews outside Palestine)
strengths:
Emphasis on Jesus superseding Judaism (Jn 1:17)
weaknesses:
Sense of Jews rejecting Jesus throughout (Jn 1:11)
Greeks?
strengths:
Use of Greek philosophical ideas, e.g. logos, dualism, eternal life
weaknesses:
These ideas were discovered also in the Dead Sea Scrolls (Jewish)
anti-Semitic polemic
(written attack)
stregnths:
Jews are clearly blamed for the rejection, arrest & death of Jesus (themes of conflict & rejection)
weaknesses:
Only Jewish religious leaders, not all Jews - some believe
to bear witness
universal salvation
strengths:
Eternal life on offer for all
weaknesses:
Few specific emphasises on women, tax collectors, the poor, the sick, etc (like in Luke)
C2nd Christian heresies
Gnosticism (special knowledge)
Docetism (Jesus only seems human)
strengths:
4G uses key terms in these heresies but clearly re-interprets them, e.g. Jn 1:13 is a spectacular defence of Docetism
weaknesses:
Such themes aren’t directly tackled
To correct the Synoptics?
strengths:
If we accept 4G was written last & by a disciple/eyewitness then the differences between the Synoptics gospels & the 4G are deliberate to set the record straight, e.g. multiple visits to Jerusalem vs 1
weaknesses:
4G is such a different style (‘spiritual’/‘theological’) that the author isn’t motivated by historicity
A gospel (meaning good news) is a unique literary genre (for or type of writing), concerning in some way with preaching of the good news. So, whatever his secondary motives, if the author wrote a gospel he was surely above all preaching a gospel to deepen the faith of believers (Smalley’s view)
there is probably no 1 reason
key elements to include in exam:
BUT the primary one is surly the one stated in the gospel itself (Jn 20:31) - what the author states themselves
The gospel of John is not just a biography , but a theological interpretation of Jesus to promote faith (Lindar’s view)
Links to themes of selectivity, conversion & pastoral
The Fourth Gospel is indeed a story of Jesus: its not the whole story (Harrington’s view)
Links with the idea that the author o the 4G is taking a specific spiritual or theological vine of the story (different to the synoptic gospels) to get & keep believers