The Fourth Gospel and the Quest for Jesus: Modern Foundations Reconsidered

This book engages critically one of the most pervasive sets of assumptions within modern biblical studies: namely, that because John is theological and different from the Synoptics, it cannot be historical - nor does it contribute anything of substance to the quest for the historical Jesus. Part I develops a brief history of the debate. Part II assesses critically the strengths and weaknesses of six planks comprising the foundation for two major platforms. The first involves 'the de-historicization of John', the second 'the de-Johannification of Jesus'. Part III takes on centrally the question of how John's tradition may have developed in ways that are largely autonomous and individuated, but also holding open the possibility of contact with parallel gospel traditions. Part IV develops the particular contributions made by the Synoptics to the historical investigation of Jesus, and likewise those made by the Johannine tradition. Part V then develops an array of implications emerging from the present study, sketching trajectories for further investigation and paths of extended inquiry. While this approach may be mistaken as an appeal for the traditional view or a post-modern exploration, it is neither. It intends to be a critical analysis of the so-called 'critical consensus' on John's historicity and expulsion from historical Jesus resources. This book could contribute to opening a new approach in Johannine and Jesus studies alike.

• Table of Contents
• Tables
• Acknowledgements
• Foreward
• Introduction - John Verses Jesus - Modern Foundations of Biblical Scholarship
• Part I Modern Foundations for the Critical Investigation of John, Jesus, and History
  • A. The Story of John's Historical Marginalization
    • 1) The Traditional View and its Advocates-From Papias to Schleiermacher
    • 2) Modern Challenges and Advances-From Brettschneider to Bultmann
    • 3) Critiques of Modern Hypotheses-From Lightfoot to Carson
    • 4) The Transcendence of Modernism-From Brown to Staley
  • B. Modern Paradigms and their Adequacy
    • 1) The "Traditional" View: John's Apostolic Authorship
    • 2) The "Critical" View: John's Employment of Alien (non-Johannine) Sources
    • 3) Markan-Dependence Theory
    • 4) Midrashic-Development Approaches
    • 5) Historicized Drama Hypotheses
    • 6) Multiple Editions of John
    • 7) The History of the Johannine Situation
    • 8) Cognitive Criticism and Traditionsgeschichte
  • C. A 'Dialogical Autonomy of John' - A New Synthesis Advanced
    • 1) An Autonomous and Developing Tradition
    • 2) The Dialectical Thinking of the Evangelist
    • 3) The History-of-Religions Origin of John's Human-Divine Dialectic
    • 4) Dialogical Engagements in the Johannine Situation
    • 5) Aspect of Interfluentiality between John and Other Traditions
    • 6) Revelation and Rhetoric - Dialogical Modes of the Johannine Tradition
  • Findings
• Part II John, Jesus, and History-The Relevance of the Investigation
  • A. Planks in Platform A: The De-Historicization of John
    • 1) John's Differences with the Synoptics
    • 2) Synoptic Omissions in John
    • 3) Johannine Omissions in the Synoptics
    • 4) The Johannine Jesus Speaks and Acts in the Mode of the Evangelist
    • 5) The Johannine Material is Rendered in Response to the History of the Johannine Situation
    • 6) The Johannine Evangelist Spiritualizes and Theologizes According to His Purposes
  • B. Planks in Platform B: The De-Johannification of Jesus
    • 1) John's Similarities with the Synoptics-Especially Mark
    • 2) John's Composition: Diachronic or Synchronic?
    • 3) The Lateness of John Diminishes Historical Validity
    • 4) Criteria for Determining Historicity
    • 5) The History of Religions Background of John
    • 6) Emerging Portraits of Jesus Conclusion
  • Findings
• Part III Interfluential, Formative and Dialectical - A Theory of John's Relation to the Synoptics
  • A. John's Relation to Mark: Interfluential, Augmentive, and Corrective
    • 1) John and Mark: An "Interfluential Set of Relationships" during the Oral Stages of their Respective Traditions
    • 2) John's Augmentation of Mark
    • 3) John's Correcting of Mark?
  • B. John's Influence upon Luke: Formative, "Orderly," and Theological
    • 1) John's Formative Influence Upon Luke
    • 2) Does John Provide a Basis for Luke's "Orderly" Account?
    • 3) Did the Johannine Tradition Contribute to Luke's Theology?
    • 4) Acts 4:19-20-A First-Century Clue to Johannine Authorship?
  • C. Contacts Between John and Q?
  • D. John's Relation to Matthew: Reinforcing, Dialectical, and Corrective
    • 1) Matthean and Johannine Sectors of Christianity: Reinforcing Each Other's Missions and Tasks
    • 2) Dialectical Relations Between Johannine Christianity and Intramural Centralizing Tendencies
    • 3) The Finalized Gospel of John: A Corrective to Rising Institutionalism in the Late First-Century Church Conclusion
  • Findings
• Part IV Jesus in Bi-Optic Perspective-Contributions to the Jesus Quest from Synoptic and Johannine Sources
  • A. Dual Attestation - John and the Synoptics
    • 1) Jesus' Association with John the Baptist and the Beginning of His Public Ministry
    • 2) Jesus' Calling of the Disciple as a Corporate Venture
    • 3) A Revolt in the Desert?
    • 4) Jesus as a Healer, Healing on the Sabbath
    • 5) Jesus' Sense of Prophetic Agency from the Father and Religious Resistance
    • 6) Jesus' Cleansing of the Temple
    • 7) The Culmination of Jesus' Ministry - his Arrest, Trials and Death in Jerusalem
    • 8) Attestations to Appearances and the Beginning of the Jesus Movement
  • B. Synoptic Contributions to the Quest for the Jesus of History
    • 1) Jesus' teachings about the Kingdom of God in parables and in Short, Pithy Sayings
    • 2) Jesus' use of short, pithy sayings illustrating the wisdom and way of the Kingdom
    • 3) Jesus' healing and exorcizing ministries and his sending out his disciples to do the same
    • 4) Jesus' confronting of religious authorities and cleansing the Temple as prophetic challenging of purity laws restricting access to God
    • 5) Jesus' dining with "sinners" and healing on the Sabbath as provocations toward renewal
    • 6) Jesus' extolling the love of God and love for others as fulfillments of the Law
    • 7) Jesus' death and appearances as narrated in post-resurrection consciousness
  • C. Johannine Contributions to the Quest for the Jesus of History
    • 1) Jesus' relationship with John the Baptizer in declaring the prolific availability of purification
    • 2) Jesus' early cleansing of the Temple as an inaugural prophetic sign designed to get the attention of religious authorities and others regarding his message
    • 3) Jesus' ministry over more than one year, allowing the movement to build momentum
    • 4) Jesus' public ministry beginning in settings other than the home of Simon Peter's mother-in-law and vicinities
    • 5) Jesus' going to and from Jerusalem, like most observant Jews, and performing signs in the south as well as the north
    • 6) Jesus' last supper being a common meal rather than a Passover meal
    • 7) Jesus' teaching about the life of the Spirit and unmediated access to God's leading and love
    • 8) Jesus' Apocalyptic Mission
  • Findings
• Part V Modern Foundations Reconsidered- Implications for the Critical Investigation of John, Jesus, and History
  • A. A Symathetic Note for the Modernist Project
  • B. Johna and the Synoptics - A Nuanced Appraisal of the Bi-Optical Traditions
  • C. The Dialogical Autonomy of John and Modern Foundations Reconsidered
  • Findings
• Conclusion - John and the Quest for Jesus - A Nuanced View
• Appendix I - A Two Edition Theory of Johannine Composition
• Appendix II - A Historical Outline of Johannine Christianity
• Select Bibliography
• Index of References
• Index of Authors