IV. Religious and Cultural Background

1
IV. Religious and Cultural Background

• Background Greek or Jewish?
• Syncretistic
• Greek philosophy
• Platonism
• Dualism of real, invisible world vs. physical
  shadow/copy.
• John above/below spirit/flesh true heavenly
  bread/natural bread.
• Stoicism
• Divine Logos pervading cosmos.
• John 1 Logos as principle of Creation.
• Parallels with Greek philosophy are not as close
  as once imagined.

2

• B. Gnosticism
• Dualism of spirit (good) vs. matter (evil).
• Physical world inherently evil not created by
  God.
• Problem divine spirit trapped in material body.
• Salvation by gnosis brought by heavenly Revealer.
• Revealer gathers his own leads them to heaven.
• Parallels with FG
• Dualism above/below light/darkness.
• World in darkness.
• Descending/ascending Redeemer/Revealer.
• Emphasis on saving knowledge (gnosis).
• Division of people those from above/those from
  below.
• Differences
• World created by God not inherently evil
  object of Gods love and redemption.
• World in darkness because of human sin.
• Real incarnation and death of Christ (Gnosticism
  was docetic).
• Division of people based on response to Jesus.

3

• Mandaeism
• Gnostic-like cult with roots in Palestine, Syria,
  Mesopotamia.
• Dualism of light/darkness or heaven/earth.
• Escape through knowledge brought by Revealer
  called Manda dHayye (Knowledge of Life).
• Rituals included repeated baptisms.
• Revered John the Baptist as true Revealer.
• Opposed Christ as a deceiver.
• Close parallels to FGs I am sayings.
• I am the Messenger of Light/Life I am a Vine of
  Life I am the True Messenger etc.
• Bultmann Evangelist was convert from Mandaean
  sect brought Revelation-discourse source
  attributed to Christ.
• Mandaean lit. is late hard to know direction of
  dependence.
• Many find in FG a polemic against some group that
  championed John the Baptist over Jesus.

4

• Philo of Alexandria (died c. 45 AD)
• Jewish theologian steeped in Greek philosophy.
• Allegorical interpretation to find Greek ideas in
  Jewish Bible.
• Sometimes compared with symbolism in FG.
• But Jn. does not use allegory quite the way Philo
  does.
• Closest similarity is Logos concept.
• God is so transcendent he must relate to this
  world through intermediaries, esp. through his
  Logos.
• Logos is personified attribute of God variously
  called image of God, first-born Son of God, high
  priest, paraclete, or second God.
• Functions as intermediary being agent of
  creation, revelation, and intercession.
• Quite similar to Logos in Jn. 11-18 Jn. goes
  beyond Philo in incarnation.
• No evidence of direct borrowing both are
  influenced by Jewish Wisdom.
• Some see Jn. doing for Christianity what Philo
  did for Judaism building a bridge to world of
  Greek thought.

5

• Old Testament
• Only 14 direct quotes in FG.
• Numerous allusions, use of themes, imagery,etc.
• Evangelist or his tradition is thoroughly steeped
  in OT.
• Rabbinic Judaism
• Rabbinic methods of interpretation.
• If circumcision is permitted on Sabbath, one can
  also heal (Jn. 722-23).
• Rabbinic argument from lesser to greater.
• Rabbinic view of duty to study Torah and find
  life (539).
• Hillel The more Torah the more life, the more
  study the more wisdom
• John 539 "You search the scriptures because you
  think that in them you have eternal life...

6

• Qumran
• Jewish sect associated with Dead Sea Scrolls.
• Formed around Teacher of Righteousness in 2nd
  cent. BC.
• Protest over Temple withdrew est. commune as
  true Israel.
• Apocalyptic awaited final cosmic battle of good
  and evil.
• Emphasized strict Torah-observance and ritual
  purity.
• Dualism spirit of light/truth vs. spirit of
  darkness/falsehood.
• People divided into Sons of Light and Sons of
  Darkness.
• Similarities to FG
• Dualism (cf. Jn. 14-5, 8 319-21 1236 146,
  17, 26).
• Opposition to Temple (421-23).
• Community solidarity and love within community
  (1334 1512).
• Conclusion
• Discovery of Dead Sea Scrolls (1947) showed that
  FG is much more Jewish than previously believed.
• No evidence of direct borrowing.
• Strong influence of Qumran on FG.
• Evangelist or members of Johannine community
  could be converts from Qumran.
• Alleged Gnostic motifs in FG may have come from
  Qumran.
• Strict legalism, ritualism, hatred of outsiders
  are foreign to FG.

7

• Samaritanism
• Evolved from remnants of old northern Israelites.
• Preserved a form of old Israelite religion with
  differences from Judaism.
• Mount Gerizim as place of worship.
• Exalted view of Moses as Revealer of God,
  prototype of human beings, participant in
  Creation, Intercessor, etc.
• Belief in the Taheb (the coming one)
  Samaritan messiah would be a prophet like
  Moses (Deut. 1818-19).
• FG shows strong interest in Samaritans.
• Samaria as mission field (ch. 4).
• Jesus as greater than Moses (17).
• Jesus as the Prophet who is to come (121, 25
  614 740).
• Jesus fulfills and surpasses what Samaritans were
  looking for.
• Conclusion
• FG shows points of contact with many types of
  thought, both Greek and Jewish.
• Written in syncretistic setting and sought to
  relate the gospel to people of various
  backgrounds.

8
Community Rule III (1QS)

• He has created man to govern the world, and
  has appointed for him two spirits in which to
  walk until the time of His visitation the
  spirits of truth and falsehood. Those born of
  truth spring from a fountain of light, but those
  born of falsehood spring from a source of
  darkness. All the children of righteousness are
  ruled by the Prince of Light and walk in the ways
  of light, but all the children of falsehood are
  ruled by the Angel of Darkness and walk in the
  ways of darkness.
• The Angel of Darkness leads all the children of
  righteousness astray, and until his end, all
  their sin, iniquities, wickedness, and all their
  unlawful deeds are caused by his dominion in
  accordance with the mysteries of God
• But the God of Israel and His Angel of Truth
  will succour all the sons of light. For it is He
  who created the spirits of Light and Darkness
• Geza Vermes, The Dead Sea Scrolls in English,
  2nd edition (Penguin Books, 1975), pp. 75-76.