X. Church and Sacraments

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X. Church and Sacraments
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• Church
• FG shows no interest in church as institution.
• Profound interest in Christian community.
• Five characteristics of Christian community
  (Kysar, 114ff)
• Unity (1711, 20-23 2111)
• Unity of church is grounded in oneness with
  Christ.
• Bears witness to unity of Christ with the Father.
• Love (1512-17)
• Chief characteristic is love for one another.
• Nothing said of loving outsiders or enemies (cf.
  Qumran).
• Glory (1722-23)
• Gods glory (renown, radiant splendor) given to
  Jesus, is now given to church (manifests Gods
  glory).
• Church is now the place where God is manifested
  (revealed, made known), a place of continuing
  revelation.
• Equality
• No interest in hierarchical structure, apostolic
  authority, etc.
• All have equal authority/gifts because all have
  Spirit.
• Sent into the world (1718 2021)
• Church continues mission of Christ.
• Task is symbolized by fishing and shepherding
  (ch. 21).

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• Sacraments
• 1. Evidence of de-emphasis on sacraments
• a. No baptism of Jesus replaced by Johns
  witness to Jesus.
• b. No institution of Lords Supper no
  Eucharistic words at Last Supper.
• 2. Passages possibly reflecting keen interest in
  sacraments
• Eating flesh/drinking blood (651-59) - clearly
  alludes to Lords Supper
• Water and Spirit (35) - baptism associated with
  giving of Spirit
• Water into wine (21-11) may symbolize Lords
  Supper?
• Feeding 5,000 (61-13) uses verb eucharisto
  (to give thanks)
• Foot-washing (131-15) may symbolize baptism?
• Allegory of vine (151-6) may symbolize Lords
  Supper?
• Spear-thrust (1934) may symbolize baptism and
  Lords Supper?
• The two most explicit of these possible
  allusions (a and b) are attributed by Bultmann
  (and others) to Final Redactor.
• Redactor is widely regarded as more sacramental
  than Evangelist.
• Hotly debated What was the Evangelists attitude
  toward sacraments?

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• Sacraments
• Views on Evangelists attitude toward sacraments
• Highly sacramental (Brown)
• Evangelist is highly appreciative of sacraments
  omits institution of baptism/Lords Supper only
  because he assumes these are known.
• Frequent allusions give spiritual interpretation
  (baptism signifies new birth through Spirit
  Lords Supper symbolizes Jesus revelation as
  spiritual nourishment, his death as model of
  sacrificial service).
• Redactor has made these allusions more explicit
  (but not contrary to Evangelists intentions).
• Anti-sacramental (Bultmann)
• Evangelist deliberately avoided sacraments
  because they were abused in practice.
• Teaches a spiritual faith not dependent on
  rituals.
• Redactor added explicit sacramental passages
  (35 651-58), contrary to purpose of
  Evangelist, to make FG more acceptable to
  mainstream Christianity.
• A-sacramental (Kysar)
• Johannine church was isolated did not observe
  sacraments.
• Evangelist shows no interest in/knowledge of
  them.
• Redactor added explicit references either when
  church adopted sacraments after expulsion from
  synagogue or when FG began circulating in
  mainstream Christianity.

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John 1711, 20-23 2111

• 1711 And now I am no longer in the world. Holy
  Father, protect them in your name that you have
  given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.
• 1720 "I ask also on behalf of those who will
  believe in me through their word, 21 that they
  may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I
  am in you, may they also be in us, so that the
  world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The
  glory that you have given me I have given them,
  so that they may be one, as we are one, 23 I in
  them and you in me, that they may become
  completely one, so that the world may know that
  you have sent me and have loved them even as you
  have loved me.
• 2111 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the
  net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred
  fifty-three of them and though there were so
  many, the net was not torn.

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John 1512-17

• 12 "This is my commandment, that you love one
  another as I have loved you. 13 No one has
  greater love than this, to lay down one's life
  for one's friends. 14 You are my friends if you
  do what I command you 17 I am giving you these
  commands so that you may love one another.

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John 1722-23

• 22 The glory that you have given me I have given
  them, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23
  I in them and you in me, that they may become
  completely one, so that the world may know that
  you have sent me and have loved them even as you
  have loved me.

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John 1718 2021

• 1718 As you (Father) have sent me (Son) into
  the world, so I have sent them into the world.
• 2021 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with
  you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
  22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and
  said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

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John 651-59

• 53 So Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell
  you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man
  and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54
  Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have
  eternal life, and I will raise them up on the
  last day 55 for my flesh is true food and my
  blood is true drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh
  and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them

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John 35

• 5 Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one
  can enter the kingdom of God without being born
  of water and Spirit.