John's Dual Meaning...
In my last post on the Gospel of John, I attempted to show why we must look for a deeper meaning within John's Gospel. In this post I hope to show you how John develops that meaning.
John utilizes a number of literary devices. He uses irony, double entendre, symbols as well as allusions. These devices possess a common thread: they each utilize two levels of meaning.
Irony is a conflict between two levels of meaning. Perhaps the greatest example is in John 11. The leader of the Jews gather to decide what to do with Jesus. Ciaphas stands up and "prophecies" to the group that it is better that one man should die than a nation perish. Ciaphas as an enemy of Jesus clearly means that Jesus is a threat to the stability of the Jewish nation. John, however, sees a deeper ironic meaning. Jesus will indeed die for the nation.
A double entendre is a word or a phrase which possess two meanings. A good example of double entendre within the gospel of John is found in John 3. When Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born "again." Nicodemus takes the word again to mean a second time. This leads him to think that he must enter his mothers womb a second time. But the Greek word which our English bible's translate as again also means "from above." It is this higher meaning which Jesus seems to intend.
Symbols like double entendre also possess two meanings, a lower physical meaning as well as a higher spiritual meaning. The symbol is a tangible representation of an intangible idea. A good example of symbol within John can be found in John 13. When Judas leaves the last supper to betray Jesus, John says, "and it was night." Here John is not merely telling us the time of day, he is hinting at the spiritual blackness which has come with Judas' rejection of the "Light of the World."
An allusion also presupposes two meanings. An Allusion is the implicit referencing of a person or an event, which has occurred in context external to the text. John's gospel is replete with allusions. Among the best known is John's subtle allusions to Genesis 24 in Jesus conversation with the Samaritan woman. John 1-2 is another example. John opens his gospel with a specific timetable of seven days. These seven days correspond to the seven creative days of Genesis. (This is why on the surface John disagrees with the synoptics over Jesus itinerary after His baptism.) We may call these examples of allusion external allusions because they reference information outside of the gospel of John itself.
Allusion may also be internal. Just as John references events outside his gospel, he also echoes event that have occured within his gospel. One of the ways in which he does is through something called a "chiasm." A Chiasm is ancient form of parallelism. Each idea parralels another, converging at a center. 1 John 3:9 is a perfect example of a Chiasm... "No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."
A) No one who is born of God
B) practices sin
C) because His seed abides in him
B') he cannot sin
A') Because he is born of God
There are many Chiasm within the gospel of John (For example John 1:1-18; 1:19-28; 1:29-36; 1:32-51). They are not all short. John 2-4 is one long extended Chiasm mirroring content, charachters, events and themes. The first miracle of Cana (2:1-11) is echoed in a second (4:46-54); Jesus' actions in Jerusalem (2:12-25) are recalled by the Galilleans (4:43-45); Jesus Conversation with a ruler of the Jews (3:1- 12) is contrasted in His conversation with a Samaritan woman (4:1-42). Jesus' third person commentary (3:13-21) is mirrored in John the Baptist's third person commentary (3:31-36). The whole Chiasm centers on Jesus superior baptismal ministry and that Jesus is the Bridegroom and John is only the Best Man. (3:22-30)
Examples of Irony, double entendre, symbols, and allusions (including Chiasms) abound. My point is not to overload you with examples. I simply want to show you that this two layered story is an important trend within the gospel of John. It's a trend that is important for understanding John's deeper meaning as well as his worldview. I will address John's worldview in my next post.
John utilizes a number of literary devices. He uses irony, double entendre, symbols as well as allusions. These devices possess a common thread: they each utilize two levels of meaning.
Irony is a conflict between two levels of meaning. Perhaps the greatest example is in John 11. The leader of the Jews gather to decide what to do with Jesus. Ciaphas stands up and "prophecies" to the group that it is better that one man should die than a nation perish. Ciaphas as an enemy of Jesus clearly means that Jesus is a threat to the stability of the Jewish nation. John, however, sees a deeper ironic meaning. Jesus will indeed die for the nation.
A double entendre is a word or a phrase which possess two meanings. A good example of double entendre within the gospel of John is found in John 3. When Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born "again." Nicodemus takes the word again to mean a second time. This leads him to think that he must enter his mothers womb a second time. But the Greek word which our English bible's translate as again also means "from above." It is this higher meaning which Jesus seems to intend.
Symbols like double entendre also possess two meanings, a lower physical meaning as well as a higher spiritual meaning. The symbol is a tangible representation of an intangible idea. A good example of symbol within John can be found in John 13. When Judas leaves the last supper to betray Jesus, John says, "and it was night." Here John is not merely telling us the time of day, he is hinting at the spiritual blackness which has come with Judas' rejection of the "Light of the World."
An allusion also presupposes two meanings. An Allusion is the implicit referencing of a person or an event, which has occurred in context external to the text. John's gospel is replete with allusions. Among the best known is John's subtle allusions to Genesis 24 in Jesus conversation with the Samaritan woman. John 1-2 is another example. John opens his gospel with a specific timetable of seven days. These seven days correspond to the seven creative days of Genesis. (This is why on the surface John disagrees with the synoptics over Jesus itinerary after His baptism.) We may call these examples of allusion external allusions because they reference information outside of the gospel of John itself.
Allusion may also be internal. Just as John references events outside his gospel, he also echoes event that have occured within his gospel. One of the ways in which he does is through something called a "chiasm." A Chiasm is ancient form of parallelism. Each idea parralels another, converging at a center. 1 John 3:9 is a perfect example of a Chiasm... "No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."
A) No one who is born of God
B) practices sin
C) because His seed abides in him
B') he cannot sin
A') Because he is born of God
There are many Chiasm within the gospel of John (For example John 1:1-18; 1:19-28; 1:29-36; 1:32-51). They are not all short. John 2-4 is one long extended Chiasm mirroring content, charachters, events and themes. The first miracle of Cana (2:1-11) is echoed in a second (4:46-54); Jesus' actions in Jerusalem (2:12-25) are recalled by the Galilleans (4:43-45); Jesus Conversation with a ruler of the Jews (3:1- 12) is contrasted in His conversation with a Samaritan woman (4:1-42). Jesus' third person commentary (3:13-21) is mirrored in John the Baptist's third person commentary (3:31-36). The whole Chiasm centers on Jesus superior baptismal ministry and that Jesus is the Bridegroom and John is only the Best Man. (3:22-30)
Examples of Irony, double entendre, symbols, and allusions (including Chiasms) abound. My point is not to overload you with examples. I simply want to show you that this two layered story is an important trend within the gospel of John. It's a trend that is important for understanding John's deeper meaning as well as his worldview. I will address John's worldview in my next post.
posted by Matthew Miller at 10:26 AM
1 Comments:
Thanks Matthew. Much to ponder. Once I've had opportunity to review more prayerfully and in some depth, I'll come back again. You've obviously expended much research and effort in this. dj
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