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 God’s 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 d’Hayye (“Knowledge of Life”). • Rituals included repeated baptisms. • Revered John the Baptist as true Revealer. • Opposed Christ as a deceiver. • Close parallels to FG’s “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. 1:1-18 – 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. 7:22-23). • Rabbinic argument from lesser to greater. • Rabbinic view of duty to study Torah and find life (5:39). • Hillel: “The more Torah the more life, the more study the more wisdom…” • John 5:39: "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. 1:4-5, 8; 3:19-21; 12:36; 14:6, 17, 26). • Opposition to Temple (4:21-23). • Community solidarity and love within community (13:34; 15:12). • 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. 18:18-19). • FG shows strong interest in Samaritans. • Samaria as mission field (ch. 4). • Jesus as greater than Moses (1:7). • Jesus as “the Prophet” who is to come (1:21, 25; 6:14; 7:40). • 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.