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April 2011 Adult Faith Education www.sandpiper.org.au – Page 13
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Introducing the
Gospel of St John
In the final weeks of Lent, during Holy
Week and through the Easter season, we
will listen to the Gospel of John, a rich
source for prayer and reflection. This
article forms the first in a short series
focused on the fourth Gospel.
The City of Ephesus
In around 180CE, Saint Irenaeus
of Lyon identified the
apostle John, the son of Zebedee
as author of the fourth Gospel
and the letters of ‘John’; “John, the
disciple of the Lord, who leaned
on his breast, himself issued the
Gospel while dwelling in Ephesus’
where John lived “till the times of
Trajan’ (98 – 117 CE).
Irenaeus’ information came from
Polycarp, a personal friend of the
apostle John, and others who had seen
Jesus.
Other early writers, including Justin
Martyr and Polycrates who lived in
Ephesus (in today’s Turkey), referred
to a long residence of the apostle John
in that town.
Ephesus was a multicultural port
city. After Alexander the Great conquered
the region around 333 BCE,
Greek language was used a great deal
and Greek ideas were very influential.
When the Romans took over, their systems
of law and government became
dominant. Architecture in Ephesus
reflected Greek and Roman influences.
The people came from diverse
backgrounds, including Jewish people
of the diaspora.
The ‘diaspora’ refers to the growth
of Jewish communities in many
regions outside Palestine whose ancestors
fled their homeland because of
persecution and troubles, especially
due to foreign invasions, throughout
the centuries.
In the early days of the Christian
mission, Jewish Christian leaders,
including Paul, went first to teach the
Jewish communities in each new town
they visited.
It was Paul, together with married
couple Priscilla (or Prisca) and Aquila,
who founded the very first Christian
community in Ephesus.
The ‘Beloved Disciple’
In time, a Christian community
developed in Ephesus. Its
leader appears to have been a
Jew from Palestine, an eye witness
to the life of Jesus. Revered as an
ideal disciple, “the disciple whom
Jesus loved”, appears at important
moments in the Gospel, but is
never named.
The Gospel portrait of the ‘Beloved
Disciple’ is therefore probably based
on a real historical person, known to
the community, possibly their founder
and leader.
Whether this was John the son of
Zebedee, one of the twelve, we do not
know.
A ‘Johannine’ community, faithful
to the traditions handed down by a
‘Beloved Disciple’, seems to have been
responsible for the Gospel and letters
of ‘John.’
In John 21:24 the Gospel author is
linked to this disciple.
Many Scripture teachers believe
‘the Beloved Disciple’ is an author in
the sense of being the ‘mind’ behind
the Gospel and letters of ‘John’.
The ‘Beloved Disciple’ shared
deep knowledge and insight regarding
Jesus and the meaning of his life,
death and resurrection.
The Gospel and Letters of ‘John’
contain similar language and ideas
but, with careful reading, different
situations and time frames emerge.
There is evidence these writings
may have come from several writers,
reshaping and editing the words
through several stages and decades in
the life of the community.
One writer, the author of the third
letter of John, is identified as an elder
in the community.
The letters are concerned with different
ways of understanding Jesus,
community divisions, problems concerning
leadership and authority.
Historical situation
The fourth Gospel probably
emerged near the end of the
first century and the Letters
soon after.
A papyrus (the John Rylands
papyrus) with a gospel fragment
dated around 130 CE, indicates it was
already circulating by this time.
A Greek term, aposunagogas,
meaning to be ‘put out of the synagogue’
appears in the gospel.
The term describes compulsory
expulsion from synagogues, beginning
with an edict in 85 CE, that
forced synagogue members to pray
that followers of Jesus of Nazareth
would ‘perish’.
Of course, faithful followers of
Jesus could not make this prayer their
own!
The earliest Christians were Jews,
who continued to worship within
Judaism, whilst embracing the teachings
of Jesus.
They recognised him as the Messiah,
the fulfilment of all they believed
as Jewish people.
The edict of 85 AD caused loss,
grief and a total split from the practice
of Judaism for Jesus’ followers. With
this went the breakdown of connections
with family and friends.
The fourth Gospel reflects this
experience (see John Chapter 9). The
Gospel was composed some time after
the events of 85 CE.
Community
Early Gospel readers were
Greek speaking Christians
of Jewish and Gentile (non
Jewish) background. The Pax
Romana, or ‘Roman Peace’ that
had allowed tolerance of local religious
groups was breaking down.
After 85 CE, Jewish Christians
suffered a break with the faith of
their ancestors.
Both Gentile and Jewish Christians
were persecuted by Roman colonial
powers. Denunciation to the Romans
had resulted in death for some.
Challenges and crises beset the
Johannine community from outside
and inside.
They felt the world was opposed to
them. The Gospel refers often to difficulties
faced by Jesus’ disciples in the
‘world’. Yet God sent Jesus out of love
for the world (John 1:9-10; 3:16)!
At the time this Gospel developed,
there were people claiming to belong
to select groups with the secret knowledge
(gnosis) required for salvation by
a mysterious redeemer.
A ‘Gnostic’ redeemer would come
from the heavens to take back a chosen
few.
The fourth gospel rejects Gnostic
teachings. Jesus and his message are
for everyone.
Discipleship
The Gospel seeks to
strengthen Jesus’ disciples
in difficult times. It also
has a universal message for new
believers and for the whole world.
It is written so that people might
come to faith in Jesus and so have
life in his name (Jn 20:31).
Readers, like characters in the
story, must decide how they are going
to respond to Jesus Christ. Each is
invited to a relationship of complete
faith and trust in Jesus.
For Jewish Christians, whose synagogue
ties were broken, the Gospel
presents Jesus as the One who fulfils
Ephesus as seen by Sandhurst Diocese pilgrims in 2007.
the purpose and meaning of all the The ‘disciple whom Jesus
Jewish feasts, including Passover, loves’ (chapters 13, 19, 20 &
which is giving new meaning (Jn 6;
13-21).
21), becomes the true ideal
Personal journeys of faith, from of discipleship, in contrast with the
incomplete to complete faith in Jesus, failures of both Peter and Judas.
are a focus of the first twelve chapters. This beloved one remains close to
In the final chapters (Jn 13-21),
Jesus. He is ready to follow Jesus in
self giving love is a major focus (Jn
15:12-14).
loving ‘to the end’ (13:1 and 15:12-14).
Jesus’ death appears to be the hour The Beloved Disciple shows love
of loss and failure. Yet this is the hour has primacy in the life of a disciple.
when Jesus’ life of self giving, serving Through this Gospel, and the letters of
love reaches fulfilment. It is the hour
‘John’, we know that we are all called
of his glory.
He loved ‘to the end’ (Jn 13:2)
as ‘Beloved Disciples’.
and this reality is there for all to see Jesus’ disciples are his friends,
(Jn 19:37). The God of love has been commanded to serve and to love one
revealed in Jesus. Later, 1 John 4:7 another (13:1-16; 13:34-35; 15:12-14),
will state ‘God is Love.”
even to the greatest love of laying
Jesus’ disciples are sent to continue
down of life for others, as he has done.
as he has begun;
“If I, your Lord and Teacher have Disciples are not perfect people in this
washed your feet,
Gospel.
you also ought to wash one another’s
feet...” (Jn 13:14)
community as it is among Christians
This was as true of the Johannine
“Love one another as I have loved
today.
you...No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s
Disciples are chosen and called
friends” (Jn 15:12-14)
by Jesus, although he knows very
‘’Peace be with you. As the Father well that they (and we) may fail. The
sent me, so I am sending you. important thing is to stay in a relationship
of faith and trust, love and
Receive the Holy Spirit…..’ (John
20:21).
closeness to Jesus.
The Beloved Disciple and all This is the stance of the Beloved
Disciples
Disciple.