2
The Gospel of John
f I i
- he Gospel of John is the fourth gospel included in the New Testa-
- ment, usually presented after Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Like the
JL. other New Testament gospels, the Gospel of John is a narrative
gospel that offers a portrait of Jesus, whose life concludes with his crucifixion
and resurrection from the dead. Yet this gospel differs remarkably in detail
and message from the other, synoptic New Testament gospels.
Jesus, according to John, is an exalted being who is the incarnate son of god
and is one with god. Jesus is the divine word or reason of god, the logos, who
descends like a falling star from heaven, becomes flesh, and makes his home in
this mortal realm below. As the word of god in human flesh, Jesus performs
mighty deeds, called "signs" in John, which demonstrate his power and great-
ness. These signs most likely come from an earlier source, a gospel of signs,
which meant to highlight the miracles of Jesus. In the Gospel of John these
signs are interpreted in a more spiritual manner, as becomes clear in the story
of Nicodemus. The signs also become the occasion for Jesus to utter long, mys-
tical discourses in which he declares that he himself provides the real meaning
for the signs. Thus Jesus in the Gospel of John commonly speaks in "I am" self-
declarations, a form of speech reminiscent of the divine "I am" of Jewish tradi-
tion and of divine speech in general (note also the use of "I am" statements in
gnostic texts, for example, Thunder). Finally, Jesus is glorified in his death and
returns to the realm above to prepare a place for those who are to follow him.
These features of the portrait of Jesus in the Gospel of John are reminis-
cent of themes found in a number of gnostic sources. It is no wonder, then,
that John is sometimes linked to gnostic religion, or that in its present form