Series: Jewish and Christian Heritage, 1 Is the Gospel of John anti-Jewish? What would this mean in the context of the original writer, of his community, the final text and its first readers? Who, precisely, are the Ioudaioi who are so scathingly criticized in the Gospel - “Judeans”, perhaps, or some other more specific group than the Jewish nation as a whole? What are the implications for New Testament study and for Christian theology in the light of the troubled history of relations between Judaism and Christianity? The papers in this volume were presented at the special international colloquium held in January 2000 in Leuven, Belgium, which was convened to assemble the world’s leading experts on John’s Gospel and issues of anti-Judaism for a thorough assessment of the state of the question. The result is a fascinating panorama of the issues and of current approaches to them, and an extremely valuable resource for further work on anti-Judaism in the Christian tradition. Contents: 1. Wrestling with Johannine Anti-Judaism: A Hermeneutical Frame-work for the Analysis of the Current Debate - Reimund Bieringer, Didier Pollefeyt, Frederique Vandecasteele-Vanneuville 2. The Embarrassment of History: Reflections on the Problem of ‘Anti-Judaism’ in the Fourth Gospel - James D.G. Dunn 3. Anti-Judaism in the Fourth Gospel as a Theological Problem for Christian Interpreters R. Alan Culpepper 4. The Fourth Gospel and the Salvation of Israel: An Appeal for a New Start Stephen Motyer 5. Anti-Judaism in Revelation? A Response to Peter Tomson - Jan Willem van Henten 6. Anti-Judaism in the Fourth Gospel - Judith M. Lieu 7. Escape Routes as Dead Ends: On Hatred towards Jews and the New Testament, Especially in the Gospel of John - Simon Schoon 8. The Coming Son of Man Became Flesh. High Christology and Anti-Judaism in the Gospel of John - Bertold Klappert 9. “Abraham is our Father” (John 8:39)The Gospel of John and the Jewish-Christian Dialogue - Hendrik Hoet 10. Biblical Thinking as the Wisdom of Love - Roger Burggraeve 11. The Identity of the ‘Jews’ for the Readers of John - Johannes Beutler 12. The ‘Jews’ in the Gospel of John - Henk Jan de Jonge 13. The Depiction of ‘the Jews’ in John’s Gospel. Matters of Behavior and Identity - M.C. de Boer 14. Speaking of the Jews .‘Jews’ in the Discourse Material of the Fourth Gospel - Raymond F. Collins 15. ‘Jews’ in the Gospel of John as Compared with the Palestinian Talmud, the Synoptics and Some New Testament Apocrypha - Peter J. Tomson 16. ‘Jews’ and Jews in the Fourth Gospel - Adele Reinhartz 17. The Nicodemus Enigma: The Characterization and Function of an Ambiguous Actor of the Fourth Gospel - Jean Marie Sevrin - 18. “Salvation is from the Jews.” The Parenthesis in John 4:22b - Gilbert van Belle 19. John and Judaism - C. Kingsley Barrett 20. “You Are of Your Father the Devil” in Its Context: Stereotyped Apocalyptic Polemic in John 8:38-47 - U.C. von Wahlde 21. Scriptural Dispute between Jews and Christians in John: Literary Fiction or Historical Reality? John 9:13-17, 24-34 as a Test Case - Maarten J.J. Menken 22. The Farewell Discourses (John 13:31–16:33) and the Problem of Anti-Judaism - Jean Zumstein 23. The Gospel of John: Exclusivism Caused by a Social Setting Different from That of Jesus (John 11:54 and 14:6) - James H. Charlesworth 24. Anti-Judaism in the Book of Revelation - Jan Lambrecht 25. The Canon – Understanding of Revelation – History of Reception and Effects. Problems of a Biblically Oriented Theo...

Revised thesis (Ph. D.)--Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky., 2006.

The period since the close of World War II has been agonizingly introspective—not least because of the pain of reassessing Christianity’s attitude to Judaism. The early Christian materials have often been examined to assess their role in the long-standing negative attitude of Christians to Jews. The motivation for the early church’s sometimes harsh attitude was partly theological—it needed to define itself over against its parent—and partly sociological—it needed to make clear the line that divided the fledgling group of Christian believers fromt he group with which it was most likely to be confused. This collection of studies emphasizes the context and history of early Christianity in reconsidering many of the classic passages that have contributed to the development of anti-Judaism in Christianity. The volume opens with an essay that clearly delineates the state of the question of anti-Judaism in early Christianity. Then follow discussions of specific passages in the writings of Paul as well as the Gospels.

In the light of the research undertaken in this book the author concludes that the so called "anti-Jewish" texts in Johannine Gospel are not directed against the Jews being an ethnic or religious community. The object of the polemic and attacks is not the entire Jewish nation across the span of all the ages but a group of the Jewish leaders or opponents to Jesus in the First Century AD. Looking through the prism of the aposynagogal polemics, one can notice that the state of tension between the Johannine community and the rabbinic Judaism is inter-Jewish, not anti-Jewish, in character. The source of the polemical language of the Fourth Gospel is the Christological discussion in the historical and sociological context (the Messianic confession, the excommunication from the Synagogue, the presence of Samaritans in the Johannine community, the struggle for the preservation of the identity).

This study argues that the Gospel of John's anti-Judaism can be well understood from the perspective of trends apparent within the context of broader Greco-Roman culture. It uses the paradigm of collective memory and aspects of social identity theory and self-categorization theory to explore the theological and narrative functions of the Johannine Jews. Relying upon a diverse range of historical testimony drawn from Greco-Roman literature, inscriptions, and papyri, this work attempts to understand the social identities and social locations of Diaspora Jews as a first step in reading John's Gospel in the context of the political and social instability of the first century CE. It then attempts to understand John's theology, its portrayal of Jewish social identity, and the narrative and theological functions of "the Jews" as a group character in light of this historical context. This work attempts to demonstrate that while John's treatment of Jews and Judaism is multivalent at both social and theological levels, it is primarily focused upon strengthening a Christologically centered Christian identity while attempting to mitigate the attractiveness of Judaism as a religious competitor.

Jews and Anti-Judaism in the New Testament offers a balanced, sensitive, and erudite guide to the precarious issues of anti-Semitism, anti-Judaism, and supersessionism in the New Testament. Combining adept navigation of the relevant literature--both classics of the field and more recent forays--with a keen exegetical analysis of the Christian canon, Terence L. Donaldson maps the major New Testament writings across three axes: self-definition, degree of separation, and rhetorical intent. In doing so, he successfully brings his readers up to speed on this crucial discussion, even while pushing the conversation forward with intellectual force and exegetical savvy.

The Fourth Gospel both blesses and betrays. It blesses readers who engage with its message, but it may betray those who read it nonchalantly. The notion that the Fourth Gospel is easy to understand is an enduring myth. This volume takes readers on a heuristic journey to discover the Fourth Gospel's unique theological aspects, problematic historical matters, inimitable literary features, and various interpretive approaches using an accessible format and easy-to-read language. The purpose of this publication is to enable readers to appreciate the Fourth Gospel's wide horizon, so necessary to understand its narratives in their historical and narrative contexts. Like the prologue of the Fourth Gospel that introduces and gives perspective on how readers should approach the rest of the Gospel, similarly, this volume introduces and gives perspective to studies in the Fourth Gospel. The text is divided into three parts, which examine its independent theology and argumentation, various outstanding issues, and its interpretation respectively. This volume is suitable for a wide readership, from Bible study groups to pastors and from undergraduate to graduate students.

A selection of essays from the Leuven Conference on the anti-Judaism of the fourth gospel, this volume includes essays from the world's best Johannine scholars.

The period since the close of World War II has been agonizingly introspective—not least because of the pain of reassessing Christianity’s attitude to Judaism. The early Christian materials have often been examined to assess their role in the long-standing negative attitude of Christians to Jews. The motivation for the early church’s sometimes harsh attitude was partly theological—it needed to define itself over against its parent—and partly sociological—it needed to make clear the line that divided the fledgling group of Christian believers fromt he group with which it was most likely to be confused. This collection of studies emphasizes the context and history of early Christianity in reconsidering many of the classic passages that have contributed to the development of anti-Judaism in Christianity. The volume opens with an essay that clearly delineates the state of the question of anti-Judaism in early Christianity. Then follow discussions of specific passages in the writings of Paul as well as the Gospels.

Captures John's unique perspective and voice in the wider field of Jesus studies In this volume Stanley Porter tackles a variety of important and often highly contentious topics within the Gospel of John as a means of defining and capturing the distinctive Johannine voice. Subjects discussed include John in relation to competing Gospels, the public proclamation of Jesus in John, the sources of John's Gospel, John's prologue, the "I Am" sayings, the notion of truth, the Passover theme, and the ending of the book. Each chapter, besides surveying representative research, puts forward new and insightful proposals regarding the topics concerned. Porter does not shy away from matters that have often perplexed Johannine scholars, and he confronts some of the viewpoints that have led to confusion in the field. In exploring John's unique perspective and voice, Porter makes a significant contribution to the wider fields of Jesus studies and New Testament investigation.