Raymond Brown, ’The Jews,’ and the Gospel of John: From Apologia to Apology

210 Pages·2016·1.58 MB·English

by  Sonya Shetty Cronin

LIBRARY OF NEW TESTAMENT STUDIES

504

Formerly Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series

Editor
Mark Goodacre

Editorial Board
John M. G. Barclay, Craig Blomberg,
R. Alan Culpepper, James D. G. Dunn, Craig A. Evans, Stephen Fowl,
Robert Fowler, Simon J. Gathercole, John S. Kloppenborg, Michael Labahn,
Love L. Sechrest, Robert Wall, Steve Walton,
Robert L. Webb, Catrin H. Williams
ii
RAYMOND BROWN, ‘THE JEWS’,
AND THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

From Apologia to Apology

Sonya Shetty Cronin

LONDON • NEW DELHI • NEW YORK • SYDNEY
Bloomsbury T&T Clark
An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Imprint previously known as T&T Clark

50 Bedford Square 1385 Broadway
London New York
WC1B 3DP NY 10018
UK USA

www.bloomsbury.com
Bloomsbury, T&T Clark and the Diana logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

First published 2015

© Sonya Shetty Cronin, 2015

Sonya Shetty Cronin has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act,
1988, to be identi(cid:191)ed as Author of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any
information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the
publishers.

No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organization acting on or refraining
from action as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by Bloomsbury or
the author.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN: HB: 978-0-56747-085-0
ePDF: 978-0-56723-096-6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.

Typeset by Forthcoming Publications Ltd (www.forthpub.com)
To my father, Subbayya Shetty

And to Jeremy, Hannah, Micah, Marie and Brian
vi
CONTENTS

Acknowlegments ix
Preface xi

INTRODUCTION 1
1. The Issue of Anti-Judaism in Johannine Scholarship 4
2. Method 5
3. Structure 7

Chapter 1
BACKGROUND TO RAYMOND BROWN’S BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION 9
1. Biographical Information on Raymond Brown 9
2. Catholic Church: Relations with the Jews in the
Twentieth Century 12
3. Historical Biblical Criticism in the Catholic Church:
Modernist Controversy to Vatican II 16
4. Raymond Brown’s Approach to Biblical Interpretation 21
5. Johannine Scholarship In(cid:192)uencing Raymond Brown 23
6. Raymond Brown on General Johannine Issues 34
7. In(cid:192)uences on Raymond Brown Regarding ‘The Jews’ 37

Chapter 2
ANALYSIS OF BROWN’S PUBLISHED WORKS
ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN FROM 1960 TO 1970 39
1. The Gospel of St. John and the Johannine Epistles (1960) 39
2. The Gospel According to John I–XII (1966) 45
3. Historical Placement of Gospel Events 51
4. The Gospel According to John XIII–XXI (1970) 59

Chapter 3
ANALYSIS OF BROWN’S PUBLISHED WORKS
ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN FROM 1971 TO 1988 69
1. ‘The Passion According to John: Chapters 18 and 19’ (1975) 69
2. The Community of The Beloved Disciple (1979) 78
3. J. Louis Martyn and History and Theology
in the Fourth Gospel 86
4. The Gospel and the Epistles of John (1988) 89
1
viii Contents

Chapter 4
ANALYSIS OF BROWN’S PUBLISHED WORKS
ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN FROM 1988 TO 1998 95
1. Death of the Messiah (1994) 95
2. John Dominic Crossan’s Who Killed Jesus? 109
3. Introduction to the New Testament (1997) 115
4. A Retreat with John the Evangelist (1998) 118

Chapter 5
ANALYSIS OF BROWN’S POSTHUMOUS WORKS 129
1. An Introduction to the Gospel of John (1998/2003) 129
2. Points de vue divers sur les juifs dans Jean (1997) 138
3. Brown’s Contribution to The Jewish People
and Their Sacred Scriptures in the Christian Bible 147

CONCLUSION:
RAYMOND BROWN IN THE CONTEXT
OF TWENTIETH-CENTURY BIBLICAL SCHOLARSHIP 154
1. Major Commentaries/Works on the Gospel of John
and Their Displayed Awareness of Anti-Judaism
in the Gospel of John 154
2. Articles/Book Chapters on Anti-Judaism in the Gospel
of John 169
3. Brown’s Work in Context 174
4. The Relationship Between Raymond Brown’s
Historical Analysis and His Sensitivity to Potential
Anti-Judaism 181

Bibliography 187
Index of References 192
Index of Authors 194

1
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author and publishers are grateful for permission to reproduce the
following copyright material:

Raymond Edward Brown, The Gospel According to John XII–XXI
(Anchor Bible, 29a; Harvard: Yale University Press, 1970). © Yale
University Press.
Raymond Edward Brown, The Gospel According to John I–XII
(Anchor Bible, 29; Yale University Press, 1966). © Yale University
Press.
Raymond Edward Brown and Francis J. Maloney, An Introduction to
the Gospel of John (Harvard: Yale University Press, 2003). © Yale
University Press.
Raymond Edward Brown, The Death of the Messiah (Harvard: Yale
University Press, 1994). © Yale University Press.
Raymond Edward Brown, S.S., The Gospel of St. John and the
Johannine Epistles (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1960).
Excerpts originally published in ‘Points de vue divers sur les juifs
dans le NT’, Second Assignment of Raymond Brown, Pontifical Biblical
Commission Document III:5, April 1997 Meeting, pp.14–21. © Rev
Raymond E. Brown, S.S., Papers, US., Province of the Society of St.
Sulpice Archives, Associated Archives at St. Mary’s Seminary and
University, Baltimore, MD. Reprinted with permission from the
Associated Archives at St. Mary’s Seminary and University.