The Gospel According to John, I-XII

663 Pages·1966·41.17 MB·English

by  Raymond E. Brown

THE ANCHOR BIBLE
THE GOSPEL
ACCORDING TO
JOHN
(i-xii)
INTRODUCTION, TRANSLATION, AND NOTES
BY
RAYMOND E. BROWN, S.S.
Doubleday & Company, Inc.
Garden Gty, New York
1966
NIHlL OBSTAT
Myles M. Bourke, S.S.L., S.T.D.
Censor Librorum
IMPRIMATUR
+
Terence 1. Cooke, D.D.
February 24, 1966
New York
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 66-12209
Copyright @ 1966 by Doubleday & Company, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First Edition
PREFACE
This is the first volume in a two-volume translation of and commentary
on John and the Johannine Epistles. This volume contains an introduction
to the whole Gospel and a treatment of chs. i-xii, or the Jobannine
account of the public ministry of Jesus (the Gospel itself has a break at
the end of ch. xii). The second volume will contain a treatment of cbs.
xiii-xxi of the Gospel, or the account of the Last Supper, the passion of
Jesus, and the resurrection, and will go on to introduce and comment on
the Epistles. The volumes-Nos. 29 and 30 of The Anchor Bible-should be
of about the same length: for this volume (vol. 29) treats approximately
two-thirds of the Gospel, represented by chapters i-xii and the second
volume (vol. 30) will cover the remaining third of the Gospel and the
three Epistles of John. An index to the whole will appear in vol. 30.
The tremendous amount of scholarly work on John in the last few years
and a notable change in the direction of Johannine studies (see Introduction,
Part I) have made necessary a somewhat longer and more detailed com
mentary than bas hitherto been the custom in the Anchor Bible series.
However, we trust that the reader will not begrudge the greater ex
penditure of time and effort required by these volumes, for the Fourth
Gospel is more than worthy of all the time and effort we can give to it.
A. Harnack once remarked that this Gospel is one of the great enigmas of
the early history of Christianity, and more recently C. H. Dodd has made
the claim that if we can understand John, we shall know what early
Christianity really was. It is easy to understand that such a work, which is
both enigma and keystone, requires extensive explanation. A translation
with brief notes would serve no purpose here, for the many important com
mentaries on John already in existence would, by comparison, immediately
expose with brutal clarity the superficiality of an inadequate treatment.
Only with considerable hesitation has the present writer undertaken this
project of another commentary on John, precisely because there are already
many excellent commentaries in English and in German. However, the
brilliant originality of these commentaries and of the abundant periodical
literature on John has provided Johannine studies with an embarrassment
of riches. It is often only by working through several commentaries, each
with a view all its own, that the interested student can get a true appreciation
of the problems in John and the possible solutions. Thus, the one factor
above all others that has contributed to this writer's decision to produce
these volumes has been a conviction that the time has come to gather the
VI PREFACB
fruit of the brilliant but isolated contributions of his predecessors and to
make a synthesis of what is of value in their very divergent approaches to
the Gospel. The author has no idea whether or not his fellow scholars will
agree that the correct approach to such a synthesis lies in the direction he
has chosen, namely, in a moderately critical theory of the composition of the
Gospel, combined with the conviction that the Gospel is rooted in historical
tradition about Jesus of Nazareth. Nevertheless, the fact that the views both
of the more adventurous critics and of those inclined to a traditional evalua
tion of the Gospel find an honest (one hopes) and appreciative hearing in
the same commentary may be of considerable value to the student.
Fortunately we live at a time when a considerable degree of objectivity
has been reached in biblical scholarship, so that a commentator can profit
from the serious work of scholars of all religious communions. What has
contributed most in this direction has been the establishment of the clear
difference between the thoughts of the various biblical authors (which are
the concern of a biblical scholar) and the subsequent use and development
of those thoughts in divergent theologies (which are the concern of a
theologian). The second point is important, for the majority of those who
read Scripture are believers for whom the Bible is more than an interesting
witness to past religious phenomena. Nor can it be neglected by the biblical
scholar without peril of religious schizophrenia. Nevertheless, as we have
come to realize, sincere confessional commitment to a theological position
is perfectly consonant with a stubborn refusal to make a biblical text say
more than its author meant it to say. There is no reason why scholars of
different denominations cannot agree on the literal meaning of Scripture,
even though they may disagree on the import of certain passages in the
evolution of theology. The Anchor Bible is committed to this thesis, and the
writer has composed his volumes in this spirit.
The translation strives for a correct but thoroughly contemporary style.
There is no attempt to produce prose of formal literary beauty-the writer
would not be capable of this-but only an attempt to render the simple,
everyday Greek of the Gospel into the ordinary American English of today.
The borderline between good modem usage and usage that is too colloquial
for a writtcn work is not sharp or easy to define, although there has been a
serious effort in the translation to avoid what would border on slang. The
interplay of conversations and arguments in the Gospel is the area in which
the problem of proper usage is the most delicate.
Occasionally the choice of a truly apt English word has yielded to the
necessity of preserving theological terms important to the evangelist. Thus,
for example, in ii 4 ''time'' would represent contemporary English usage
better than "hour" (as the Goodspeed translation has recognized), but the
notion of "the hour" is too crucial in the thought of the Gospel to be
sacrificed. In xix 30 "he died" would be a smoother reading than "he handed
over the spirit" but would obscure the Johannine theme that Jesus, once
lifted up (in crucifixion and resurrection), communicates the Spirit.
Third person pronouns referring to God the Father have been capitalized
PREFACE VII
in the translation as a visible means of distinguishing between references to
the Father and references to Jesus. For the sake of consistency this principle
of distinction has been carried over into the NOTES and COMMENT. It has
not always been easy to decide what should go into the NOTES and what
should go into the COMMENT, but the desire to obtain simplicity and
consecutive thought in the CoMMENT has been a guiding factor. The student
will find much of interest in the NOTES; the more general reader may be
content with the COMMENT, which deals with the broad ranges of the
Gospel's thought and composition.
The General Selected Bibliography on p. CXLV contains only general works
frequently cited. In making references to them, we shall use the author's
name and the page number, thus, Bultmann, p. 12~-the elevated number
refers to a footnote. At the end of each part of the Introduction, the
COMMENT on major segments of the text, and units in the Appendixes,
an appropriate sectional bibliography-thus, Bultmann, art. cit., refers to
an article by Bultmann cited in the following sectional bibliography.
The writer is grateful to all those-too many to name-who have helped
him in one way or another with this volume. Particularly valuable was
the assistance by way of checking and proofreading rendered by the
seminarians of St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore, especially by Mr. John
Kselman. The co-operation of Mr. Eugene Eoyang and the staff at Double
day was outstanding.
By chance this volume has a publication date which falls very close
to the seventy-fifth birthday of Professor William F. Albright, born May
24, 1891. The writer remembers that his first article on John was the
product of one of the Professor's seminars at the Johns Hopkins Uni
versity. And so he would like to take this occasion to acknowledge frankly
his debt to the scholarship, example, and generosity of this great biblical
scholar. Ad multos annas.
CONTENTS
Preface v
Principal Abbreviations XlII
INTRODUCTION
I. The Present State of J ohannine Studies XXI
II. The Unity and Composition of the Fourth Gospel XXIV
A. The Problem XXIV
B. Possible Solutions xxv
( 1) Theories of Accidental Displacements XXVI
(2) Theories of Multiple Sources XXVlll
(3) Theories of Multiple Editions XXXII
C. The Theory Adopted in This Commentary XXXIV
m.
The Tradition behind the Fourth Gospel XLI
A. The Value of the Information Found Only in John XLII
B. The Question of Dependency upon the Synoptic
Gospels XLIV
C. The Value of John in Reconstructing Jesus' Ministry XLVII
IV. Proposed Influences on the Religious Thought of the
Fourth Gospel LII
A. Gnosticism LII
( 1) John and Christian Gnosticism Llll
(2) John and the Reconstructed Pre-Christian
Gnosticism LIV
B. Hellenistic Thought LVI
(1) John and Greek Philosophy LVII
(2) John and Philo LVII
(3) John and the Hermetica LVIII
C. Palestinian Judaism LIX
( 1 ) John and the Old Testament LIX
(2) John and Rabbinic Judaism LXI
(3) John and Qumran LXII
x CONTENTS
V. The Destination and Purpose of the Fourth Gospel LXVII
A. Apologetic against the Sectarians of John the Baptist LXV"
B. Argument with the Jews LXX
(1) Justification of Christian Claims against Jewish
Unbelief LXX
(2) Appeal to Jewish Christians in the Diaspora
Synagogues LXXID
C. Argument against Christian Heretics LXXV
D. Encouragement to Believing Christians, Gentile and Jew LXXVII
VI. The Date of the Final Written Form of the Gospel LXXX
A. The Latest Plausible Date LXXX
B. The Earliest Plausible Date LXXXIII
vn.
The Identity of the Author and the Place of Composition LXXXVII
A. The External Evidence about the Author Lxxxvm
B. The Internal Evidence about the Author XCII
C. Correlation of the Hypothesis of John as Author with a
Modem Theory of Composition xcvm
D. The Place of Composition cm
VIII. Crucial Questions in Johannine Theology cv
A. Ecclesiology cv
B. Sacramentalism CXI
C. Eschatology cxv
D. Wisdom Motifs CXXD
IX. The Language, Text, and Format of the Gospel-and Some
Considerations on Style CXXIX
A. The Original Language of the Gospel CXXIX
B. The Greek Text of the Gospel CXXXI
C. The Poetic Format of the Gospel Discourses CXXXII
D. Notable Characteristics in Johannine Style cxxxv
X. The Outline of the Gospel cxxxvm
A. The General Outline of the Gospel CXXXVIII
B. The General Outline of the Book of Sigus CXXXIX
XI. General Selected Bibliography CXLV
CONTENTS XI
I. PROLOGUE
1. The Introductory Hymn (i 1-18) 3
IL THE BOOK OF SIGNS
PART ONE: THE OPENING DAYS OF THE REVELATION OP JESUS
2. The Testimony of John the Baptist:-Concerning His Role
(i 19-28) 42
3. The Testimony of John the Baptist:-Concerning Jesus
(i 29-34) 5S
4. The Baptist's Disciples Come to Jesus:-The First Two
Disciples and Simon Peter (i 35-42) 73
5. The Baptist's Disciples Come to Jesus:-Philip and Nathanael
(i 43-51) 81
PART Two: FROM CANA TO CANA
6. The First Sign at Cana in Galilee-Changing of Water to
Wine (ii 1-11) 97
7. Jesus Goes to Capemaum (ii 12) 112
8. The Oeansing of the Temple in Jerusalem (ii 13-22) 114
9. Reaction to Jesus in Jerusalem (ii 23-25) 126
10. Discourse with Nicodemus in Jerusalem (iii 1-21) 128
11. The Baptist's Final Witness (iii 22-30) 150
12. The Discourse Concluded (iii 31-36) 157
13. Jesus Leaves Judea (iv 1-3) 164
14. Discourse with the Samaritan Woman at Jacob's Well
(iv 4-42) 166
15. Jesus Enters Galilee (iv 43-45) 186
16. The Second Sign at Cana in Galilee-Healing the Official's Son
(iv 46-54) 190
PART THREE: JESUS AND THE PRINCIPAL FEASTS OF THE JEWS
17. Jesus on the Sabbath:-The Healing at Bethesda (v 1-15) 205
18. Jesus on the Sabbath:-Discourse on His Sabbath Work
(v 16-30) 212
19. Jesus on the Sabbath:-Discourse on His Sabbath Work
(continued) (v 31-47) 222
20. Jesus at Passover:-The Multiplication of the Loaves
(vi 1-15) 231
21. Jesus at Passover:-Walking on the Sea of Galilee (vi 16-21) 251
22. Jesus at Passover:-The Crowd Comes to Jesus (vi 22-24) 257
23. Jesus at Passover:-Preface to the Discourse on the Bread of
Life (vi 25-34) 260
24. Jesus at Passover:-Discourse on the Bread of Life (vi 35-50) 268
m CONTENTS
25. Jesus at Passover:-Discourse on the Bread of Life (continued)
(~ 51-59) 281
26. Jesus at Passover:-Reactions to the Discourse on the Bread
of Life (vi 60-71) 295
27. Jesus at Tabemacles:-Introduction (vii 1-13) 305
28. Jesus at Tabernacles:~cene One (vii 14-36) 310
29. Jesus at Tabemacles:~cene Two (vii 37-52) 319
30. The Story of the Adulteress (vii 53, Wi 1-11) 332
31. Jesus at Tabemacles:-Scene Three (viii 12-20) 339
32. Jesus at Tabemacles:-Scene Three (continued) (Wi 21-30) 346
33. Jesus at Tabernacles:--Scene Three (concluded) (Wi 31-59) 352
34. Aftermath of Tabemacles:-The Healing of a Blind Man
(ix 1-41) 369
35. Aftermath of Tabemacles:-Jesus as Sheepgate and Shepherd
(x 1-21) 383
36. Jesus at Dedication:-Jesus as Messiah and Son of God
(x 22-39) 401
37. Apparent Conclusion to the Public Ministry (x 40-42) 413
PART FoUR: JESUS MOVES TOWARD nm HOUR OP DEATH AND GLORY
38. Jesus Gives Men Life:-The Story of Lazarus (xi 1-44) 420
39. Men Condemn Jesus to Death:-The Sanhedrin (xi 45-54) 438
40. Will Jesus Come to Jerusalem for Passover? (xi 55-57) 445
41. Scenes Preparatory to Passover and Death:-The Anointing
at Bethany (xii 1-8) 447
42. Scenes Preparatory to Passover and Death:-The Entry into
Jerusalem (xii 9-19) 455
43. Scenes Preparatory to Passover and Death:-The Coming of
the Hour (xii 20-36) 465
CoNCLUSION TO nm BOOK OP SIGNS
44. An Evaluation of Jesus' Ministry to His Own People
(xii 37-43) 483
45. An Unattached Discourse of Jesus Used as a Summary
Proclamation (xii 44-50) 489
APPBNDlXPS
I: Johannine Vocabulary 497
ll: The "Word" 519
m: Signs and Works 525
IV: EgiJ Eimi-''1 am" 533