The New Testament – The Book of John

The New Testament – The Book of John

Significant differences between The Gospel of John and the Synoptic Gospels

The first significant distinction between the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John is the utilization of differing genres. In the Gospel of John, there is the utilization of dialogical or associated discourse; it is conveyed in the form of dialogues, while the Synoptic Gospels are expressed in the genre of proverbs and saying. For instance, in John 3, the parable of Nicodemus, the following example is in John 4, the anecdote of the Samaritan woman (Harris 2014). The second significant difference is in John’s Gospel; some material is excluded in the Synoptic Gospels. Such material incorporates the temptation of Jesus, transfiguration, the organization of the Lord’s supper, Jesus casting out evil spirits, the sermon on the mountain, and the Lord’s prayer, all of which are found in the Synoptic Gospels.

The third significant contrast is that John included some material in his Gospel that is not found in the Synoptic Gospels. For instance, the resurrection of Lazarus, the extended Farewell Discourse, Jesus’ initial Galilean ministry, and Jesus’ last visits to Jerusalem preceding the Passion Week (Barrett 1974). All these events are referenced in the Gospel of John yet not in the Synoptic Gospels. The fourth contrast is that John’s Gospel gives Jesus a higher Christology rather than the Synoptic Gospels. In John’s Prologue, he starts with an attestation of Jesus’ preexistence and full divinity and peaks with Thomas’ admission (Harris 2014). Compared to the Synoptic Gospels, where the Gospel starts with Jesus’ sanctification in Mark and Jesus’ birth in Matthew and Luke.

John’s use of the Greek word logos connects Jesus with the creation account of Genesis 1 as well as the Greek principle of cosmic reason

In John’s Gospel preamble, he certifies Jesus’ preexistence and uses the Greek word logos to depict Jesus, hence implying that Jesus was made flesh or manifested. In Greek philosophy, the term logos is related to the mind of God or divine reason. John’s preamble, “When all things began,” is closely related to God’s word in Genesis in the creation account, “Let there be light” (Harris 2014). These assertions alluded to when darkness turned into light, and everything came into existence. Using the term logos, John’s perspective was that pre-human Jesus was God’s divine reason to create.

The “Book of signs.”

The Book of John is composed of two principal parts: the Book of Glory and the Book of Signs. The Book of Signs comprises seven remarkable occasions frequently alluded to as signs or miracles. This Book was compiled to demonstrate Jesus’ divine nature and His tremendous extraordinary powers. In John 2: 1-11, the first sign occurred: Jesus, His mother Mary, and His disciples were entreated to a wedding in a village in Galilee called Cana. While the ceremony was in progress, the wine ran out, and Jesus performed a sign, a miracle, by transforming water into wine. John goes on to clarify that Jesus did this to reveal His glory (Harris 2014). This is believed to be the first public miracle that Jesus performed and represented Jesus’ initiation into redemptive ministry.

Leaders of the Jerusalem church and the missionaries who first helped carry “the new way” into the larger world beyond the Jewish capital.

Several pioneers of the Jerusalem church and apostles proceeded to assist in conveying the “new way” into the world; as a pioneer, Apostle Peter led the local movement of enlisting for salvation in the primary Jerusalem church. The first Christian martyr, Stephen, was also the chief Hellenist (Greek-speaking Jews of the Diaspora) chosen to declare the Gospel. Another leader was Phillip, Stephen’s kindred Hellenist, who authorized the first Samaritan mission in Judea and Samaria (Elliot 2001). Two disciples of Jesus, John, and his brother James, became pioneers of the church of Jerusalem after Peter before Herod Agrippa attacked them. Barnabas, a Greek-speaking Jewish Christian, was a missionary who went along with Paul on his first missionary venture in Syria and Rome. In the wake of quarreling with Barnabas, Paul selected new missionaries to help him with his second missionary journey throughout Europe and Asia Minor. The new members were Silas and Timothy (Harris 2014).

The Pentecost event in Acts 2 and its results

Acts 2: 1-13 depicts the events that took place on Pentecost day. On this particular day, the disciples had all assembled in one place, and suddenly, a sound like a fierce wind blowing came from heaven, occupying the whole room where they were. This was trailed by tongues of fire appearing on each of their heads, filling them with the Holy Spirit, and they all began to communicate in different dialects. Hearing the noisy sound, a confused crowd gathered outside, and after hearing the disciples speaking, they started questioning each other on how they were communicating in unknown languages (Marshall 1977).  As a result of this event, rather than an intensive restoration of the Israelite people, there was a restoration of spiritual weakening and politically conquered Judaism. This prompted successful and transformative extension and, finally, the now newly shaped community (Harris 2014).

Paul’s transformation from a zealous Pharisee to Christianity’s first missionary

In the Bible, Paul is first presented as Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee who took an interest in the persecution of the early disciples and the Hellenists. In the account of his conversion, Paul was out and about venturing from Damascus to Jerusalem. At the same time, they set to arrest the people referenced above and bring them back to Damascus for persecution. However, while on the way, a bright light shone upon him and struck him blind. While lying on the road, Paul heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” he asked who the speaker was, and the reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” As he stood up, his eyes were open, but he couldn’t see anything, so his companions who had witnessed the event guided him to Damascus.

Saul remained in this condition for three days; additionally, he did not eat or drink anything. The Lord then called upon one of His disciples in Damascus, Ananias, and sent him to Saul. Having known of Saul’s persecutions of believers, Ananias was hesitant to go to him, but the Lord assured him that Saul was waiting and he would do him no harm. Ananias went to Saul, placed his hands on his eyes, and appealed to God for him. Scales are said to have fallen from his eyes, restoring his eyesight. Paul got up, was baptized, and from then on, he became a missionary.

There are three varying accounts of Paul’s transformation: One in Acts and two more in Paul’s letters, Galatians and Corinthians. In the Acts version, Paul encounters a vision of Jesus while en route to Damascus. Shortly after his call, Paul left for Damascus, where he gave sermons in synagogues, yet was disregarded by the Jerusalem disciples (Harris 2014). Later on, he was acquainted with the missionaries and received the Holy Spirit; subsequently, Ananias was baptized and laid his hands upon him in prayer.

The Second version of Galatians states that Paul received a “disclosure” of Jesus and went to Arabia for an undefined period. He doesn’t go to Jerusalem until three years after his return from Arabia, and in this version, Paul meets Peter and James instead of Ananias. He also affirms that he owes his missional Gospel and commission to nobody, plus he never expounded on his baptism (Harris 2014). A third version is in Corinthians, whereby Paul refers to eating meat offered to the idols as non-defiling. This repudiates his interpretation in Acts whereby he consents to ban eating meat offered to idols.

Authentic letters of Paul

Of Paul’s thirteen letters, only seven are undisputed. These letters are arranged chronologically as follows: 1^st Thessalonians, Galatians, 1^st Corinthians, Philippians, Philemon, 2^nd Corinthians, and Romans (Roetzel 2015).

References

Harris, S. L. (2014). The New Testament: A student’s introduction (8^th Ed). McGraw-Hill Education.

Marshall, I. H. (1977). The significance of Pentecost. Scottish Journal of Theology, 30(4), 347-369.

Barrett, C. K. (1974). John and the Synoptic Gospels. The Expository Times, 85(8), 228-233.

Elliot, J. H. (2001). Elders as leaders in 1 Peter and the early church. Currents in theology and mission, 28(6), 546-559.

Roetzel, C. J. (2015). The letters of Paul: Conversations in context. Presbyterian Publishing Corp.

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What are some of the major differences between the Gospel of John and the Synoptic Gospels?
How does John’s use of the Greek term logos connect Jesus with the creation account of Genesis 1 as well as the Greek principle of cosmic Reason?
Why did the writer of the Gospel of John compile a “Book of Signs”? Briefly describe one of those signs and its meaning.
Identify the leaders of the Jerusalem church and the missionaries who first helped carry “the new way” into the larger world beyond the Jewish capital.
Describe the Pentecost event in Acts 2. What result did this have in the spread of the Christian message?
Briefly describe Paul’s transformation from a zealous Pharisee to Christianity’s first great missionary. How does the account of his conversion in Acts ch. 9 differ from his own accounts in Gal. 1:15 and I Cor. 9:1 and 15:8-9?
How many authentic letters of Paul are there?