Atonement and Martyrdom in the Gospel of John
Does the Gospel of John portray Jesus’ death as an atoning sacrifice? This paper offers a new approach to the revelation vs. sacrifice impasse in scholarship, arguing that Jesus’ atoning death in John should be understood with reference to the non-cultic atoning deaths of the Jewish martyrdom tradit...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Brill
[2020]
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In: |
Horizons in biblical theology
Year: 2020, Volume: 42, Issue: 1, Pages: 58-89 |
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Death
/ Atonement
/ Martyrdom
/ John
/ Bible. Makkabäer 1.
/ Bible. Makkabäer 2.
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IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament HC New Testament |
Further subjects: | B
Atonement
B Gospel of John B Revelation B Sin B Maccabees B Martyrdom |
Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Summary: | Does the Gospel of John portray Jesus’ death as an atoning sacrifice? This paper offers a new approach to the revelation vs. sacrifice impasse in scholarship, arguing that Jesus’ atoning death in John should be understood with reference to the non-cultic atoning deaths of the Jewish martyrdom traditions. After critically engaging scholarship, I contextualize John within post-biblical debates regarding sacrificial martyrdom, focusing on the competing reconfigurations of non-cultic atonement in the Maccabean literature. I subsequently show how Jesus’ atoning martyrdom reveals his anti-violent way of the cross as the true martyrdom and atoning sacrifice accepted by God, thereby resolving key tensions within Johannine scholarship. I then demonstrate how this vision of atonement addresses John’s understanding of sin as ignorance and addresses an audience itself facing threats of martyrdom (John 16:2). I conclude with some reflections on how John’s vision of atonement critically differs from later theological theories, particularly penal substitution. |
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ISSN: | 1871-2207 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Horizons in biblical theology
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/18712207-12341403 |