“Behold the Man”?: Subverting Imperial Masculinity in the Gospel of John
Modern variations of the “Muscular Christianity” movement emphasize Jesus’ masculinity in various dimensions, inspired in part by the idealized masculinity of Jesus portrayed in the Gospel of John. However, these constructions overlook the Roman context of the Fourth Gospel, and thus miss its critic...
| Subtitles: | Special Issue: Making Men: The Reception of the Bible in the Construction of Masculinities in Jewish and Christian Con/Texts / Issue Editors: Ovidiu Creanga, Adriaan van Klinken, Jorunn Økland and Peter-Ben Smit |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
De Gruyter
2015
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| In: |
Journal of the bible and its reception
Year: 2015, Volume: 2, Issue: 2, Pages: 219-239 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
John
/ Jesus Christus
/ Suffering
/ Death
/ Masculinity
/ Imperialism
/ Roman Empire
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| IxTheo Classification: | FD Contextual theology HC New Testament |
| Further subjects: | B
Roman imperialism
B Masculinity B noble death B Gospel of John B Muscular Christianity B Classical rhetoric |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Modern variations of the “Muscular Christianity” movement emphasize Jesus’ masculinity in various dimensions, inspired in part by the idealized masculinity of Jesus portrayed in the Gospel of John. However, these constructions overlook the Roman context of the Fourth Gospel, and thus miss its critical and subversive engagement with imperial masculinity. I argue that the Gospel of John forges its portrait of Jesus in the rhetorical crucible of honor and virtus , where Roman masculinity was socially constructed and contested. Within the divergent configurations of manliness that emerge in the early imperial period, the glorious death of John’s Jesus appeals to and subverts reigning constructions of imperial masculinity. Through the portrayal of Jesus’ unflappable courage and conquering via his death, the rhetoric of the Fourth Gospel lays claim to the ideal of Roman virtus , especially as set forth in the rhetorized renditions of anti-imperial Stoic martyrs (such as Cato and Seneca). However, by constructing Jesus’ masculinity around his bound, beaten, crucified and penetrated body, the Fourth Gospel critiques and subverts imperial configurations of hegemonic manliness and domination. John’s glorification of the cross provides a paradigm of masculinity that exalts courageous critique and rejection of imperial violence even at the cost of one’s life, thereby inverting the shame of crucifixion and imbuing it with honor and virtus . In so doing, imperial notions of martial masculinity and power are subverted and reconfigured around the cross, thereby opening up new possibilities for the performance of masculinity by ancients and moderns alike. |
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| ISSN: | 2329-4434 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of the bible and its reception
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1515/jbr-2015-0009 |