The Gospel of John: An Online Bible Study, Session 1, September 21, 2001

The Gospel of John: An Online Bible Study with Dr. Harold Attridge, Session 1, September 21, 2001.

The Gospel of John tells a distinctive story of Jesus. Its poetic prologue sets the stage with allusions to God's act of creation and to the revelation of the Law to Moses. The evangelist claims that the Word of God, enfleshed in Jesus, is part of the first action and offers something that the Torah could not do. It defines that gift as "birth" from God available to all who believe. The story unfolds as a series of dramatic encounters that challenge readers to reflect on their own life giving encounters with Jesus. Richly suggestive images embellish the story which delights in irony, all of which aims to train readers to "see" the truth to which Jesus witnesses. The course will explore the Gospel's narrative strategy, probe the larger theological issues that it raises, and reflect on the process of the Gospel’s development and its engagement with the intellectual and cultural context of its first century audience.